Page 32 of Holiday Home 3
“Well, it’s one of my favorites,” he told Anna. “It’s a pretty cozy place, so I thought we could eat, hang out there for a bit, talk about some stuff.”
Although he didn’t outline what he meant by “stuff,” everyone in the room knew what he meant. They were going to talk about their fake relationship, and probably her father, Trent, and anyone else who they needed to deal with. They needed to get ahead of things and be proactive, not reactive. While he didn’t know what he should expect from her father or Trent, he knew he’d made some powerful enemies yesterday.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Anna said.
Silence briefly roosted within the living room while the tonic of hot cocoa flowed into and warmed his body. He didn’t require Anna’s discerning eye to understand that it’d been a frequent visitor over the past twenty-four hours. Anna remained standing, fidgeting slightly while waiting for him to finish hisdrink. Meanwhile, Avril laid her cheek on her palm and stared listlessly at the TV.
Guess we’ll be talking about this too,Liam figured.
He didn’t get the sense that either of them was overly upset with the other. Instead, it just felt… awkward. Like some important things were unsettled, maybe. Normally, he’d have expected Avril to have already plopped the issue on the table and forced them to resolve it. However, that didn’t seem to be the case for whatever they were both avoiding discussing.
Try as he might, he couldn’t deduce what it might be. Yesterday, Avril had apologized profusely for what she’d done, and Anna had accepted that apology. He couldn’t see Anna as the kind to give an apology and then rescind it. She also hadn’t been there for the part where Avril had explained that she was interested in him, so she shouldn't be aware of that particular plot point unless Avril had spilled those beans after they’d left.
Finishing his drink as quickly as was safe to do so, all so he could save them all a few extra minutes of uncomfortable silence, his tastebuds did anything but thank him for his selflessness. He might be a big fan of Zeke’s, but he wasn’t sure he’d taste anything over the mild burning sensation pulsating on his tongue when he got there.
Once he held a drained cup in his hands, he felt obligated to wash it and put it into their dishwasher before allowing himself to leave, even though Anna had told him he could just leave it in the sink. Based on his previous visits to their kitchen, he knew it wasn’t an acceptable place for dirty dishes in their apartment. Amusing himself with an image of Avril grumpily rinsing her plate before putting it into their dishwasher, all while Anna hovered at her shoulder like a prison warden, he refused to disrupt the cleanliness of their kitchen.
“We’ll be back,” he said to Avril as he and Anna began departing from the living room. He’d let Anna walk ahead and slowed down long enough to see if she’d reply.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her flip him off. A moment later, however, she changed her gesture into a half-hearted wave. The mildest of smiles creased her lips as he imitated her gesture.
Chapter Eleven
The Whole Truth
Their drive to Zeke’s passed without much more than some light conversation, which they both knew was by design. Liam intentionally avoided asking about what was going on between Anna and Avril, just as Anna avoided asking what he and Avril had talked about in the apartment. He’d keep doing that until after they first discussedtheirfaux relationship, which he could tell Anna wasn’t in a great hurry to do. Throughout much of the car ride, her hands remained clasped between her lap, and her expression remained one of queasy unease.
At his preferred scratch kitchen, the lunch rush was meager enough on a Monday afternoon for them not to worry about any sort of wait. Getting a step ahead of her as they headed for the laidback restaurant’s glass doors, he held the door open forher—and a middle-aged couple who’d been hot on their heels. Because of that, he missed the first reactions of the college-aged hosts as Anna approached the hosting area.
He didn’t miss out on the envious looks he received from staff and customers alike as a hostess delivered them to a comfortable booth and laid out menus in front of them. However, once he and Anna slid into their respective sides of the booth, his manners finally slapped him upside the head.
“I really like your outfit, by the way,” he finally told Anna.Idiot,he told himself. He’d even thought about how differently than usual she was dressed when he’d first laid eyes on her.
Like it had when he’d complimented her outfit, not yet aware of Avril’s role in her wearing it, at Tess’s Christmas Eve party, this resulted in a rapidly appearing blush on her face.
“I’m glad you like it,” Anna hastily said, finding her menu far more fascinating now than a few seconds ago.
“It suits you. Well,anythingsuits you, but, erm, I like this outfit a lot.”
Smooth as fucking butter,Liam thought, curtailing a sigh. The only consolation prize was that Avril wasn’t around to cackle maniacally at his bumbling attempt at being complimentary.
After taking a deep breath, Anna lifted her gaze. “Thank you,” she said, overcoming the inertia of her own awkwardness long enough to meet his gaze. “I’m trying to dress more… casually.” Her eyes dropped again, the crimson swathe spreading further over her fine features. “I’d appreciate, um, hearing your thoughts on how well outfits like this suit me.”
Liam’s mouth slightly dried up, and their waiter, a young woman with a brilliant smile, arrived to rectify that. Once they’d gotten drinks and an appetizer of pretzel bites, they bought themselves a few more minutes alone.
“I hope that wasn’t too forward speaking,” Anna said once their server departed.
Confusion must have mottled his features, for she provided further explanation.
“I meant about asking for your opinions on things. I’m unsure if you’re comfortable doing something like that.”
Even after receiving a straightforward explanation, it still took a few seconds to sink in.
“Oh, yeah, it’s totally fine,” he said, almost laughing as the differences between Avril and Anna again reared its head. Anna wasn’t sure if asking him if he would comment on her outfit was too forward. Meanwhile, her roommate had jerked him off within an hour of meeting him.
In a way, he recognized that he was looking at a mirror of who he’d been at the start of winter break. Well, maybe that was slightly too far. He didn’t think he’d beenthatstiff and formal, though perhaps the two women who’d helped shame him up would disagree. Nevertheless, he could recognize the hesitance, the uncertainty, and the inexperience.
“It’s not too forward,” he added. “If anything, I think it’s pretty normal for a guy to let his girlfriend know that he likes her outfit. I think it’d be strange if I didn’t ever make comments like that.”