Page 4 of Revive Me

Her expression sobers, and she turns toward me fully as she cocks her head to the side. “You don’t drink?”

I shrug. “I do. Sometimes. I just like to put healthy things in my body more.”

She nods in understanding. “Same. Blueprint cookies are my exception.”

I glance back at her friends. “So does that mean tonight’s a special occasion?”

A proud smile overtakes her face. “Mmhmm. My best friend just passed her nursing exam, andIpassed the NPTE.” When that only gets her a blank stare, she explains, “It’s the National Physical Therapy Exam. It means I’m now officially a licensed physical therapist.”

Impressed, I let out a whistle. “Wow. Thatisworth a celebration.”

“It really is,” she says on a heavy exhale. “I thought for sure the past three years were going to kill both of us.”

I wave down the bartender.

“Hey, Roman. What can I get you?”

Glancing beside me, I ask, “Are you okay if I order that drink for us? I promise it’s delicious.”

I love that she only hesitates for a beat before she nods. “Sure.”

Turning back to the bartender, I ask, “Can we get two orders of a mint berry smash?”

He’s already reaching for the cocktail shaker. “You got it, boss.”

When I turn my attention back to the blonde, she’s looking at me with a curious expression.

“If you don’t drink often, how does he know your name?”

I could tell her that I get recognized more often than not in this city, especially by men. But for some reason, I don’t feel like going into my pseudo-celebrity status with this girl.

Instead, I say, “I just realized I still don’t knowyourname.”

For a moment, I expect her to push the issue. But then she says, “It’s…Liliana. Lily.”

I don’t hide any of the heat from my gaze as I take that in. “Liliana,” I murmur, tasting the syllables on my tongue. “That’s a beautiful name.”

And we’re still close enough that I can see the way her cheeks pinken, her eyelashes fluttering when she says quietly, “Thank you.”

I open my mouth to flirt some more, when we’re interrupted by the bartender appearing in front of me.

“Here you go, two mint berry smashes,” he says, sliding the drinks across the bar with a grin aimed my way. “No charge.”

I give him a nod, pulling cash from my pocket and dropping a twenty in his tip jar instead. “Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”

When I slide one of the drinks over to Liliana, she’s got that same curious look on her face from before. “So, he knows your name,andyou get special treatment.” She cocks her head as she studies me some more. “But I don’t think you’re lying about the not drinking a lot, because you held strong eye contact when you said it.”

My lip quirks. “Are you sure that physical therapy degree wasn’t a psychology one?”

She chuckles and pulls her drink closer. “Sorry, that one’s all me. I like people watching.”

Letting out a thoughtful hum, I turn to face her fully. “Alright then. Any other observations, Doc?”

“I’m not a doctor,” she says, aiming an amused smile at me.

Lifting an eyebrow, I tell her, “I’ve met enough physical therapists to know you need a doctorate to get there. Ergo…doc.”

That earns me another curious look. “So, you work with physical therapists, and the bartender knows your name, even though you don’t drink. Not to mention, nobody has that many muscles without a good reason.” Her eyes narrow. “You’re a professional athlete, aren’t you?”

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