Hayley dressed me in a pair of skinny jeans that hug my butt just right and a black slinky top that only has a string going across the middle of the back. Thankfully it has a built-in bra. I would have never picked something like this for myself.
“One more thing. Actually two more.” She hands me a pair of black flats and a heart pendant necklace.
I turn the silver locket over in my fingers. “This is beautiful. I’d be scared to lose it.” I try to hand it back.
Hayley gets this goofy look on her face. “Don’t freak out on me but it belongs to you. Open it.”
My brows knit together in confusion, but I do as she says. I pop the locket open and inside is a photograph of my birth father and me. My chest squeezes tight, and I suck in a breath biting back my tears. I was probably two and it was most likely one of the last times I saw him. Tears burn in the back of my throat.
“Hey. We will talk about heavy stuff later. Let’s go eat some greasy pizza.”
“Okay.” I bite back my emotions and grab my wristlet after tucking my room key inside.
Chapter 2
Liri
We walk two blocks to a place called Donali’s Pizza. The dining area is a bit dark and it’s crowded with college kids eating pizza, drinking beer, and shooting pool. I’m trying not to think about the gift that Hayley gave me hanging around my neck, but I can’t stop from fidgeting with the heart-shaped locket as we trudge through the room to a booth near the back where three guys are sharing a pitcher of beer. The table has plastic red and white checkered place mats on it that are stained with pepperoni grease. Fake greenery that appears to need a good dusting hangs on the wall.
My heart leaps to my throat when I meet a familiar pair of dark brown eyes. I can hear his laughter echoing in my head as I recall our encounter from earlier. He briefly looks at me then turns his head. I can feel heat spreading across my chest. He’s wearing a black leather jacket and a dark gray t-shirt underneath it. He looks like trouble.
“Hey, baby.” One of the other guys jumps up and kisses Hayley on the cheek. “Have a seat.” He kicks at the third guy who is smiling at me to scoot over.
“Liri, this is Liam. Liam, this my cousin.”
“Oh shit. I was starting to think you made her up. You’re the art prodigy, right?” he sucks his lip ring into his mouth and holds his hand out to me.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” I accept his tattooed covered hand and he squeezes it once before dropping it. I slide in next to his friend, Woodrow. He seems nice enough. He’s average in the boy next door sense. Clean cut and nice clothes. Hayley is squeezed in on the other side of the table on the bench seat between Liam and the other guy who called me a nerd earlier. I can’t help but wonder if he recognizes me, but I doubt it. I do look different after the makeover Hayley gave me.
“You want a beer?” Woodrow asks.
“No thanks. I don’t drink beer.” I scrunch up my nose at the thought. I drank some once at a family cookout that my Uncle Cooper hosted and it made me sick to
my stomach. I ended up puking in his rose bushes.
The other dude rolls his eyes. Hayley grins at me and swats him on the shoulder. “Be nice, Killian.” Killian…that’s an interesting name. He stares around the restaurant appearing like he is bored to death. I ignore him and order a soda when the waitress approaches.
The group argues over what toppings to get on the pizza. “What about you. What do you like, Liri?” Liam questions me. He isn’t what I pictured from the emails Hayley and I exchanged. He has dirty blond hair, a lip piercing, and tattoos. The way she talked about him I was expecting someone a bit cleaner cut. He’s cute though.
“I’m simple. I like pepperoni.” I can feel that Killian guy’s eyes on me, but I’m afraid to look over in his direction. He seems like a bit of a jerk.
“So you’re into art. Do you like paint and draw?” Woodrow starts asking me questions, and I appreciate him keeping the conversation moving.
“Yeah. I like to sketch and do portraits mainly.”
“Well if you need a model I’m not against posing nude,” he tells me, and everyone laughs.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I blush at the thought. He has thick biceps and I bet the rest of him is as muscular.
Killian suddenly asks to be excused and our group of five becomes four making it appear we are on a double date. I can’t help but watch Killian as he goes over to the pool tables and starts talking to a group of girls. Woodrow keeps trying to engage me in more conversation, but I keep spacing out.
“Liri, go to the bathroom with me,” Hayley demands. I follow her past where Killian was. I lost track of him. Not that I should care. However, when we start down the narrow hall to the restroom, I see him. He has a girl pushed up against the wall with his tongue in her mouth and his hand up her shirt. He senses our approach and his eyes meet mine with a wicked glint in them.
I quickly look away. I don’t know why him making out with some chick has me feeling embarrassed, but it does. Inside the bathroom Hayley goes into a stall. “Ignore Killian. He’s a bit of a broody jackass.” Her voice carries through the two-stall bathroom.
“Oh totally,” I agree, feeling a strange sensation in the pit of my stomach.
“He’s Liam’s best friend. I am kind of always stuck hanging out with him, but you’ll get used to him.”