Page 15 of Right Number

Luckily, Mason didn’t seem to read too much into the message. “That’s mighty kind of you. What are you doing?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam walking back to our table carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. He gave me a big smile when I looked up at him. I looked back down at my phone and quickly typed out, “Coffee with a friend. Got to go.” I shoved my phone into my backpack as Liam set a cup of coffee down in front of me.

“Here you go,” Liam said as he sat down in the chair across from me.

I wrapped my hands around the mug and soaked up some of the warmth. “Thank you. It looks perfect.” That seemed to make him happy as he gave me another big smile. “Got any big plans for the weekend?” I asked before taking my first sip.

Liam nodded. “I think I’m going to work on getting my portfolio for the Spring Art Show finished.”

“Same here. I need to try to get a few more shots this weekend. I want to have more options to choose from before I submit my portfolio.” I set my mug back down on the table.

There was a moment of silence as Liam appeared deep in thought. Finally, he said, “Would you like some company this weekend, Anna, or do you prefer to work alone?”

Although Liam and I had been friends for a while, most of our time together had been centered around class and homework. Going to coffee with him was the first time we’d done anything that didn’t involve school, and I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed spending time with him outside class. I mean, why not? I enjoyed spending time with him in class, so why wouldn’t I enjoy spending time with him outside of class? Plus, it seemed really thoughtful of him to ask about going with me. I decided to just go for it. “I usually go alone, but some company might be nice for a change.”

Liam’s face instantly lit up. “Good! I’d like to spend some more time with you, Anna.”

“Oh, really?” I asked, looking at him over the top of my mug as I took another drink of coffee.

“Yes,” Liam nodded his head. “I’d really like to get to know you more. We’ve been friends for a while, but I feel like I don’t know that much about you.”

“What do you want to know?” I asked as I set my mug down on the table. I tried my hardest not to sound suspicious. Was this going to turn into a full-blown interrogation, or was he expecting more of a narrative ramble about myself? Was there something specific he wanted to know, or would keeping it vague and general be enough?

“All the things,” Liam said in his smooth, deep voice right before taking a drink of coffee. “Do you have siblings?” He set his mug down on the table and directed his full attention toward me.

OK, so this was like the random question game I played with Mason. That I could do. I traced the outline of the handle on my mug with my index finger before responding. “Nope, only child. How about you?”

“One sister. Older. She’s an international flight attendant, so I don’t get to see her as often as I’d like.” Liam’s lips curved up into a smile and I could instantly tell that he and his sister were close. I’d always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling like that. “My parents were high school sweethearts that married after they’d both finished college.”

I nodded my head like I could relate to his family situation, when in reality, mine was pretty much the complete opposite. There was a pause in the conversation. Was it my turn to ask a question? Is that how this worked? Luckily, I didn’t have to wonder for long before Liam asked, “Are you from this area?”

I tried to give Liam a slight smile before I answered. That was always a sticky question for me to answer. “I’m not really ‘from’ anywhere. I lived with my mom growing up and she moved a lot. This is the longest I’ve lived anywhere.” I shrugged my shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal, but in reality, I was starting to feel a bit awkward, especially after he mentioned his picture-perfect family. Bree and Sarah knew these kinds of things about me, but not anyone else.

Liam must’ve sensed my discomfort because he did a complete one-eighty on the conversation topic. “How’s your coffee?” he asked.

I let out a silent sigh of relief. “It’s really good. Can’t go wrong with warm coffee on a chilly day.” I wrapped my hands around the mug as if I was trying to emphasize the point.

Liam smiled at me for a brief moment before he pushed his mug to the side as he leaned forward, gazing intently at me. “Anna, I’m just going to put it all out there. I like you. A lot. I have since I met you, but you were dating Oliver at the time. This is my last year here and, well, I’d like to see what there is between us.”

I felt like a deer in headlights. I mean, part of me suspected Liam might’ve had feelings for me, but I wasn’t expecting him just to lay it all out. Suspecting it and actually hearing it were two entirely different things. On the other hand, I appreciated his honesty and he clearly wasn’t playing games. Liam was a genuinely good guy, and we really did have a great deal in common with our love of art. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea…or would it?

I was snapped out of my head by Liam’s nervous chuckle. “Out of all the ways I thought this would possibly play out, you sitting in stunned silence was not one of them.”

“I’m sorry, Liam. You just caught me a little off guard,” I answered as I tried to collect my thoughts.

A look of concern danced across Liam’s face. “Is this totally out of left field? Am I really that bad at this?”

“No, not at all!” I said quickly. I took a deep breath. “I mean, I suspected there might be some interest, but I just wasn’t expecting you to lay it all out there like that.”

Liam grabbed his coffee mug and took a long drink before answering. “I find direct and honest to be best in these situations.”

It was time to stop overthinking and to just go with it. I nodded at him. “I appreciate that. Let’s do it and see what happens.”

Liam set his mug down and reached across the table. He gently loosened my grip from my cup and wrapped his hand around mine. I looked down at our intertwined fingers and tried very hard to feel something romantic. It was the perfect moment and an incredibly sweet gesture, but I felt nothing. Maybe it was something that would come with time. It wasn’t always like being hit by lightning; sometimes everything just needed to grow. Building up romantic feelings was a thing, right?

“That’s great, Anna.” Liam gave my hand a slight squeeze. “I’m really glad to hear that.”

I smiled back at Liam. “Me too.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I couldn’t help but wonder how true they really were. I immediately felt irritated at myself for even having that thought. It wasn’t fair to Liam—he was a nice guy and a good friend. I’d made the decision to give him a chance and I was going to do exactly that.

---