“Make a right and…you can let me off here. You’re awesome. Thanks, Drew.”
“Wait. I—” I grabbed his sleeve before he could open the door, then rubbed my chin and gave a half laugh, clearly stalling. “Um…can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Go for it.”
“Are you quitting?” I blurted.
Liam scrunched his brow and twisted his lips comically. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to convey, so I waited.
“Eventually. Why?”
“Derek mentioned that you might be moving on now that the holidays are over. And to be honest…I’ve been losing sleep over the idea,” I deadpanned.
“Aw. I’m touched. I didn’t think you’d notice if I was gone,” he singsonged playfully.
I scoffed. “You’re not exactly a wallflower. Of course, I’d notice.”
He waited a beat, then asked, “Will you miss me?”
I pointed at the door. “Out.”
Liam threw his head back and guffawed. “Don’t be like that. You like me and you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone. Admit it.”
“Yeah, whatever. I like you and I’ll miss you.”
“Cool. So, that means you won’t blow me off at—oh, hang on.” He pulled his cell from his pocket to read an incoming text. “Sorry. My car is supposed to be ready soon and…bam! Yes! It’s about fucking time. Now I just need to get dressed and get my ass over there before they close.”
“Where’s the garage?”
“On Atlantic.” He typed a message on his phone.
“I can take you if you want.”
Liam glanced up and cocked his head. “Are you sure? There might be traffic. I don’t want to kill your afternoon.”
“I’m feeling generous, and I don’t have to be at the bar for a few hours.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that. Do you mind if I change my clothes first? I’ll be quick. Promise.”
“Sure. I’ll park on the street and—”
“No, take my spot and come in. It’s that first condo on the left.” He gestured to the empty space in the covered parking area adjacent to the Spanish-style row of town houses.
I obeyed…and I wasn’t sure why. I really didn’t mind playing chauffeur, but it was more than that. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye. Obviously, the part of me that was crushing hard on him had taken over. But in the grand scheme of things, it was a relatively harmless case of infatuation and the guy actually needed my help.
So I parked and followed him along the narrow path to his place.
2
Drew
I stepped inside Liam’s town house and blinked in the semidarkness. The shades were drawn in the living area, casting long shadows over the two sofas flanking the giant flat-screen. Beer bottles littered the coffee table, and I was pretty sure that smell was emanating from the to-go boxes stacked on the side tables.
“Wow, it’s very…college chic,” I commented, unable to keep the unspoken “This place is fucking rank” from dripping through my tone.
“Fuck, it looks like Meyers had a party here all damn day. It stinks and—come upstairs. My room is much neater, and it doesn’t smell like a dirty diaper,” he huffed, heading toward a short set of stairs.
I didn’t hesitate to follow. The bare walls were a nondescript shade of off-white mixed with yellow, and the worn beige carpet sported huge stains that probably came with a good story or two. The kind I wouldn’t be able to laugh at if I lived here. I didn’t consider myself to be overly fastidious at all; I made my bed sporadically and occasionally left my dishes in the sink, but I’d graduated from leaving empty booze bottles around like trophies years ago. And if I was reading Liam correctly, he had too.
His vague look of disgust faded when he opened his bedroom door.
“Oh, this is nice,” I commented as I stepped inside.
The room was small, but neat and clean. And it smelled…yummy. Like peppermint. The walls were decorated with ski posters, and personal photos were tacked to the huge corkboard above his desk. I studied the pictures while he gathered his clothes. Most of them featured fit, athletic dudes I assumed were his teammates. There were a few group shots with girls. I recognized Jade in one where Liam was sandwiched between her and a cute blonde. I set my finger over the curled edges to flatten it and accidentally knocked two photos from the board. I picked them up and peered around for the thumbtack, when Liam came to my side.
“Don’t worry about that. You can leave it on the desk,” he said, popping the elastic on his boxer briefs.
I turned automatically, and because I’m only fucking human…my gaze traveled over his massive chest and dipped to his crotch. If he noticed, he played it cool, moving to grab the T-shirt he’d flung onto his red-and-navy plaid duvet. I cleared my throat and studied the photos in my hand as if I might be quizzed on them. Liam had an arm around Jade and the other girl in the first one. They wore matching goofy smiles and water polo T-shirts. Damn, they were beautiful people, I mused, flipping to the other photo.