Page 21 of Look My Way
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Daniel will be home late from work tonight, and he’s letting me know I’ll be on my own for dinner later.”
“You don’t have to be,” he says, voice full of hope and the promise of something I want him to see through.
“I don’t?” I wiggle in my seat, setting my phone down to put it out of sight and mind.
“No. I have to take care of some errands, but I can be at your place around seven with Italian food in hand.”
Say no. Just say no. “You aren’t tired of me yet?”
“Nah.” He waves his hand, pushing back in his chair with his legs falling apart. “I doubt that’s even possible, and I want you to show me this so-called huge movie collection.”
“Okay,” I say as if on autopilot. So much for saying thatnoI kept reciting in my head. It’s a hard word to use when it comes to him, briefly leaving my vocabulary until he’s no longer near me.
Eleven
Zavier
Once my supplies are dropped off at the site I’ll be working at tomorrow, I rush home to shower and place an order for pick-up at a restaurant not far from me as I’m sliding on fresh clothes.
He wanted to say no at the ice cream shop. His eyes rounded, mouth pressed tight, and he was trying really hard to find what he thought were the right words, but what he needed rushed out instead.
“Okay.”
His eyes were less heavy after he said it. There was this weight lifted off his shoulders as he gave in to me and to himself. He has no idea how perfect he is with his body so responsive every time I rest my hand on him to guide him somewhere. Does he know he follows me without hesitancy? Not Daniel, but me. Trust is being created between us so quickly, while it has yet to form between him and the man he’s known a lot longer.
Slipping into my car, I unbutton the top of my shirt and shake loose the collar. Fuck it’s hot, and my AC isn’t workingfast enough. Turning the vents toward me, I check the time on my phone and answer some emails from potential clients before leaving for Tony’s Bistro. My order is ready and quickly handed to me as soon as I step into the restaurant. The cashier, who is always overly flirty, recognizes me as soon as I walk in the door.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey yourself. Got something for me?” I say cheekily, swiping my card. The interaction between us means nothing to me. It’s my way of being nice to someone I can tell could use it after seeing the bullshit she puts up with in this place. It’s nothing against her, though. It has more to do with her not being a cute little auburn-haired writer with thick-framed glasses.
“Always.” She winks, handing me a receipt to sign. I use the pen I always carry in my front pocket and then snatch the food off the counter.
“Until next time.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She rubs her red-stained lips together and I lift my head, forcing a smile as I turn to walk back to my car. I look at my phone again as I sit in my car, looking up the jurisdiction Daniel works for. It doesn’t take long for me to dig up, but at this point in my life nothing does. I’ve got my ways of finding more than what’s put out publicly, something I became good at when I got paid with a computer after mowing my first lawn as a teen.
Zooming in on his picture, my eye twitches at how familiar his features are. I know him from somewhere and just didn’t realize it before. Not much else matters to me when my carino is around. My mind, eyes, and everything in between belong to Liam. Whenever he needs me, I’ll be right here to sweep in and satisfy him. Because I want to keep him smiling and glowing like he was when he had ice cream dripping down his chin.
I say Daniel’s full name out loud, over and over, but nothing’s clicking in my head. Did he change it? There isn’t as much onthis guy as I thought there would be, so I’m guessing he used to go by something else. If I did in fact know him once upon a time, it’ll eventually come to me. I’ll keep an eye on him until it does. That is of course when I’m not busy with Liam. Starting my car, I pull onto the road and drive to an address I know by heart. My hands automatically know when to turn the wheel, and electricity zips through me the closer I get to my destination.
Liam is outside watering his plants, not looking up once as I pull into his driveway. It isn’t until I’m out of the car that I spot the headphones in his ears. His eyes lift to me when I’m only inches away, his glasses being shoved up by his shaking fingers.
Wiping his hands on the front of his jeans, he straightens his stance and steps away from the watering can.
“Did I come too early?”
His head tilts and I chuckle, removing a bud from his ear. His gaze bounces from my hand to my face, and his expression softens as I slip the ear bud into his half-extended palm. “Sorry. Thought you’d hear me better this way.”
“Yeah . . . I left my phone inside on the entryway table, so I couldn’t turn it off, and I can’t seem to figure out these new headphones my sister sent me.”
“You two pretty close?”
One shoulder lifts, his smile quickly fading. “We used to be. Things have been off between me and my whole family lately. Daniel said they suggested he pay for round-the-clock nurses and pretty much keep me a prisoner.”
Is he sure it’s not his loving, perfect fiancé who wants that? I make a note to look into Liam’s family later. He clearly misses having them in his life based on how he mentions them with so much sadness in his tone.
