Anne and Liam met for an early dinner at a popular Chinese fast-food place not far from the campus Wednesday. They had hardly seen each other that week, and Liam had been cooped up in the apartment for days, so they both needed the break.
The place was crowded, as always, and Anne couldn’t help worrying a little that she would run into one of her classmates, but Liam was dressed very incognito again. His preppy polo shirt and jeans were far from his usual safari gear, his hair was freshly trimmed and he wore the ball cap again, which he didn’t bother to remove for the casual surroundings. He wasn’t the only one wearing a cap while eating. They had agreed that if she did see someone she knew, and if introductions seemed called for, she could simply refer to him as her friend Lee.
Conversation was made somewhat difficult by the noise level of the dining room, but they managed to make small talk as they wound pad Thai noodles on to disposable chopsticks. Liam looked rather happy with the amount of work he’d accomplished that day.
“It’s going better, I take it?” she asked, pleased that he seemed satisfied with his results.
He nodded. “I think I’ve finally figured out my strategy for easing from one story into the next. It seems to be flowing well now. I should be able to wrap up a rough draft by the end of next week. I’ll send that to my editor for input before I spend much more time on it.”
“The end of next week,” she repeated, hoping the background noise concealed the hollowness of her voice. “Wow. That would be great progress.”
He nodded. “After all the delays, I really have to put the pressure on now. I’ve got a couple of meetings scheduled in New York the week after that, and it would be a lot better if I get this project out of the way first. At least, this part of it.”
So. She had a timetable now. Liam would be leaving in approximately a week and a half. Still longer than he’d planned to stay when he’d arrived almost a month earlier, but it still seemed so soon for him to be off again.
“I’m glad it’s going well for you,” she said, stabbing her chopsticks into the bowl of noodles. “I was beginning to get worried, for your sake.”
“You should have known better,” he chided good-humoredly. “I always work things out eventually.”
“That’s true.”
“Guess you’ll be glad to have your place back. Your friends are probably wondering why you haven’t invited them over to study lately.”
She tried to smile. “Maybe a little. Haley keeps jumping in to volunteer her apartment whenever we’re not meeting at one of the others. She’s really been covering for me.”
“I’m glad you have such a good friend in her. I like her.”
“Yes, so do I, obviously.” She watched as Liam pushed his bowl aside after eating less than half the dish. “Is that all you’re having?”
“I’m not very hungry. My stomach’s been a little queasy today. Maybe a stomach bug or something.”
“There’s a nasty stomach virus making the rounds. Maybe you should see a doctor.”
His grin was mischievous—and more than a little suggestive. “I’ve been seeing a doctor quite regularly. And enjoying every bit of what I’ve seen.”
Her cheeks warmed. “I meant a real doctor—one who’s already taken and passed all these stupid tests.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“If it’s not better by tomorrow, I’m going to start nagging,” she warned him.
He laughed. “I read somewhere that married men tend to live longer because their wives nag them into seeing doctors. If it makes you feel better, I’ll check with a doctor if my stomach is still bothering me by Friday.”
She agreed to the compromise with a nod. It probably was just a virus, in which case there wasn’t much a doctor could do. Antibiotics were useless—even counterproductive for viruses, which tended to resolve themselves within a week or so. She was probably just being overly concerned, a typical med student’s reaction when family fell ill.
She glanced at her watch and grimaced. “I’m sorry to have to run, but I’m supposed to meet the group at Ron’s in twenty minutes.”
“Of course. I don’t want to make you late. I’ll walk you to your car.”
They stood and moved together toward the door. Halfway there, a rowdy toddler darted out in front of them, almost tangling in Anne’s feet. Liam steadied her with an arm around her shoulder while the child’s father captured the runaway with a murmured apology.
Anne smiled up at Liam, and he tightened his arm around her as they shared a laugh at the near collision. And then they looked toward the door again.
This time Anne almost fell over her own feet when she stumbled to a shocked halt, causing Liam to bump into her.
“Now what?” he asked with a chuckle.
His smile died when his gaze followed hers.