He snorts. “You’re gonna have to give me more than that.”
I shrug, keeping my tone even. “I just did.”
Liam glances at me again, longer this time. “Since when do you have appointments on this side of town?”
I don’t respond. Outside, the city moves past in a blur of brick and glass and people who are not currently thinking about what they said ten minutes ago.
I am.
“You’re being weird,” Liam says.
“I’m always weird.”
“Yeah, but this is different weird.”
I move slightly in my seat, adjusting the cuff of my sleeve even though it doesn’t need adjusting. “It’s nothing.”
“Uh-huh.” He taps the steering wheel with his thumb. “Does this ‘nothing’ have anything to do with the fact that my sister’s best friend just planted her lips across yours for no reason?”
I don’t look at him.
“That was unrelated.”
“Unrelated,” he repeats, like he doesn’t believe me. I exhale slowly through my nose. Itshouldbe unrelated. It was random. Unplanned. A moment that doesn’t require follow-up or analysis.
Except, my brain doesn’t seem to agree.
My phone chirps, alerting me to a text message. I’ve never been so relieved to pay attention to my phone in my life.
Emma:
Hey—if you’re free Wednesday, we should meet. Go over the practice schedule before things ramp up.
I read it once, then again.
“Don’t do that,” Liam says.
“Do what?”
“Disappear into your phone mid-conversation.”
“We’re not married and I’m still listening.”
“Sure you are.”
What time?
Outside, the street opens up a little, traffic thinning as we move farther from the main strip.
My phone buzzes again. Another message from my sister.
Emma:
Morning? Coffee. I’ll bring notes.
Morning is better. It’s quieter. More structured. And I find it a lot easier to focus.
Okay.
