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“Sounds good. Thank you,” I told Sarah as she shut the door behind her.

I rolled over to face Liam. “Hi,” he said with a sleepy smile.

“Hi,” I whispered back.

Liam reached up and gently stroked my cheek. “This was really nice.”

I reached up and put my hand over Liam’s on my cheek. “It was. Thank you for staying.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you.” Liam leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. “And as wonderful as this is, I really do need to get going. Have fun tonight with Bree and Sarah.”

“I will,” I said as Liam started to sit up.

He turned back towards me. “Let’s go out to dinner soon and celebrate.”

“That sounds perfect,” I said with a smile as I started to get up with him.

“I’ll call you. You stay here and relax. I’ll let myself out.” Liam placed a soft kiss on my lips as he got out of bed. He quickly gathered his things and kissed me again before walking to the door. “See you soon, Anna,” he said as he walked out of my bedroom, silently shutting the door behind him.

I gave myself a full body stretch and couldn’t help the huge smile that took over my face. It felt good to wake up with Liam. I reached for my phone on the bedside table as I started to wonder if, maybe, the missing spark and passion between us was starting to emerge. I lazily swiped my phone open to see if there were any messages before I thought about getting ready.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw there were three messages and two missed calls from Mason.

“Hey! My meeting is over and I’m dying to know if your portfolio was selected. Send me a message or call me.”

“Hey! I bet you’re super busy, but just wanted to check in and see how the results turned out.”

“Anna? I’m starting to get worried. It’s been several hours since the results were supposed to be announced and I haven’t heard from you. Even if you didn’t get accepted, I still want to hear from you. I’m super proud of you either way.”

I could feel my stomach start to churn. I’d fucked up. Royally. I’d gotten so wrapped up being with Liam, I’d totally forgotten to let Mason know I’d been accepted into the Spring Art Show. That was not good.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

My fingers flew across the screen of my phone as I typed out a series of three messages and fired them back to Mason in quick succession.

“Mason, I’m so, so, so sorry!”

“Good news! I got accepted and am going to be featured in the Spring Art Show!”

“Bad news…I got so wrapped up in things I didn’t let you know. I’m so sorry. I actually just woke up from a HUGE nap and saw all your messages.”

Mason’s response was almost immediate. “I’m so glad to hear from you! I was starting to get worried that something had happened. Congratulations! I’m so incredibly proud of you! I knew you could do it!”

Mason being so nice and supportive made me feel even more terrible for not being completely forthcoming with him. There was no way I could tell him that when I said I was “wrapped up in things,” what I really meant was I was wrapped up in Liam. Like Liam was literally wrapped around me on my bed...shit.

As I was laying on my bed feeling conflicted, another message from Mason came through. “Are you celebrating tonight?”

“Yes. Bree, Sarah, and I are going out. I think we’re going to dinner and then dancing.”

“That sounds like fun. I wish I was there to celebrate with you.”

I sighed as I read Mason’s message. “Thank you—I need to get ready. Talk to you later?” It felt like kind of a rude response to Mason’s sweet message, but I didn’t want to get into a conversation about Mason being here to celebrate when just minutes ago I’d woken up with Liam.

“For sure. Have a good time tonight.”

I locked the screen on my phone and tossed it on my bed. Dammit. Why did having two amazing guys in my life make me feel so crazy and conflicted? I needed to figure something out…only I had a feeling that no matter what, someone was going to end up with a broken heart.

AFTER A GREAT DINNER, Bree, Sarah, and I found ourselves standing in line outside the dance club, Cosmos. It was your typical loud music, crowded dance floor, and overpriced drinks club, but for some reason, Bree and Sarah really loved it there. I’d never been a huge fan of the place, but I enjoyed occasionally getting dressed up and going out with the girls.

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