Page 20 of The Arrangement
Was I being an asshole?
I’d brought Liam to a private room to talk so I could continue with my evil plan without being judged, because I kept telling myself that I was justified in my actions.
But was I?
Yeah, shit had gone sideways when we were kids, and maybe Liam hadn’t been the person I’d thought he was. But was that enough to act like a total dick now? We’d gone our separate ways, grown apart, lived our lives. As much as I hated to admit it, Piercemightbe right. I should steer clear of Liam.
However, if I did that, I might never find out why he’d panicked all those years ago and betrayed me.
Liam huffed. His coat made a noise as he folded his arms across his chest. “Okay. Fine. Rome, I was wondering if you’d be willing to go out with me. On a date.”
I blinked at him for a second, words leaving me. While we stood there in that heavy silence, I’d gotten lost in thought, forgetting why he was at the library in the first place. He still sounded awkward and uncomfortable, but not nearly as angry or put out as he had been. Maybe if I was my usual charming self, I was sure I could learn more about what happened all those years ago. Not that I was interested in being his friend again, but it would be nice to bury what had been so we no longer had to worry about bad feelings if we ran into each other around town. That being said, I was still going to be a dick to him on the date, but only a tiny bit.
“Sure. Where are we gonna go?”
“What?” Liam stared at me like I’d switched to a foreign language.
“Where are we going on our date?” I repeated slowly.
“I don’t know! This was your idea.”
God, he was so easy to rile.How the hell was I supposed to be a nice guy and pass this up? Impossible. Utterly impossible.
“The deal was five dates,” I reminded him. “Five times you have to ask me out, plan outings, escort me through an enjoyable evening, and see mesafelyhome. You do remember the process, right?” I felt the need to emphasize the last part because I was afraid he’d try to leave me in a ditch somewhere.
Liam’s furious glare returned. And maybe so did my giddy joy. Where my resolve had wavered minutes ago, it was solidifying into steel. Five dates meant five opportunities to learn the truth about the past. And maybe a little torment.
My grumpy companion’s mouth opened and shut without him saying a single word. His scowl was so intense I thought he was trying to set me on fire with his mind.
“You realize I’m just a scientist, right? And not one of those molecular biochemists or even a forensic scientist. I don’t make a lot of money, so I can’t treat you to the expensive dates I’m sure you’re accustomed to.”
I barely stopped my derisive snort from escaping. Had any of my dates treated me? It was always my wallet that came out when the bill was due. Was it wrong that I liked the idea of Liam buying me dinner, even if it was nothing more than a drive-thru burger?
“It’s a date. I’m not expecting anything fancy.”
“Okay. Fine. Any stipulations I should know about before our date? I don’t want to go through with this only to have you tell me it didn’t count.”
That was a good point. Under normal circumstances, I didn’t have to worry about the other person trying to get things over with as quickly as possible.
“Yeah…umm…I don’t mind doing free things. Those will count as dates. However, on at least one date, you have to spend a minimum of ten dollars on us.”
Liam scoffed. “I might be poor, but I’m not that hard up.”
“I’m not saying you are. The point of this isn’t for you to spend money on me,” I snapped.
“Anything else?”
“The date has to last at least three hours.”
“And the timer starts from the moment I pick you up.”
“Sure.” I shrugged, feeling more relaxed now that we had some ground rules set.
“Anything else?”
“Nope. So, where are we going?”
Liam smiled at me, tight and angry. “It’s a surprise. Are you free tomorrow night? Seven?”
