Page 61 of Fix Them Up
‘Liam, please. Just leave it.’
Liam’s eyes were wide, a deer caught in headlights. Eventually, he nodded, glancing down like he couldn’t look at me. Like he didn’t want to look at me.
Jesus, the hangxiety tomorrow was going to be catastrophic.
‘Thank you for – for this evening.’
I tried my best not to limp down the path to the annexe because I knew he’d be watching. Once I’d unlocked the door, I collapsed on the other side, taking deep breaths. I peeked around to look out the window to find Liam pacing across the kitchen, his hands running through his hair.
As I got ready for bed, I played and paused the whole interaction with Liam from start to finish. I’d misread his body language. Obviously, he wasn’t going to kiss me. He was concerned for my ankle, for my wellbeing. He’d been standing close to hold the ice pack to my ankle, and then I’d launched myself at him.
I groaned – my social anxiety at an all-time high.
We’d only been working together for a week, and I’d made things a million times more complicated. We still had two months of work to do. I wanted to throw myself into a wood chipper. I wanted Thanos to snap his fingers, obliterating me into tiny pieces. I’d do anything to be rid of this mortification.
Once I was in bed, the first text came through. I read Liam’s name and felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I swiped open my phone with a shaky hand, reading the text through one squinting eye, like my phone might explode at any minute.
Liam: I can hear your brain from here.
Another message came through a few seconds later.
Liam: Can I take you somewhere for lunch tomorrow, and we can talk?
I groaned. I was so mortified I ignored the text. I mean, for all he knew, I was asleep.
Liam: I can see you’ve read the text, Kat.
Fuck, I forgot about my read receipts. I threw my phone on the bed and collapsed next to it. I lay face down on my pillow, hoping I’d accidentally suffocate myself in the night so I could avoid an incredibly awkward conversation with Liam in the morning.
Chapter Twenty
Kat’s To-Do List
Therapist???
I woke at five in the morning to my heart racing, like I was expected to run from a herd of elk at any moment.
Then I remembered – Liam. The kiss. The fallout. Once my brain caught up with my body, I understood why I was lightly sweating. I sat up, wrapping my arms around my knees, keeping my head down. When anxiety hit like this, it was crippling. I took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself, but it was useless. It was like I was getting ready to jump out of the window at any given moment. I leaned over and checked my phone. Liam hadn’t texted again since last night. I couldn’t blame him since I hadn’t replied.
I texted Willa.
My phone vibrated about three minutes later with her call.
‘What are you doing up so early?’
Willa’s familiar voice was a temporary balm to my nerves. ‘Personal training sessions. I pay Eduardo an extortionate amount of money every month to torture me. It’s a good job he’s fairly good-looking, or I’d have quit by now.’
Willa rarely noticed when men were attractive, let alone commented on it, so I knew Eduardo was more than ‘fairly good-looking’.
‘What’s up? Your texts were… concerning. Frantic.’ She paused before adding, ‘Unhinged.’
I began pacing the room. ‘I did something stupid.’
‘You shagged him.’
I stopped. I didn’t expect her to guess so close that quickly.
‘His name is Liam. And we didn’tshag.’ Who even says shag?
