Page 116 of Not That Impossible

Calm the fuck down.

At the rate my heart was going, I’d burn off the pizza before I even had any.

Liam plated it up, grabbed some cutlery from a drawer, and brought it all over. He sat opposite me and raised an eyebrow.

He’d put half of the pizza on my plate, and a quarter on his. I obediently hacked off an enormous piece and stuffed it in my mouth.

I chewed, all the time staring at him.

Biting back a smile, Liam cut himself a piece. He popped it in his mouth. He didn’t look away, either.

I was in Liam Nash’s house, eating more than my fair share of his supper, sitting across from him, having a stare-off.

I didn’t know what to do.

What to say.

The only thing going through my mind continued to be the clanging refrain of,What the fuck is happening?

I kept shovelling in the pizza. He finished first, although barely.

He was enjoying my discomfort. He waited for me to finish, swallow, fidget with the cutlery, and finally open my mouth to ask what the hell was going on, before he said, “So. What brings you over tonight?”

“I wanted to apologise, actually.”

He pushed his plate to the side and leaned his forearms on the island. “You did?”

“Yeah. For the article. I kind of…went off on one with that. I was not entirely accurate with the facts. I feel bad about misrepresenting you. Because of ego, I suppose. And…and stuff.”

“And by ‘ego and stuff,’ can I take it that you mean because of hurt feelings?”

“Yeah. Like I said, bruised ego.”

“I don’t think youhavean ego. I hurt your feelings, Jasper.”

“However you want to phrase it, I was unprofessional and I apologise.”

“I appreciate you driving all the way over here to tell me that,” he said.

“You’re welcome. It’s only a few minutes away from my house.”

“I was putting the bins out when you pulled up. You didn’t see me. I watched you sit in your car outside my house for twenty minutes.”

“Um—”

“I was waiting for you to come inside in your own time. Except the second you saw me, you drove away. At speed.”

“Please don’t arrest me.”

“I won’t.” He smiled. “You came back, though. Why was it so hard to come to me, Jasper?”

“You’re kind of intimidating.”

“I intimidate you?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Yeah. I know I intimidate you.” His gaze heated. “I like it.”

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