Page 27 of Right Number

It wasn’t long before Liam and I were walking into a cozy Italian restaurant. We were quickly seated at a booth towards the back. There were candles on the table, soft music in the background, and the place smelled amazing. It really was a perfect date restaurant.

“Do you know what you’re going to have?” Liam asked after we’d had a few minutes to review the menus.

I closed my menu and smiled at him. “That’s an easy one. Spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce. It’s my absolute favorite.”

“Ahhhhh. A classic.” Liam set his menu down on the table and took a sip of his water.

For just a fleeting moment I thought of Mason. He’d said the same thing after he’d asked me what my favorite pasta dish was. Only I wasn’t on a date with Mason, I was on a date with Liam. I’d never be on a date with Mason, because things were just not that way between us. We lived three time zones away from each other and had done nothing other than text. That’s what our relationship consisted of—text messages. I shoved the thought of Mason out of my mind and refocused on Liam. “What are you having?” I asked as I reached for my glass of water.

“I think I’m going with the special. It’s a seafood pasta dish. It’s always good to try something new.”

“Why, how bold of you, sir.” I raised my eyebrow at Liam which he chuckled at. He really was a genuinely nice guy. Before either of us could say anything else, the waiter came over and took our order.

Liam leaned back in his seat after the waiter left. “How’s your portfolio coming?”

“Good!” It was thoughtful of Liam to ask. We hadn’t really talked about the art show or our portfolios since we’d been together over the weekend. “I was going to turn it in today, but then decided on a few last-minute changes. It’ll be ready to go before the deadline for sure.”

“That sounds great!” Liam said with genuine enthusiasm. “Are you using any of the pictures from the day we went out?”

“As a matter of fact, I am using a few of them.” The pictures from our day together had all turned out amazing, which made it hard to choose which ones I wanted to use. My indecisiveness over which photos to include was actually the reason I didn’t get my portfolio turned in earlier that day.

Liam seemed pleased by my response. “You did get some really great shots. I’m glad you’re going to use them.”

“How about you?” I asked. Liam had been vague about his portfolio, but then again, I’d seen some of his work and he had more than enough beautiful paintings to submit. His work had been featured in the Spring Art Show the year before with good reviews, which pretty much guaranteed him a spot for the current year.

“I’ve been feeling really inspired with my painting lately. I’m working on a new piece I’m particularly pleased with.” A big smile broke out on Liam’s face as he grew visibly excited talking about the new painting. “If I’m selected to participate, it’ll be the piece I submit for the show.”

“Oh, you know you’ll be selected, Liam. Your paintings are brilliant!” Liam seemed to blush a little at my compliment. “Any chance I could see the new piece you’re working on?” If he was that excited about his work, it must’ve been spectacular.

Liam gave me a sly look. “You can see it at the art show.” I raised an eyebrow, unsure as to where his secrecy was coming from. I was about to ask when our food arrived and the focus turned to our meal.

The rest of dinner was filled with pleasant conversation and I had to admit, I was having a really good time with Liam. When we walked out of the restaurant, the air was crisp and the dark sky completely clear. “It’s a really beautiful night. Would you like to go for a walk?” Liam asked as he extended his hand.

I smiled as I placed my hand into his. “That sounds really nice.” His hand felt warm and pleasant wrapped around mine.

We strolled hand in hand down the streets, making light conversation while we looked in the windows of shops that were closed for the evening. When we’d walked a few blocks, Liam suddenly stopped and pulled me close to him. I could feel his warm breath on my face as he looked into my eyes. Without so much as a sound, Liam lowered his lips to mine. The kiss started soft and gentle but soon grew firmer and deeper.

Don’t get me wrong…it was a great kiss. Liam definitely has some serious skills in that department. It just didn’t light me on fire the way a kiss should.

But then again, maybe I was expecting too much.

Liam pulled back and looked me in the eyes again. He had a soft and dreamy smile on his face. I tried my hardest to return the expression. “We should probably get back,” he murmured, his voice deep and raspy. I nodded my head and we turned to walk back to the car. That time, instead of holding my hand, Liam wrapped his arm around me, holding me close to him. It felt…nice.

THE APARTMENT WAS QUIET when I got home. Bree and Sarah were either out somewhere or already in bed. Given that it was Friday night, my money was on them being out somewhere. That was actually a good thing as far as I was concerned. I knew they’d want to know how the date went, and I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

Liam had kissed me again when he dropped me off. When it came to skill and technique, the guy clearly deserved an A+. It just didn’t take my breath away or leave me wanting more. The spark…the passion…it wasn’t there. Instead, it was just…nice. I sighed as I walked back to my bedroom and got ready for bed.

I was nestled under my covers and had begun to drift off to sleep when I heard my phone ding. I almost ignored it, but then thought it could’ve been Bree or Sarah, so I reached my hand out from under the blankets and grabbed it. I was surprised when I swiped the message open and saw it was from Mason. “I’m really sorry for acting like a crazy jealous guy earlier today.”

Taking a cue from previous conversations, I smiled as I typed out my response. “Must be in the form of a puppy or kitty meme or it doesn’t count.”

A few moments later a meme came through featuring a close-up of a gray cat with big, brown, sad-looking eyes that said “I suck, I’m sorry” across the top and “Here’s a cat showing how sad I am” across the bottom. I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. “You’re forgiven,” I wrote back to Mason. No reason to stay upset with him. After all, the thing we were doing, it was just for fun, right?

“Thank you. Are we all good?” Mason replied.

“All good. Do you want to talk about earlier, or just let it drop?” I wasn’t really sure which way I wanted him to answer. It seemed like any time we tried to have an in-depth conversation with each other focusing on relationships, it just left me even more confused or ended with one of us upset at the other.

I stared at my screen waiting for a response. Finally one popped up. “It’s intermission at the concert so, I’m sorry but, I’m going to have to be quick.” It was immediately followed by another message from Mason. “I feel a connection to you, Anna. Part of me likes the situation we’re in and part of me hates it.”

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