Page 34 of Charlie
Liv let her fist swing from her hip and up to her chest. “Ah, darn it, I would have loved that.”
“What, drugs and sex orgies?” I grinned at her mock disappointment.
She nodded. “Yeah, so be honest: how boring is your group? Are you all sitting around eating poppy seed muffins and discussing how to outsmart the rest of us?”
“Pretty much.” God, it was so easy to be with her. She made me look like a social superstar the way we conversed with no awkward breaks.
“Are there any attractive women in the group?”
I moved my nose from side to side thinking about it. “There are a few, but they all gravitate toward Conor so I haven’t been with any of them.”
“Did you want to?”
I shrugged. “You can’t blame a single guy for being interested in some intelligent and beautiful women.”
“Okay, but in comparison, who would you rather be with? One of them or me?”
It melted my heart how Liv sat up straighter and lifted her chin, as if she had to take on the competition in a battle. “Why? Are you jealous?”
“No, should I be?”
I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “That depends…”
“On what?”
“On what this thing between you and me will lead to. If you were my girlfriend and living with a bunch of attractive males, I might feel a bit jealous, but since I’m not, I don’t have that right, do I?”
“I’m not talking about whether or not I have the right to be jealous, I’m asking if you’re pursuing any of them.”
“Well, in that case, the answer is no.”
She studied me for a moment.
“What is it? I can see your head spinning a mile a minute.”
“I’m just trying to figure out if you’re worth it.”
“Worth what?”
“Potentially getting burned.” She looked down before meeting my eyes again. “Let’s face it. You and I have only experienced romantic love that ended in pain. Otherwise we wouldn’t still be single, would we?”
“True, but maybe none of the other relationships worked out because it was always supposed to be you and me.” My words made her smile a little.
“I like that thought.”
“Me too.” I smiled back
“But opening up my heart to you means taking a risk of getting burned again. So, let me ask you, Charles: are you worth the risk?”
“Definitely!” My answer was confident but inside I knew exactly what she was talking about. I’d lost too many people to risk getting attached to someone who might leave me. “Are you?”
“Yes. At least I’d like to think so myself.”
Taking a sip of my water, I leaned my head back. “I like that my flaws don’t seem to scare you. You’re the first woman to call my tics cute. And the fact that you speak almost without a filter makes it easier for me to relate to you. I have a hard time reading people.” I looked down. “For years, I did therapy to learn how to express myself and read emotions and social cues. I’m a lot better than I was, but it drains me. I feel like with you, I can relax. It’s the same with Conor. He reads me like an open book and often finishes my sentences before I do. He’s so in tune with people that it’s crazy.”
“Do you think I can meet him and the others one day?”
“Of course. You’ll love them.”
