Page 59 of How to Write a Rom-Com

“Well, hello to you too,” I say in a baby voice. I bet dogs hate it when humans talk to them like they’re babies. They probably find it so embarrassing.

“Where’s your leash? Let’s put your leash on,” I goad him, and he shows me the hook next to the door where his leash hangs. He sits down on the mat next to it, waiting.

“Geez, I didn’t peg Liam for the crazy dog trainer type,” I say, scratching Blue’s face beneath his ears. As I’m mumbling some nonsensical nothings to him, I notice a small camera on the table behind Blue. There is a small red light below the lens. I bring my face up to it and stick my tongue out. I laugh and look at Blue, as if he is going to join in on the fun with me.

“Weirdo,” I mutter at the camera, trying to imagine Liam setting up a baby monitor for a dog who could eat a robber for breakfast. I shake my head at Blue, who is waiting anxiously at the door.

Blue and I head down the gravel street toward the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. Blue picks up his step, trotting alongside me, sniffing at random patches of grass, and peeing on something every five feet. We walk farther than Liam probably anticipated us to, but I get in such a rhythm with the dog’s footsteps, and find it so soothing, I don’t want to turn back. But eventually, Blue starts turning around and eyeing me, his large tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, basically begging me to take him home.

I squint up at the sky and notice that clouds have started to form in the distance. It’s the oddest skyline—behind me, the clouds are low, puffy, and white, but the way the sun is reflecting off them, makes an orange hue in the distance. Ahead of me, the clouds seem higher, and much darker. They’re staggered throughout the sky, but they are all thin streaks, like blue and gray watermarks across a canvas.

When I take my phone out of my pocket to check the weather forecast, I feel the first drop.

Blue looks back at me, with a look on his face saying, “Did you feel that too?”

“Uh-oh, Blue,” I mutter, gauging our distance from the house. We’re still a few streets away, and I am not about to sprint down this road with an eighty pound German Shepherd in tow. “We’re about to getrealwet, buddy.”

I pick up my pace as the drops increase in number and speed, but Blue dawdles on, refusing to go any faster than a leisurely walk. I can’t believe how hard the rain is coming down when we finally turn onto our street. I break out into a jog just as I hear wheels on the gravel behind me. I turn around and see Liam’s truck barreling down the road. I stop and stick my thumb out, laughing. He rolls his window down.

“What the hell are you doing?” he calls over the rain.

“What do you mean? Walking your dog!” I whine, gesturing to Blue, who has his nose pointed up at the sky. I half expect him to stick his tongue out to try to catch the raindrops.

“In the rain?” Liam shakes his head, but a smile tugs at his mouth.

“Obviously it wasn’t raining when I started, Liam,” I say, continuing down the street. Liam rolls his eyes and parks up in front of the house. Blue jolts the leash in that direction, desperate to see him. Liam emerges from his car with an umbrella and tries to dodge the drenched dog who has come to greet him, to no avail.

“Seriously? An umbrella?” I tease, reaching for it before he can open it.

“Well, yeah. I don’t want my hair to end up looking like yours,” Liam says, squinting as he is pelted with droplets. I grab the umbrella and toss it back in his car, letting the rain drench him. I cackle as I lead Blue to the front door, Liam trailing close behind, his deep laugh a comfort to my ears.

Our laughs echo against the gravel in sync with the pounding raindrops as we race to the cover of the awning on the front stoop of his house. Once we reach the top step, we lean against the wall to catch our breath.

“I’m sorry, this doesn’t happen in real life. Rain doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. There are literally like four clouds in the sky,” I say, pushing my sopping wet hair out of my face. Liam shakes his hair so it sprays in every direction. It’s so wet that his blonde locks stretch almost all the way down to the base of his neck, where I find my eyes focusing as well. A single drop of water makes its way over the large muscle of his throat and trickles below his shirt.

And then we’re not laughing anymore.

Our eyes are locked on one another, and even though the humidity is stifling, goosebumps spread across my flesh as I feel Liam’s warmth next to me. Our arms are so close together, I feel a force of static between them that sends lightning into my gut. Something has changed between us. And he can feel it too.

Liam shifts so that the shoulder closest to me is leaning against the wall, and the rest of his body is facing me. We’re even closer now, our chests rising and falling in the same rhythm, water dripping down our faces, our fingers just inches from each other at the side of our bodies.

My gaze remains on Liam’s neck, because I know if I let myself look into those eyes, I’ll lose any last resolve I have left. I watch Liam raise his hand beside me and tuck a wet string of my hair behind my ear. I can feel his eyes scanning every inch of me, but I don’t move. I can’t move.

“Lucy.” My head slowly rises at the sound of his voice. What a shift in the dynamic between us from just a few moments ago. It’s a moment like this when the old Lucy would make an awkward joke to get out of this situation, but the new Lucy never wants to move from this spot.

Liam lifts his body off the wall and places one hand next to my head, caging me in. I finally meet his gaze and immediately feel like I’m going to melt from the weight of it. His eyelids lower as his gaze falls to my lips. My breath hitches as he traces a line up my arm with his fingers.

“I know there are more than a few reasons why I’m not supposed to do this right now,” he whispers in a low sensual voice. His eyes never move from my lips. His light touch makes its way to my face and traces the outline of my lips. “But I can’t seem to remember any of them.”

His feather-like touch transforms into a whole hand cupping the side of my face, his fingers threading through my hair. His mouth crushes against mine in the most gentle and passionate way possible. His wet hair rubs against my forehead and I can taste water on his lips. I breathe in every inch of him I possibly can. I place my hands gently on his abdomen and feel the hard, round peaks beneath, which spikes my pulse. Liam moves his lips with mine in a beautiful rhythm, one that lets me forget about what I should be doing, if he’s enjoying himself, if I’m enjoying myself, all the reasons why I shouldn’t be letting this happen… and just be.

Liam pulls away too quickly, and I’m left breathless with my eyes closed, trying to cement every second of the last few minutes into my memory—the feel of lips against mine, the gentle trace of his fingers on my skin, the warmth of his body up against me. I want to remember everything.

Liam lets go of me for a moment to unlock his front door, pulling my hand to get me inside. Blue runs in, and I can hear his footsteps head for his water bowl. Liam closes the door behind me and quickly presses me up against it. I gasp when he presses his body against mine, wet fabric slapping together between us. He brings his face closer to mine but stops at the point when our noses touch.

“I have to tell you something,” he whispers, his voice breathy.

I groan internally. “Wait, I have to tell you something first,” I say, barely able to catch my breath. The way my body is yearning for him is almost uncontrollable. I quite literally might burst if he doesn’t start touching me again. How can I think like this when I am keeping a secret from him? How can he completely consume my thoughts, the presence of him expelling any reason from my brain?

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