Page 74 of Mostly Loathing You

He grins down at me, but I don’t miss how it doesn’t meet his eyes. “Just thought I’d surprise you.”

“I gotta head back in to rehearsal, but let’s try to get together before you head back to Atlanta, okay?”

“Sounds good!” I hug Luna quickly before she jogs back over to the group of women a few yards away.

Esme’s eyes linger on me and Liam, but I realize for the first time that, whether it be Liam’s presence or just some really impressive self-growth, I don’t feel anything about it.

“Boyfriend, huh?” I chuckle at Liam, jabbing him in the side with my elbow. The warmth that blooms in my belly at the thought of that being true is unmistakable. I didn’t realize until seeing Esme just how much the idea of being kept a secret hurts me. I’ve spent so much of my life being a second thought, never the most important thing to someone. Thebonus child, the bonus friend, the runner-up, the understudy, but never the one they choose.

I deserve to be chosen.

“Is that what you want?” Liam’s eyes meet mine, and I try with every fiber of my being to see what is hiding behind his eyes. He always does that—when I ask him how he feels, he turns it around on me.

I can’t settle for a non-answer, not anymore.

“Is that whatyouwant?”

He pauses for a moment before tightening his hold on my waist, pulling me against his front, my face nestled against his chest. “I want you,” he says firmly as he pushes my chin up with his pointer finger to meet my gaze, holding me in place. His beautiful brown eyes glisten with intensity and seem darker than usual. His skin is flushed as he stares at me, seemingly searching for the answer in my eyes. “Hannah, I want you. Just you…just us. I don’t share, and I sure as hell don’t like the idea of entertaining other women when I’m with someone. So yeah, if that means being your boyfriend, absolutely.”

As Liam speaks, my gut tightens and I feel an overwhelming sense of love. Heat spreads through my chest as his words crash over me like an ocean wave engulfing the shore. His gaze is intense and full of longing, and I finally realize that he wants me just as much as I want him.

The fear that consumes me in this moment is nothing compared to the realization that dawns on me. I’m irrefutably in love with Liam Park, and fuck if that’s not the worst thing I’ve ever thought into existence.

Liam leans down, his lips pressed against mine, lingering there for a moment. The all-consuming feeling is mind-boggling and I’m admittedly knocked a bit off-kilter.

“Let’s grab food,” he says as he grins down at me, but all I do in return is nod.

We step down the sidewalk, and it hits me that Liam managed to find me in a city of almost nine million people.

“Wait, how did you know where to find me?”

Liam pauses, his shoulders tensing. “Well, uh…this is where your audition was!” he responds with a bit too much enthusiasm.

“And how did you know where my audition was?” The suspicion in my voice clearly reaches him as he avoids eye contact.

The silence lingers for a moment before he cracks. “I may or may not have lied to Sage and said there was an emergency at work and that I couldn’t get ahold of you…”

The chuckle that crawls up my throat fights to get out, but I use all my effort to maintain composure. “Questionable ethics, Park.”

He seems genuinely concerned until his eyes finally meet mine at the exact moment my laugh breaks free.

“Shut up,” he chuckles, his voice low and husky. He yanks me closer to him until my cheek rests against his chest and his sturdy arms wrap around my shoulders.

As we make our way through New York City, I feel overwhelmed by this place. The bustling street traffic is a mass of voices and language, the roar of taxi horns mixing with sirens emanating from emergency vehicles, the sounds all compounding until they create one loud string of noise.

The scents as we make our way past multiple food venders has my mouth watering. From the savory aroma of hot dogs grilling on the street corners to hot cocoa from an old-fashioned pushcart, New York manages to have every possible cuisine one could want. The heavy traffic andbright lights illuminate the world to me. I take in my surroundings as we walk down bustling sidewalks, past men and women rushing from one place to another, each running their own race against time.

Nearby, the strains of a violin cut the air as a busker comes into view, fully encompassing in one action what the theater district of the city that never sleeps has to offer.

Music, art, culture—New York City has a never-ending supply.

“What do you want to eat?” Liam asks, squeezing my hand, the contact grounding me in the otherwise chaotic city that surrounds me.

“Anything is fine.”

“Hannah.” He pins me with a glare as his words come out almost reprimanding. “I know you; you always have something specific in mind. So let’s skip this song and dance and get to the point. What do you want?”

“I want to know why you came to New York.” The words spill out before I can stop myself. He’d appeared by my side so quickly that I hadn’t stopped to question why he’s here and not in Atlanta. In all the years I lived in New York City, I don’t recall a single time Liam came to the city, so it’s a little convenient that he’s here now.

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