Page 4 of Booked for the Holidays
I shut my bathroom door and press my back to it, trying to calm my heart rate. “Liam is here.”
“Wait. THE Liam?” She sucks in a breath before letting it out in a squeal.
“Shh.” I grab my phone and press the volume down. The last thing I need is for Liam to hear me gushing about him on this call. “And yes. THE Liam.”
“Oh my god, I’m definitely coming over then.”
“No, my mom asked me and Liam to go get wine for the party tonight. We’re going to be alone, without Jasper since he’s following Stella around like a lost puppy.”
“You mean a horny puppy.”
“Gross.” I don’t want to think about Jasper like that. “But, yeah.”
I stretch the hem of my sweater out to make room for my deodorant stick, then switch sides to get the other armpit. I’m sweating buckets from the thought of being in an enclosed space with Liam so I’m not even sure a reapplication is going to help.
“Fine, I’ll go home. But I’ll be over later to get ready for the party.”
“Sounds good,” I say, applying some lip gloss before standing back to check my appearance. I should put on some foundation to cover up my freckles but there’s no time.
“Juni?”
“Yeah?” I reply, pulling the top section of my hair back with a cream-colored bow scrunchie.
“Are you going to tell him how you feel?” she asks.
I swallow hard.
Tell Liam how I feel? I’m not delusional enough to think that I love him. Who falls in love with someone from afar? Do I even know him well enough to say that I’m crazy about him? Most of my information about Liam is second-hand or through stalking him on the internet. I can count the number of interactions we’ve had over the years on my fingers and toes, but each one has made my heart pound and my stomach flutter.
I’m certainly attracted to him. And knowing the company that Jasper keeps, Liam being his best friend and business partner means he’s trustworthy.
“I don’t know. Do you think I should?”
“You know what they say. Christmas is the best time to tell people how you feel about them.”
“Who says that?”
“I think it was in a movie. You know, the one where the guy holds up the cards to tell his best friend’s wife that he’s been a jerk to her because he actually loves her.”
“Yeah, but that scene was weird.”
“You’re right, but it’s still a banger of a holiday movie.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ll just see what the vibes are.”
“All right, fill me in later.”
“Bye.”
We end the call, and I pocket my phone before rushing downstairs to meet Liam.
LIAM
“Do you like mulled wine?”Juniper asks.
She moves ahead of me, scanning the shelves like she's on a mission. There’s something focused in the way she moves—decisive, sharp—but every so often, she does this little bounce on her heels when she spots something she likes. I don’t think she knows she does it.
It’s strangely...endearing.
