8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Liam

" A re we going to the club or not?"

I let out a sigh, ignoring him as I scroll through my phone. When I don't reply, Jordan asks again.

"I heard you the first time."

"So, can you maybe not ignore me?"

I keep my eyes on my phone.

"Cool." He sits on the couch beside me, and the irritation seeps into my blood as our shoulders touch. I look up at him, but before I can tell him to back up, he's back on his feet. "Got it." He nods once before sitting a few feet away from me.

When he doesn't leave my house, I turn my phone off and look over at him. "What do you possibly want from my life?"

He turns his head to the side. "What's your problem?"

"You're about to find out if you don't leave."

He doesn't leave. "You're being bitchier than usual." Before I can respond, Moon walks in, his mouth full of my food .

"These chips are really good." His voice comes out muffled as he stuffs more into his mouth, cheese covering his fingers, and I briefly close my eyes as some chips fall onto the ground.

"Jordan, get your friend." I pinch the bridge of my nose as Jordan laughs from beside me.

"I recognize this attitude," Jordan voices. "You need to get laid."

I ignore him and look back over at Moon to tell him to clean the mess on the ground, but he nods in agreement and starts talking before I can.

"Speaking of, you and Sunshine?"

"Who the hell is Sunshine?" My eyes narrow in annoyance.

"Sage," Jordan voices as if I should've known that. "Her whole aura is rainbows and sunshine. We've been calling her that for weeks."

" That's who you two have been talking about?"

Moon waves me off before turning serious for once in his life. "You slept with her then ignored her? " He shakes his head. "Dick move."

I almost ask when the fuck she told him that, but Jordan whips to me so damn fast; I'm surprised he doesn't give himself whiplash.

"You slept with her?!"

I let out an annoyed breath as his heart attack passes.

"Did the argument with Griffin the other day not speak for itself?"

"I slept with her before I saw him." I roll my eyes at him as I look back down at my phone. Seeing him was actually the reason I ignored her back in LA, and I'm sure it was a dick move, but I was still sore from my fight with Sire over something not worth remembering, a physical reminder that Sage isn't worth the headache. Her brothers have never fought fair, and I'm not scared of them; I just don't feel like getting jumped by them again. While I love pissing them off, this rivalry can get exhausting at times.

"Why is it a pissing match every time you see each other? Just because of college and baseball rivalry?" Moon looks as confused as he sounds, and I mumble that there's more to it, but I'm too tired to even get into it.

"You ignored her, so I'm assuming you're going to…" Jordan waits for me to finish, and when I don't, he throws his hands in the air. "You know what? I tried being a good friend and keep you two apart since you told me not to let you get close to her, but since you want the Hale brothers to cut your dick off, knock yourself out. I hope the sex is worth it."

It is, and so is her damn smile and pretty dimples.

I only told him not to let me get close to her because she's drop-dead gorgeous, and I knew I'd end up sleeping with her. Considering how close she seems with her brothers, I figured it would've slipped and cost me a pretty black eye, but it hasn't, so maybe I was being careful for no reason…

"You look like you're scheming." Jordan sits up as he watches me.

I kick them both out, and without them, I finally have peace. I go back to scrolling through my phone, but as if saying her name three times makes her appear, she pops up. I don't follow Sage on anything, yet she still pops up on my feed from time to time. It's like I can't get away from her.

This one is an ad for Cartier. She's in all white, looking as innocent as ever. She isn't smiling in this picture as she models a necklace and a few rings. The picture is zoomed in, and every inch of her shown is flawless. She's looking off to the side, the emeralds in her necklace matching her eyes. Her hands are resting on her chest as she shows off the gold rings that look like they cost a million dollars against her dark skin.

All the images of her in my car come to mind, and I'd be lying if I said this was the first time I had thought about her. After I saw her smiling at me and fucking waving all friendly, I couldn't get her out of my head, and I don't know why. I shake my head of my thoughts as I scroll past the picture, but not even two minutes pass before another picture of her appears.

"You're joking." It's the same ad, but she's in a red outfit now, smiling; she shines brighter than the jewelry around her. It looks like the picture was taken in the middle of her laughing, and she looks over her shoulder at whoever is pretending to put her necklace on her.

I tap on the page, and I'm not sure why because, as I expected, the last six posts are all of her. She has some pictures with some blonde chick, but Sage is clearly the center of this photo shoot. She looks perfect in every single shot, effortlessly perfect.

I decide to shoot her a text.

Hey.

Her text bubbles pop up after a minute but then disappear. I give her another minute, but she doesn't reply, and under my message read appears.

Did she just turn her read recipes on?

So you just use me for my photography skills then toss me aside? Cold.

Oh, you should not be talking about using people then tossing them aside and being cold.

Okay… clearly, she's offended I ignored her, although I could've guessed that since she felt the need to tell Moon.

I decide not to go back and forth with her over text, but as I reread her message, guilt eats at me, and I call James, my pilot.

"Mr. Walker?"

"Can we have the jet ready to leave in forty-five minutes? I need to go back to LA."

There's a hesitation on his end. "So soon? You only just landed in New York last night?"

"Can we leave in forty-five minutes or not?"

"Yes. Yes, of course."

I end the call and get up for a quick shower.

I look out of my car and watch as people walk in and out of this weird coffee shop. Whoever designed this place needs to be fired because it was obvious they couldn't pick one design. There's so much going on, and the entire place looks like sunshine and rainbows. I shake my head at the reminder of Jordan's nickname for Sage, and of course, she likes it here. This place is the location version of her.

I keep my eyes on the door, but after just a few minutes, a few people start to notice me. If I could simply play baseball and cash in my checks without the fame, I would. After I give one person my autograph, I put my car window up so no one else can ask or take pictures of me.

I start to think she just came here that one time, but just as I'm about to drive off, I glance in the mirror and see that smile of hers. She's talking to a girl beside her, and I put my window down a bit.

"I promise–" She laughs loudly as she takes the hand of the girl she's with. "No, I promise when they first opened all of the drinks were horrible, but their current barista is amazing." She walks right past me, and they go into the shop together.

I wait outside for her, and the girl she was with comes out first. When I glance into the coffee shop, she's lost in a conversation with both baristas. I have no clue what she's saying, but the guy who should be taking orders is just watching her. His face is red as fuck; as if he's in love and is about to get on one damn knee. I decide to go in after all and grab the small bag in the seat beside me. The minute I walk in, my ears are assaulted by the torture music they're playing, and I curse myself for putting my ears through this, but I walk further in.

"Oh, I love this song!" Of course, she does . The cashier, unfortunately, puts it louder for her. She starts dancing, swaying to the ear-bleeding music with a beat that doesn't sound so terrible now that she is moving to it.

I walk over to the fridge since I've been watching her for way too long. I grab a water, and when I turn, her eyes land on me. She stalls in her movement, looking like a deer in headlights with her doe eyes as embarrassment covers her expression.

"Sage," I say cooly with a small nod.

"Hey…" She trails off, looking a little confused by my appearance.

I walk to the counter, and she moves aside so I can pay. I feel her curious gaze boring into me, but she doesn't speak up again. When I glance over at her, my eyes scan at the rest of her frame, and I really take her in. She's in a skin-tight pink dress that fades into purple at the end, and it hugs every last one of her curves perfectly. The bright color makes her skin look as good as ever.

She keeps her eyes on the barista in front of us as she plays with the end of her hair. She doesn't have braids like the last time I saw her; instead, it's curly and a really light brown, reaching her waist.

Sage finally looks at me again, filling the awkward silence, "I don't normally see you around here. Did you recently move?" It's clear she's just asking out of politeness, and I don't miss how standoffish she's being.

I shake my head. "I have a penthouse downtown, but I don't live here."

She looks confused, but I don't elaborate on how I'm only ever in LA for my mom. Before she can ask another question, because I'm sure she's going to, I hand her the small bag in my hand.

"What is this?" She's already peeking into the bag as she asks.

"Open it." I grab her drink, allowing her hands to be free.

She opens her gift, and her smile lights up the entire room as she pulls out the camera. "Is this for me ?!"

I nod in return, and her smile somehow grows as she studies me. When we were working on her pictures for the contest, she mentioned something about wanting a new vlogging camera and considering she looks ecstatic, I'm assuming I remembered correctly, and this was the one she wanted.

"Is this you saying sorry for ignoring me?" She takes her drink back and gives me a pointed look, but I don't miss the way her lips curve upwards.

"Does that pretty smile mean I'm forgiven?" I voice, my eyes on those dimples.

She averts my eyes, hiding her smile. I put my hand on the small of her back as I guide her out of the coffee shop because beside her, are two nosy baristas who were in our entire conversation.

"It's going to take more than an expensive camera for me to forget you blatantly acting like you didn't know me after sleeping with me." She keeps her voice light, but I sense the hurt under her tone, and it makes me feel like a bigger dick.

As we approach my car, I open the driver seat door and nod for the other side. "Let me make it up to you."

She crosses her arms as she watches me. "How?" She looks skeptical.

"Get in, and I'll show you." I'm sure she wants to use her new camera, and while it's for vlogging, she can get nice pictures. There's a park downtown that I'm sure she'll like.

Her eyes slightly narrow as she studies me but after a beat, she walks around the car and slides in. I get in after her and then turn to her when she starts talking.

"Are you going to tell me why you completely brushed me off the other day?" She puts her drink in the cup holder before folding her arms across her chest and crossing her legs. "First, you're nice in the bar—well, at least you were nice to me. Then we hooked up, and you can't even walk me back to the bar. It was very dark, and drunk men were everywhere."

"You were fine-" Cutting myself off, I shake my head at the reminder. " That's why you stormed off with a little attitude? Because I didn't offer to walk you twenty feet?"

"Yes, it's rude . How do you know I was fine ? You just drove off."

"You were fine." I nod once as I remind her.

She keeps her eyes fixed on mine, a small furrow growing between her brows. "I'm confused, Liam. You said you don't live around here… did you come all the way over here to give me a sorry gift? You don't seem like the type of man that apologizes for being… well, an ass." She keeps her voice light, her eyes still watching me like she can pull my thoughts from my head to hers.

"I'm not the type." I open my mouth again to tell her I also don't like being ignored but quickly close it because I realize how ridiculous it is that I came here and got her an expensive camera because she sent me a smart text after I ignored her.

What am I doing with this woman?

"Well," She starts again, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You're going to have to say it." She holds her head up high, but I don't try to form the words I desperately hate saying.

When I say nothing, she shakes her head and grabs her drink before turning for the door. The flash of hurt in her pretty eyes makes me lean over her to close the door as she opens it. I keep my hand on her door as I turn to her, and she goes still, keeping our faces inches apart. "It won't happen again," I say, meaning it.

My eyes land on her lips, and I close the distance between us, kissing her gently. She pulls away first, leaning her head on the seat. "Is that how you say sorry? Gifts and kisses?"

I watch her carefully, and the hint of hurt is still in her damn eyes, and the sight makes it feel too small in here. I didn't think not saying hi to her would affect her this much. "It could be." My hand lands on her thigh, but when I lean in again, she puts a finger on my lips.

"Use your words first." She drags her finger down to the bottom of my chin slowly, tilting my head up so my eyes will meet hers again. How does she look prettier now than she did five seconds ago?

"I'm sorry for ignoring you, Sage," I force out, and the crease in her brows eases as the corner of her lips rises. Past her shoulder, I notice the guy barista still watching us, and while my car is tinted, I still pull away and have the car drive us to the park.

Glancing back at her, she has her eyes on the wheel. "Oh my God, this is so cool."

I feel a smirk tug at my lips at how easily distracted she is. "Have you never been in a Telsa?"

She shakes her head, her bangs falling in front of her eyes. "No, I have. My brother has one. I just never been in one while it drives itself." She reaches into her bag for something. "I need to call him, he literally said-"

I swiftly cut her off. "Call him another time." I'm sure he's going to ask whose car she's in, and I don't want him to know that. "Let me see the camera."

She tucks her phone back into her bag mindlessly before handing me the camera, and I plug it in to charge before telling her about the features it has.

"You learned about the camera?" She has a teasing smile on her face as I start setting it up for her, but I don't respond.

We get to the park and when we step out, she's already taking pictures on her phone of the cherry blossoms. "This is so pretty." She looks up at the trees in awe as a few petals fall around her, and she looks gorgeous.

I snap a few pictures on her new camera, and she doesn't even notice at first with how distracted she is with the trees. When she finally turns to me, she tilts her head to the side. "I knew you were a nice guy under all that attitude."

I roll my eyes at her, but she only bites back a laugh.

"Are we besties now?" She teases.

"Moon might have a heart attack if I take his title as your best friend."

She lets out a laugh, and I snap a few more pictures of her.

"What changed?" She looks skeptical, and it offends me that she thinks I'm incapable of an act of kindness for no reason.

I close the distance between us and fix a curl that's out of place. "Nothing changed, pretty girl. I just felt bad for ignoring you." Even I can admit it was messed up, and her feelings being hurt affected me more than I'd like to admit.

She nods gently as she focuses on me. "You don't have a girlfriend, right?"

I feel my brows furrow as I watch her watch me. "No?"

She looks relieved, and I quickly clarify.

"That's because I don't do girlfriends."

She looks offended now as she leans away. "Oh, I wasn't asking for me. I just had this guy flirt with me yesterday, and he had a very pregnant wife. I'm traumatized."

I shake my head at how dramatic she is. "I'm not even flirting with you."

"Maybe not, but your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate the kiss we shared earlier." She points out.

"The girlfriend I don't have?"

She must sense that I don't believe her because she looks offended again. "Don't get me wrong, you're cute and all, but you don't really meet my standards." She says it so casually, it actually offends me.

"I don't meet your standards ?" I ask, giving her a once-over as I try to understand what that even means.

"Why are you looking at me like I don't have standards?" She crosses her arms.

"Because I'm good enough to fuck you but not good enough to date you? What kind of shit is that?"

"Okay," She puts a finger up as she starts, "Don't say fuck you like that. It sounds gross. You're just… well, rude to everyone who breathes your air." She puts her hands up in defense. "Moon's words, not mine; plus, you don't open doors for me or walk me back to bars at night, and I know I can do that on my own. You should want to, but you don't. Nothing's wrong with that. I just know my worth."

"And sleeping with me is fine?"

"You meet casual sex standards. You also seem like a great friend, but I don't see it becoming more."

This feels a lot like I just got rejected, and I'm glad Jordan isn't here to witness this because it's very humbling.

"Okay…"

She looks up as more petals fall around us, barely sparing a glance at me as she gazes at the scenery.

"Well," I close the distance between us and hold her chin so she's looking at me. "I want another night with you." My finger brushes her bottom lip, and she looks breathless now as she watches me. "Can we do that? Casual sex?" I keep my voice low as I look between her pretty green eyes.

She leans forward, but before our lips can meet, she pulls away again. "If you ignore me again—"

I bring my lips to hers before she can finish her sentence. "I won't."

She watches me carefully before she nods.

Even if I did want this to become more, I wouldn't make her succumb to that. She deserves better, and I'm glad she knows it.

We stay to take more pictures and videos of her, but she gets a call and realizes she's late for work, so I give her a ride.

She talks the entire way there about maybe seven different topics, and I don't say much the entire time, but she doesn't seem to mind or notice as she rambles.

"Thanks for the ride."

"I'll text you later. Don't ignore me."

She glances over her shoulder at me, and the guilty look on her face alone tells me she knows I know she put her read recipients on, so I knew she was ignoring me. She only nods before opening the door, and the minute she's out, a group of people notice her, and a ton of cameras are in her face. I hear her laughing at something one of them says, and after taking a few pictures with them, she waves them goodbye and walks into the building.

A few of them turn to my car, but I leave before they try to figure out who's in here.