Page 33 of The Arrangement
Ugh. Reality. That sucked. I had the day off, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. My first thought had been to irritate the fuck out of Liam, but I didn’t want to pay to save his job only to have him lose it because I was texting too much. That was annoying.
Rome: Fine. But do you have our next date planned? Just three to go!
Liam: Not yet. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since our last one, and some of us haven’t lived in the area long. It takes time to research stuff.
Rome: [eye-roll emoji]?? Scientists and their research.
Liam: [GIF of woman flipping off screen]
I snickered. He could bitch all he wanted, but I knew in my bones he was enjoying this shit. He wouldn’t be so quick to respond to my texts if he weren’t.
Rome: So…a friend of mine recently started playing with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He has his first official performance this weekend. Would you be interested in going with me? I’ve already got the tickets. I’d be willing to count it toward your required dates if you did.
Liam: Seriously?
My heart jumped into my throat, and I had to wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before I typed a response. Why the fuck was I getting so nervous about this? It wasn’t a big deal.
Rome: It’s okay if you’re not interested in classical music.
Liam: No! I love the symphony! I caught part of their performance at the museum. Your friend is the new guest violinist, right?
Rome: Yep. Simon Miller.
Liam: I can’t believe you know someone so talented.
I rolled my eyes at my phone, but I couldn’t stop the smile that had formed on my lips. Yeah, so I might have been a little proud of Simon. The man was stupidly talented. It was only a matter of time before he’d be flitting around the world, playing with all the best orchestras and getting even more famous. We had to enjoy having him close while we could.
Rome: Is that a yes or do you want to rip on me some more?
Liam: Can’t I do both?
Rome: Asshole.
Liam: I learned it from you.
Liam: Date and time? Do you want me to pick you up since you’ve handled the tickets?
Rome: Saturday. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.
Rome: We’ll be close to a lot of interesting restaurants, so we can stop off afterward for a late-night snack, if you want.
Liam: Sounds good. Thanks!
After Liam’s last message, I tossed my phone aside and paced to the kitchen, trying to will my pounding heart to slow. This was stupid. Why did this feel like a real date? It wasn’t a date. I’d sent almost the exact same text to Sebastian, Declan, and Pierce at least two dozen times in the past, and those never felt like dates.
Was this what I was putting Liam through every time he had to invite me out?
If so, I was a bit of a psychopath. This was crazy.
It wasn’t a date. Only two friends hanging out. Nothing more. Same as when I went out with Pierce.
Shit!
Sebastian, Declan, Pierce, and the new boyfriends were all supposed to be attending Simon’s first performance. There was no way I could avoid introducing Liam to them. It would be rude and undoubtedly obvious that I was ducking them.
Not that I was afraid of Liam being rude. He was always the picture of politeness, no matter where we went or what we did. He saved all his rudeness for me.
No, I was more afraid of Sebastian or Pierce saying something.
