Page 38 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“Who’s we?” Tobias asked.
“You and I, of course.” Liam spotted William’s keys to the Porsche on the table and glanced at him dozing off in the living room before grabbing them. “And you’re driving.” He tossed the keys to Tobias, who caught them against his chest. Stars twinkled in Tobias’s eyes, and the corners of his lips slowly drew into a smile.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no.” I chased after them as they fled toward the elevator. “Tobias, you’re not thinking straight. William is going to murder you.” He tossed the keys back to Liam and laughed. I turned my attention to Liam and extended my hand. “Give. Them. Back.”
“Red … please.” He was making a sad puppy face that disarmed me and made me lose focus on the task at hand, which consisted of recovering William’s keys. “I need to go check on her. She’s drunk. She never drinks. Something’s wrong. I know she’s having a hard time about her performance in China, but this is so unlike her. Ineedto go.”
“Ask Cooper to drive you there,” I suggested.
“I think he’s off right now. Plus where’s the fun in that?” Tobias replied, high-fiving an eager but anxious Liam.
The elevator chimed, and the doors opened. Tobias and Liam rushed in, and there was nothing I could do to stop them to retrieve William’s keys. I let out a defeated sigh as the doors closed in front of me.
When I turned around, I saw Nina leaning against the doorframe staring at nothing as if buried deep in her thoughts.
“You and I have lots to talk about,” I said, pointing a finger at her, sounding more like a school principal than anything else, closing the distance between us.
“We … do.”
“Do you haveto go?” I asked Nina, who was readjusting her bag’s strap on her shoulder. “Or can you stay for a bit so you can tell me what the hell is going on with Liam?”
She chuckled and looked away, covering her flushed cheeks with her hands.
“Come on. It’s Friday. We don’t have school tomorrow. Or do you have somewhere else to be?”
“I have zero plans for tonight,” she said with a smile, placing her bag and jacket on one of the chairs in the foyer. “And something tells me you won’t let me go until I spill the beans.”
“Exactly.” I laughed but immediately stifled it and covered my mouth, not wanting to disturb William’s sleep. He’d been swamped lately and sometimes didn’t get enough rest, so if he was snoozing, I would let him do so in peace. “Let’s go to my bedroom so we don’t wake him up.”
We both kicked off our shoes and flopped onto my bed.
“So?” I asked, propped up on my elbows.
“Ay, ay, ay.” She chuckled and took a deep, slow breath. “We’re just friends. And we’ve been very respectful of his relationship with Belén. No lines have been crossed, nor will they be.” She took one of the pillows and pressed it against her chest.
“But?” I rested my chin in my hands and lifted my brows expectantly.
“But … he’s got the cutest eyes, the most charming smile, the funniest punchlines, and I don’t know. I think he’s the best, and I wish he were single so I could know what kissing him would feel like.” She looked away dreamily, lost in her thoughts. “Or what he’s like in bed.”
“Nina!”
“What?” She laughed. “I was done with my statement, and then you saidbut,so I expanded accordingly.”
I laughed too. “No, I get it.” With Liam, it had been friendship at first sight. Or second, if we’re being technical. I hated his guts on my birthday for ratting me out to Tobias about introducing Jordan to Cecile. But he won me over in two seconds once he started calling me Red, even if I pretended I didn’t like him calling me that.
I changed positions to sit cross-legged on the bed. “This sucks so much. I wish he were single too.” I made a sad face, and I meant it. Nina seemed excited about Liam, and something told me he might’ve felt attracted to her too, based on how nervous he became earlier when she arrived. However, I knew how much Liam cared about Belén, and he didn’t seem like the type to cheat.
It was, without a doubt, a tricky situation.
I’d only spoken to Belén on the phone that day while I was in South Africa. She seemed sweet and friendly. But the few snippets I’d gotten from Liam made me think she had a complex personality. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but knowing Liam and how laidback he was, I hoped she didn’t make him go insane.
There was nothing much Nina and Liam could do but remain platonic friends for the time being.
“And are you okay being friends with him?” I asked to make sure. Nina had become one of my closest friends, and my protective instincts had flared up. I didn’t want her to get hurt.
A few seconds of silence filled the room before she finally spoke. “Yeah, I am.” She looked down at the pillow she was holding, picking the tip of a feather and pulling it out. She tossed it away with a sigh. “I’m just … I enjoy talking to him too much, even if it’s about trivial things. He makes me laugh, and I like being there for him when he needs me. But he’s been honest with me from the start, ever since I texted him the first time. He mentioned he was in a weird situation with Belén, but we kept texting, and then a few weeks later, he told me they’d made it official. And we agreed to remain friends.”
“But are you guys hanging out in person too, or?”
