Page 31 of Something Forever

Except I haven’t heard a peep from Liam’s room.

I knock on his door, softly at first. There’s no response, so I knock again, harder this time, but still nothing.

Glancing at the oven clock, I shake my head and open the door. The room is a dark cave, the blackout curtains drawn so not a sliver of light can get in. Liam’s muscular figure is sprawled across the bed, and he’s shirtless.

Very shirtless.

For a moment, I just stare at him, taking in the broad lines of his shoulders and the dark ink splattered across his arms and chest. I’ve never really looked at his tattoos or studied his body, but he’s incredible. Ignoring the sudden flush of heat rushing through me, I cross the room and nudge his sleeping form, trying to wake him in the least intrusive way possible. He doesn’t seem to even register my presence.

I nudge him again. “Liam. Wake up,” I whisper into the darkness.

Nothing.

“Liam!” A little louder now. “We have to go!”

He stirs, grumbling into his pillow.

“Get up!” I say, sounding too much like my mother for my liking. “I’m calling the car in ten minutes.”

He lifts his head slightly. “What time is it?” he rasps, sending another strange flush through me.

“A little past five.”

“Isn’t our flight at ten?” he mumbles into the pillow.

“Yes. It’s a forty-five-minute drive to JFK. If we leave before six, we’ll be there a bit before seven, and that gives us three hours to get through security.”

Finally, he opens his eyes. “Three hours? Are you insane? Go back to bed.”

I roll my eyes. “Liam. Get up. I will be calling the car in ten minutes, with or without you.”

“Yeah? Gonna say the vows without me, too?”

I throw my hands in the air. “Ugh. Just get up! Please.”

He rolls over, facing away from me. “Fine. Get out so I can get dressed.”

I glance around at the messy room, barely visible in the darkness. I don’t see a suitcase anywhere. “You’re packed, right?”

“Sure, sunshine. Now get out.” Before I can duck, he sends a pillow flying in my direction, hitting me square in the chest. Taking the hint, I slip out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

Twenty minutes later, my thumb is hovering over the Uber app impatiently. I’m about to lose my shit when Liam finally stumbles out of his room with a duffel bag over his shoulder.

“Great! Let’s go!”

He blinks slowly. “How do you have this much energy?”

“I’m a morning person. Haven’t you realized that by now?”

He shrugs and sits across from me, setting his bag on the ground. “I guess.”

I call the car and the app says it’s five minutes away. I take a deep breath, unsure how much to reveal about my fear. “Also… I’m kind of a nervous flier.”

He puts his head in his hands, closing his eyes. “Lovely. You’re not going to vomit, are you?”

I shake my head. “Probably not.”

“Thank God.”

---