Page 22 of Worth the Risk

I let out a deep breath, looking up to find Rosie leaning against the counter taste testing one of her blueberry muffins and waiting for me to tell her what all my smiling is about.

“Liam invited us to the bar with him tonight.” Her eyes widen, I may have just turned twenty-one over the summer and have never been to a bar but it’s somewhere Rosie probably never thought I’d go.

“And you want to go?”

“Yes. Well kinda. Will you come too?”

“Of course!” She hands me a muffin, which I gratefully accept.

“I have something to tell you.” The words rush out of me. Rosie gestures for me to continue as she picks up another muffin. “Well show you I guess.” I get up from the barstool, “come here.” She follows me into my room, where I retrieve the piece of paper from the top drawer of my desk and hand it to her. She reads it over, her eyes bulging when she gets to the end of the list.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this sooner.” Her gaze meets mine and it’s not filled with hurt but confusion.

“Yeah, well it didn’t seem like the coolest thing ever when I met you.” An awkward laugh escapes me, remembering our first interaction. Rosie seemed like she was one of those girls you just want to be, with her perfect makeup and curls that cascaded down her back, not the kind you tell embarrassing secrets too. Turns out she’s both but I still kept this secret just for me until now. “And then it just seemed so silly to have. Anyways, Liam saw it and is determined to help me with the list.”

“He’s helping you.” She quirks an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips.

“Yes, well to some extent at least.”

“That’s cute. He’s good for you.” She smiles genuinely and then proceeds to tell me how she’s going to pick me out an outfit for tonight so I can get ready easily when I get home. I should have known telling her wouldn’t be a big deal. If I showed it to her freshman year she probably would’ve made it her mission to complete it with me and it would all be done by now. I’m glad it’s not though, I don’t think I was ready to do a lot of these things until recently, albeit them not being anything crazy except maybe the last one. I needed those three years of focus, of securing my future but now with graduate school applications already in process it feels like I can breathe a bit, like everything will work out.

We head back out to the kitchen where we both sit down on the barstools with the muffins and our laptops in front of us.

“So, is Ryan going to be there?” Rosie asks as nonchalantly as possible.

“Not sure. Want me to ask?” There seemed to be some sort of chemistry or tension between them when they met but she was in her no man phase. I know Ryan has a secret crush on her but I don’t think she’s ready to hear that.

“Nope. I’m still swearing off men.”

∞∞∞

It’s nearing the end of my shift and the flutters in my stomach have intensified. I’m both excited and nervous to see Liam and go to the bar. Realistically, I shouldn’t be nervous to see my friend but when your friend is six feet with curly brown hair and piercing green eyes the butterflies cannot be stopped. Once I collect the receipt from my last customers I wish them a good night, heading to get my bag and punch out for the night. As I’m punching out, James comes up behind me with his keys in hand.

“Any fun weekend plans?” He asks me this anytime we have a Friday shift together and my answer is usually no but I’m glad to be able to tell him yes this time.

“Yes, actually.” I smile and check my phone, there’s a text from Liam he sent about ten minutes ago letting me know he’s here. “I’m going to Harry’s tonight.”

“Really?” James stares at me in shock and I can’t help but giggle at his reaction. “That’s great. I’ll actually be there too.” We both walk towards the front door and he holds it open for me as we escape into the fresh air. “Do you need a ride home?”

“I actually have one today.” I point towards the green Jeep with its headlights on in one of the front parking spots. “I’ll see you later.” I smile at him and head towards Liam’s car. As I get close Liam hops out, his phone held up to his ear, and jogs around the car to open my door. After I get inside he gently closes the door and heads back to the driver’s side, climbing in. I’ve learned that Liam is the ultimate gentleman, I don’t think he’s let me touch the outside door handle once and I’ve even seen the frustration on his face when I get out of the car before he has a chance to run around and open it. I’ve kept letting myself out of the car because the way he furrows his brows whenever I do it is hilarious, plus it’s quicker to let myself out.

“I will. Okay, love you mom. Bye.” I smile at that, just another node to how great of a guy he seems to be, calling his mom in his down time.

“Sorry about that.” Liam smiles at me, “I like to call my mom at least once a week.”

“Are you close with your parents?” I ask buckling in as Liam shifts in to gear, heading out of the parking lot.

“Yeah, close to my mom and my sister, Eliza.” He runs one of his hands through his hair a few times before returning it back to the wheel. “And my stepdad’s cool. I mean he gave me Ryan as a brother so can’t complain there.” He laughs. “Anyways, are you excited for tonight?”

I want to ask him more about his family but the way he was quick to change subjects lets me know that’s all he wanted to say about it. I’m definitely not one to push when it comes to talking about family, so instead I focus on the subject he’s shifted to. “Yeah, I am. Nervous but excited.”

“No need to be nervous, I’ve got you.” He looks at me for a brief second before turning back to the road. I fully believe him, he won’t let anything bad happen to me.

The bar is busy but not as bad as I had assumed it would be for a Friday night. We’re able to get a booth to the side where it’s slightly easier to hear each other over the buzz of the people standing and sitting around the bar. There’s a small dance floor in the back where a DJ is playing pop and hip-hop mash ups with different colored lights flashing across the floor. Liam slides into one side of the dark blue, worn in leather booth, I follow him and sit on his side and Rosie slides into the other.

When I got home from work Rosie had laid out an outfit for me, a tight black faux leather skirt and red crop top that’s just cropped enough to only show a small sliver of my bare midriff. She also touched up my makeup, applying a bubblegum pink lip gloss and tossed some loose curls in my hair. This outfit combined with the hair and makeup has given me a much-needed confidence boost for the evening.

“Oh! We should cross off two things on your list tonight, or I guess at least get started on the second thing.” Rosie exclaims as she finishes sliding into the booth. Liam's eyes widen at me and he looks like he’s about to defend himself before I jump in.

---