Page 19 of My Knight Before Christmas
“Am I right so far?”
“Yes.”
Bash came over, holding two plastic salad plates, piled high with romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons.
“Thank you,” I said to Bash.
“You’re welcome.”
He left a bottle of dressing on the table then walked away allowing us to eat in semi-privacy. In between bites, Liam continued. “You’re the middle child of three kids. You met your roommates in college, and you’ve been inseparable since. You’ve had four ex-boyfriends, one of which is the only one who youthinkyou may have loved. Even then, you’re not so sure.”
I held a hand up to stop him. “Alright, I get it.”
“Good.”
“Now my turn.” I set my fork down. “Your favorite movie is Knives Out. You don’t really like reading, which tells me we haven’t found what genre speaks to you yet. Although you did enjoy listening to 1776, which you claim to be your favorite when pushed into an answer. You like blue, but also red. So, you answer with either one, or sometimes both. You studied pre-law before switching to marketing.”
Bash’s eyes met mine from where he waited by the cooler. His cheeks went pink before he turned on his heel in the opposite direction. Poor kiddo looked miserable watching us have our date. I took another bite of lettuce before saying more about Liam. If we scarfed our food like rabid dogs, Bash could leave.
I quickly chewed and swallowed. “You love Maroon 5, but have a secret soft spot for country music, though you refuse to admit it.”
He scoffed. “I do not.”
“You quietly singing along when we went ice skating said otherwise.”
His eyes went wide. “I did not.”
I slowly nodded my head while scrunching my nose. “You totally did.”
He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “Fine. I admit that as a teen I liked listening tosomecountry music.”
I grinned. Maybe this game wasn’t so bad if I got to see Liam squirm. “Sure, and I like some chocolates,” I deadpanned.
He laughed. “Alright, I like country music. Okay?”
“Thank you for being grown-up enough to admit it.”
His only response was to shovel another forkful of salad in his mouth.
I chuckled. “Moving on. Your favorite holiday is Christmas. You love summer and fall, but could do without winter, except during December. You used to play hockey until high school, when your best friend convinced you to try out for basketball. You had your first kiss when you were fifteen at a pool party.”
He groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“Violet wasn’t a good kisser?”
He cleared his throat. “You remembered her name?”
During the darkest moments after Liam left, I wondered if my kiss drove him away. Depressed, I went into comparison mode with every woman he’d said he’d made out with before.
I stopped obsessing over it after the third date Anna and Amy forced me to go on. I knew I didn’t like the guy enough for a second outing. However, when he dropped me off, he still leaned in. In a moment of pure insanity (and making sure it wasn’t ameissue), I kissed him back.
News flash: making out with a snake would have been more pleasant. His tongue was as slimy as fish scales, and he kept his lips tight rather than loosening up when he deepened the kiss. Instead of feeling anything in the realm of pleasantness, I gagged until I pushed him away from me. I had to brush my teeth seven times before the icky feeling went away.
“Um.” I took a sip of water to cool off my heated cheeks. Why had I admitted I knew her name? “Only because you mentioned her in our text messages.”
He slightly shook his head, a grimace on his lips. “Right. Well, I think almost anyone would be able to top that kiss.”
“That bad, huh?”
