Page 86 of Lovestruck at Sundown
Liam:Let me know. I’m close by.
I shook my head and laughed. Liam had many friends, but Tobias was not only his best friend but almost like a brother. And they still hadn’t patched things up since their last fight. They were both too proud to seek each other out to talk. So now, Liam would call me to hang out more often than before. He obviously wanted to see Nina, too, even if he insisted they were just friends.
“Who is it?” William asked as he added white wine to the pan, the flames briefly dancing and flickering as the alcohol met the heat.
“Whoa!” Nina and I said at the same time, leaning back and away from the flames that were quick to dwindle.
“I’ve got it under control, ladies.” William chuckled as he added more seasoning to the swordfish steaks. “So, who was that?”
“Liam,” I said, catching how Nina stiffened on the stool. “He wants to hang out.”
“No.” William pointed at me with a steel spatula. “We won’t be able to get rid of him once Nina leaves, and we said we’d start season three of Breaking Bad.”
Nina squeezed my knee underneath the counter and widened her gaze at me.Please invite him over, her eyes pleaded. I lifted my brows and tilted my head toward William, who was busy grating a truffle into the pot with creamy pasta.
“I’m sure we can spare a plate for Liam,” Nina said with a sweet, innocent voice. “You’re cooking enough to feed an entire army.”
William froze and met Nina’s gaze with narrowed eyes. “Any reason in particular you’re so worried about feeding him?” He turned off the stove and carried on with the truffle grating. William suspected something was going on between them because Tobias told him about the fight and the things that were said between him and Liam. But it was only a speculation, and Liam was still in denial. And I hadn’t told him Nina liked Liam because she made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone about her secret crush.
“I—kinda like him.” She let her hands and forearms drop against the counter in a defeated way. “A lot.”
I chuckled. I’d been so careful not to reveal that information only to have Nina do it the first moment she hung out with William.
“Ah, I see.” William set the truffle and grater aside. “Fine.” He rinsed his hands in the faucet and grabbed a towel from his shoulder to dry them off. He turned his attention to me and said, “But I’ll ask him to leave when Nina does.”
“Good luck with that.” I grabbed my phone to reply to Liam.
“Don’t make him change his mind!” She slapped my arm and then grinned at William. “You won’t, right?”
“He already said yes,” I said with an exasperated laugh. William scrunched his nose as he placed the bread inside the oven. “Besides, Liam’s on his way, so there’s not much to be done at this point.”
“So what’s the deal with you guys?” William asked Nina, grabbing a corkscrew and a bottle of my favorite Chardonnay from his wine cooler. “Does he know you like him?”
“We’re … friends.” Nina tucked her silky dark hair behind her ear. William poured two glasses of wine and placed them in front of us. “And no. He doesn’t know. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” She sipped on her wine.
“Might he need a little … encouragement?” William mused as he poured himself a glass and I stood to set an extra place on the table for Liam.
“What do you mean?” Nina tilted her head with curiosity. “Do you have something in mind?” Nina propped her elbows on the white marble and leaned in while William relaxed against the counter with his arms crossed at his chest.
“Make him jealous,” he suggested. “He’s on his way, and you’re all dressed up for a party, so why don’t you make it seem like you have a hot date coming with you?”
“William, I don’t think—” I started to say but got quickly cut off by an overenthusiastic Nina.
“Yes!” She slammed her hands against the marble. “But wait, he already knows it’s an NYU Christmas party.”
“So?” William reached out for his wine and took a sip. “Even better. So we’ll take him by surprise when he arrives.”
“Okay, but what do I say? How do we bring up the subject?” Nina’s voice was beginning to sound nervous. I didn’t think this was a good idea, but it wasn’t terrible either. I was curious to see how Liam would react because I knew he liked her. That’s the only thing that gave me pause about this plan, but at the sametime, maybe he needed it to sort out his feelings once and for all.
I couldn’t meddle. If Nina wanted to do this, it was her choice.
“Okay, so this is what we’ll do,” William started to say when the doorbell rang.
“Shit!” Nina stood in a panic. “How did he arrive so fast?” she whispered through her teeth.
“He said he was close by.” I shrugged.
“Probably waiting in the lobby for you to reply,” William said casually as he sauntered toward the front door. “Just follow my lead.”
