Page 13 of Liam
My muscles tense. Blood rushes in my ears. “Aleria,” I manage, my voice strained.
She looks up, her eyes meeting mine. The tapping stops. Her gaze drops, then snaps back up, wide with realization.
Her face flushes crimson, the color spreading down her neck and disappearing beneath her collar. I wonder how far that blush extends.
She scrambles to her feet, knocking her chair askew in herhaste. Her teeth catch her lower lip, worrying it as her hands twist the crumpled napkins.
“I...uh...” she says, “I didn’t mean... I wasn’t...”
This flustered, awkward Aleria is a far cry from the sharp-tongued scientist I’m used to sparring with. A strange warmth blooms in my chest at the sight.
“It’s okay,” I say. “No harm done.”
The bell shatters the moment. Aleria jolts, her elbow catching her water glass. I lunge forward, steadying it before another disaster can unfold.
“You should... I need to...” she mumbles, gesturing toward her seat.
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. As I move to the next table, my pants cold and uncomfortable, I can’t shake the image of Aleria on her knees, looking up at me with those wide hazel eyes. It stirred something in me, something dangerous and unexpected.
The scrape of my chair against the floor barely registers as I take my seat for the next round. My eyes, as if magnetized, drift across the room. Aleria laughs. She throws her head back, her wild curls cascading down her shoulders, bouncing with each chuckle.
Whatever we had back in college is ancient history.
Her date, a distinguished-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair, leans in close. Too close. His self-satisfied grin sets my teeth on edge.
A vise tightens around my chest, sharp and unexpected. I inhale, caught off guard by the intensity of my reaction. My fingers tap out a staccato beat on the table, restless energy seeking an outlet. I force them still, gripping the edge of the table.
“Ahem.” The pointed throat-clearing snaps my attention back to my table. The woman across from me arches an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my wandering focus.
I plaster on a smile, the expression feeling brittle and false. “Oh, hi. I’m Liam, nice to meet you.”
I go through the motions of conversation, nodding and responding at intervals. But my attention fractures, splintering between the woman before me and the scene unfolding at table seven. Each glance in Aleria’s direction twists the knife in my chest, a sensation as unwelcome as it is puzzling.
When the event ends, we gather to mark our choices. I circle two names on my card: Sofia, the pediatric nurse, and Emily, a literature professor I’d hit it off with in one of the later rounds.
“How’d you do?” Aleria asks as we hand in our cards.
“Two matches,” I reply. “You?”
She grins. “Same. Looks like we’re tied.”
We collect our match information and step outside into the cool night air. The street is quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos of the speed dating event. The neon sign of The Red Door casts a soft, pinkish glow over the sidewalk.
“So, what now?” I ask. “It’s a tie.”
Aleria’s brow furrows in thought, a strand of hair falling across her face. She tucks it behind her ear as she considers. “Well, getting matches is easy. Having a relationship is the hard part.” Her eyes light up. “We need to bet on who can date someone without breaking up. Let’s say for a month?”
I roll the idea around in my mind, weighing each angle like a go player considering their next move. A slow smile spreads across my face, the thrill of competition igniting in my veins. As I lean in closer to respond, a whiff of Aleria’sscent—a mixture of coffee, roses, and honey—catches me off guard. I falter for a moment, distracted by the sudden urge to lean in even closer.
Shaking off the unexpected thought, I force myself to focus.
“You’ve got a point,” I concede, my voice huskier than intended. “Anyone can land a single date. The real challenge lies in sustaining interest.”
I tap my fingers against my chin, a plan crystallizing, even as my gaze is drawn to the way Aleria bites her lower lip in concentration. The competitive fire that always simmered between us roars to life.
A slow, predatory smile spreads across my face. This is perfect—not only do I get to prove myself to Aleria, but I can also shut down Cora's incessant attempts to set me up with her friends. Two birds, one stone.
“I’ve got it. There’s a Halloween party I’m throwing six weeks from now. Workers and friends.” I lock eyes with her, aware of the flecks of gold in her hazel irises. My voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper. “Let’s raise the stakes. Whoever can keep their match interested enough to attend as their plus-one wins the bet.”
