Page 70 of Looks Real Good Now
“Enough, Aaron. Don’t get so aheadof yourself.” Mom playfully slapped Aaron’s shoulder and all conversation of Liam died down while we sat down for dinner.
In the quiet of my room after dinner, while reading a book with the hot chocolate that Dad had made, I remembered that I told Liam I loved him, and immediate panic rushed over me.
I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would bring it up. I wouldn’t blame him, either. But I still needed to buy myself a little bit of time before he made me confront my feelings face to face.
I quickly stripped off my leggings and sweater and slipped on his jersey. I didn’t know how much time it would give me, but it would be enough.
I took off my underwear as well, for good measure.
40
Liam
When I went back next door, I was greeted by Rob and Stassie having one last cup of tea. I stopped to have a quick chat with them before going to find Lenny.
I wondered if she had even noticed that she had told me she loved me before she hung up on me. When I got to her partially open bedroom door and saw her sitting on her bed with a book in one hand and the other cradled around a mug while wearing my number, I knew that she knew exactly what she had done.
I leant against the door and looked at her. The long line of her legs stretched out in front of her. The curve of her thigh before it disappeared underneath the dark grey jersey. The way her bottom lip was drawn in between her teeth as her eyes moved across the pages of her book. The way her curls fell across her face from the pineapple on top of her head.
“You’re being weird, you know that?” she said, not looking up from her book.
“What’s weird about me admiring you?” I asked as I closed the door behind me.
“You were doing it in a very brooding fashion from the doorway.”She closed the book around her finger.
“That’s where the best vantage point is.”
“Right, you need a good vantage point of me reading a book and drinking hot chocolate spiked with whiskey.”
“Yes, it’s a very nice sight. It might be topped by you baking, but it’s definitely making my top three sights of you.”
“Most people would say they like to see someone naked, not covered in flour.”
“You naked is number three. And I think you’re underestimating what it does to me to see you in your element. Or with my number on you.” I took the fabric of her sleeve between my fingers and pulled her closer to me.
“You want to tell me how you have a Panthers jersey with my name on it in your possession? And why is this the first time I am seeing you in it?”
“Aaron thought it was a funny gift. He gave it to me secretly while you were arguing about something in Catan. I have no idea how he got one in his possession, but he said I might have more use for it than him.” She shrugged as she slotted her bookmark into place. “How was the rest of your dinner?”
“Fine. Dad dropped the hockey thing, although I somehow doubt that is the last I will hear of it. He may go on about it until I reach the age he thinks I should have retired at.”
“What, forty?”
“Yeah, probably. I did want to talk to you about something, though.”
Lenny took a long sip of her hot chocolate.
“Wait, I have something as well. Turns out my parents knew we were lying about dating. They let us have it because it becameapparent very quickly that we were definitely into each other.”
I nodded. It didn’t surprise me that they had figured it out. “That kind of makes sense. This is good; means I don’t have to worry about slipping up one day.”
Lenny would not have been the one to slip, she would never have forgotten our fake origin story.
“Back to my thing though,” I said. I wouldn’t let her get out of it this time.
“Yeah, what?” she said quietly before taking another sip.
A dab of cream caught on the corner of her mouth and her tongue peeked out to catch it, putting me at risk of getting us off topic. I shook my head and cleared my thoughts.
