Page 54 of Something Forever
I’m in such a foul mood I almost don’t notice the spot, too busy staring down at my Google Maps trying to navigate to the right location. But then I look up and see it. Nestled between two brick buildings with a giant A-frame window, it looks like a converted brownstone, stoop and all. A weight starts to lift off my shoulders as I take the stairs up to meet the realtor.
When she takes me inside, there’s only one way to describe it: love at first sight. It’s perfect. The large window lets in so much natural light that it fills the long room with the soft afternoon sun. The realtor tells me about the space and the rent, but I’m already sold. Sticking my hand into hers, I finally feel, for the first time in this whole process, that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“I’ll take it.”
Later that night, I’m waiting for the paperwork for the rental space to hit my inbox over a bottle of champagne when I hear the sound of a key in the lock and the door opening. I don’t have time to hide in my room — it’s too late. Liam is already stepping into the apartment and meeting my eyes from across the room.
His gaze feels heavy on my face, just like it did this morning when he caught me rushing out the door. There’s a tension in the air, as if there’s an invisible thread pulled tight between us.
“Hey,” he mumbles, crossing the room to toss his keys on the counter.
“Hey.” I lift up my champagne flute and knock the rest of it down.
The corner of his mouth lifts up. A tiny, familiar gesture that sends a jolt through me.
“Celebrating?” he asks.
“I found a rental space for the salon, and I made some connections, hired some folks. Everything feels like it’s coming together.”
He smiles back at me, a slow, sexy grin that spreads across his face. “That’s great, Whit. Congratulations.”
My stomach warms at my nickname coming from his lips. I swallow and manage to form a word. “Thanks.”
A silence settles in the space between us. What is he thinking?
“So… ” he starts, and my stomach flutters with nerves.
He’s going to say it was a mistake. He’s going to tell me it should never have happened, and it’s going to be the most uncomfortable moment of my life. I shake my head, my nerves getting the best of me.
“Let’s pretend it never happened, right?”
He blinks. “What?”
“You know.” I look at anywhere but him. “Last night. Let’s just… it doesn’t change anything between us. We’re friends.”
“Friends?” he echoes back at me.
Why isn’t he agreeing with me?
After a moment, he seems to get his bearings, nodding along with me. “Right, friends. Yeah.” His Adams apple bobs, and I can’t help but stare at that spot on his neck. “Listen, I need a favor. Will you come with me to a gala on Friday night?”
A gala? That sounds an awful lot like…
“Like a date?”
He shakes his head, his dusty brows pulling together. “No, not a date. Just… two roommates who happen to be married, wearing exceptionally nice clothes, mingling in a ballroom.”
I raise my eyebrows, and he sighs with a soft chuckle.
“It will help me with Luke’s foundation. Tim says it will help to have someone by my side while I ‘schmooze’ a bunch of donors.”
“What foundation?”
He plops into the kitchen stool. “I found out that Luke had a plan to open a foundation to help low-income and first-gen students get into a good uni. It’s what I’m using my half of the money for — to do it in his honor.”
I’m quiet in the face of his unexpected admission. Every layer that Liam peels back is like a jolt to the chest, revealing an inner softness that I want to sink my hands into.
“That’s amazing,” I tell him, reaching my arm over the counter and placing my hand over his, hoping it won’t spook him. He stares down at our joined hands until I pull back.