Chapter 13

Emilia

Sitting at our kitchen island, I'm attempting to get ahead on homework. It's about four weeks into the school year so the work has really started to pile on. Between my three psychology classes, my two electives, work and studying with Liam I feel like I go, go, go all week. Currently, it's a Friday morning which luckily for me means I have no classes and neither does Rosie, who is making blueberry muffins, that smell absolutely delicious.

My phone vibrates from its position beside me, I quickly reach for it as I'm open to any distraction from starting this project. My mood instantly lifts seeing Liam's name flash across my screen with a new message.

Liam

I've been thinking about your list.

Honestly, I was hoping he forgot about that, it's been a month since he found out about my list and he hadn't mentioned it again. Part of me was excited to do more fun things this semester and that list was a great start but the other part of me is still mortified that he saw it. Besides him just being in my life has led to more fun things in and of itself. From trying a new ice cream place, which he's taken me back to several times, to weekly burger nights I feel content with how the semester is going.

Me

Was kinda hoping you'd forget about that thing.

Liam

I could never forget about anything when it comes to you.

I can feel the blush hit my cheeks and can't help the widening smile that takes over my face. The butterflies take flight in my stomach once again, something that happens often with Liam despite us remaining strictly in the friendship zone. Rosie gives me a knowing look as she stands across from me but I'm saved by the oven timer going off.

Liam

Anyways, the one I was thinking about was the bar one. Let's go out tonight. You can invite Rosie too.

Me

Unfortunately, I have work until 8.

Liam

You didn't tell me that. How were you going to get home?

Liam and I have formed a routine of sorts over the past few weeks. On Mondays we have class, Tuesday we study and work on a project at his house or my apartment and on Wednesdays we go to The Burger Palace after he picks me up from work. He's taken to picking me up from work whenever he knows I"m on the schedule, actually. He says he worries about me walking home in the dark which is incredibly sweet, an action my heart wants to latch on to but I won't let it.

Me

Umm.. walk or Rosie.

I wasn't meant to work this Friday, I picked up a shift someone was trying to get rid of. Sure I could have told Liam and asked him for a ride but he's done so much for me I don't need him doing anymore. Rosie usually drives me to work on the weekends, specifically in bad weather but I don't mind walking there. It gives me time to clear my head.

Liam

I'll pick you up from work and bring you back to your apartment to get ready. People don't really start to go out until like 9 anyways.

Me

Okay. I'll ask Rosie. :)

Liam

It's a date.

I let out a deep breath, looking up to find Rosie leaning against the counter taste testing one of her blueberry muffins and waiting for me to tell her what all my smiling is about.

"Liam invited us to the bar with him tonight." Her eyes widen, I may have just turned twenty-one over the summer and have never been to a bar but it's somewhere Rosie probably never thought I'd go.

"And you want to go?"

"Yes. Well kinda. Will you come too?"

"Of course!" She hands me a muffin, which I gratefully accept.

"I have something to tell you." The words rush out of me. Rosie gestures for me to continue as she picks up another muffin. "Well show you I guess." I get up from the barstool, "come here." She follows me into my room, where I retrieve the piece of paper from the top drawer of my desk and hand it to her. She reads it over, her eyes bulging when she gets to the end of the list.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this sooner." Her gaze meets mine and it's not filled with hurt but confusion.

"Yeah, well it didn't seem like the coolest thing ever when I met you." An awkward laugh escapes me, remembering our first interaction. Rosie seemed like she was one of those girls you just want to be, with her perfect makeup and curls that cascaded down her back, not the kind you tell embarrassing secrets too. Turns out she's both but I still kept this secret just for me until now. "And then it just seemed so silly to have. Anyways, Liam saw it and is determined to help me with the list."

"He's helping you." She quirks an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Yes, well to some extent at least."

"That's cute. He's good for you." She smiles genuinely and then proceeds to tell me how she's going to pick me out an outfit for tonight so I can get ready easily when I get home. I should have known telling her wouldn't be a big deal. If I showed it to her freshman year she probably would've made it her mission to complete it with me and it would all be done by now. I'm glad it's not though, I don't think I was ready to do a lot of these things until recently, albeit them not being anything crazy except maybe the last one. I needed those three years of focus, of securing my future but now with graduate school applications already in process it feels like I can breathe a bit, like everything will work out.

We head back out to the kitchen where we both sit down on the barstools with the muffins and our laptops in front of us.

"So, is Ryan going to be there?" Rosie asks as nonchalantly as possible.

"Not sure. Want me to ask?" There seemed to be some sort of chemistry or tension between them when they met but she was in her no man phase. I know Ryan has a secret crush on her but I don't think she's ready to hear that.

"Nope. I'm still swearing off men."

∞∞∞

It's nearing the end of my shift and the flutters in my stomach have intensified. I'm both excited and nervous to see Liam and go to the bar. Realistically, I shouldn't be nervous to see my friend but when your friend is six feet with curly brown hair and piercing green eyes the butterflies cannot be stopped. Once I collect the receipt from my last customers I wish them a good night, heading to get my bag and punch out for the night. As I'm punching out, James comes up behind me with his keys in hand.

"Any fun weekend plans?" He asks me this anytime we have a Friday shift together and my answer is usually no but I'm glad to be able to tell him yes this time.

"Yes, actually." I smile and check my phone, there's a text from Liam he sent about ten minutes ago letting me know he's here. "I'm going to Harry's tonight."

"Really?" James stares at me in shock and I can't help but giggle at his reaction. "That's great. I'll actually be there too." We both walk towards the front door and he holds it open for me as we escape into the fresh air. "Do you need a ride home?"

"I actually have one today." I point towards the green Jeep with its headlights on in one of the front parking spots. "I'll see you later." I smile at him and head towards Liam's car. As I get close Liam hops out, his phone held up to his ear, and jogs around the car to open my door. After I get inside he gently closes the door and heads back to the driver's side, climbing in. I've learned that Liam is the ultimate gentleman, I don't think he's let me touch the outside door handle once and I've even seen the frustration on his face when I get out of the car before he has a chance to run around and open it. I've kept letting myself out of the car because the way he furrows his brows whenever I do it is hilarious, plus it's quicker to let myself out.

"I will. Okay, love you mom. Bye." I smile at that, just another node to how great of a guy he seems to be, calling his mom in his down time.

"Sorry about that." Liam smiles at me, "I like to call my mom at least once a week."

"Are you close with your parents?" I ask buckling in as Liam shifts in to gear, heading out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, close to my mom and my sister, Eliza." He runs one of his hands through his hair a few times before returning it back to the wheel. "And my stepdad's cool. I mean he gave me Ryan as a brother so can't complain there." He laughs. "Anyways, are you excited for tonight?"

I want to ask him more about his family but the way he was quick to change subjects lets me know that's all he wanted to say about it. I'm definitely not one to push when it comes to talking about family, so instead I focus on the subject he's shifted to. "Yeah, I am. Nervous but excited."

"No need to be nervous, I've got you." He looks at me for a brief second before turning back to the road. I fully believe him, he won't let anything bad happen to me.

The bar is busy but not as bad as I had assumed it would be for a Friday night. We're able to get a booth to the side where it's slightly easier to hear each other over the buzz of the people standing and sitting around the bar. There's a small dance floor in the back where a DJ is playing pop and hip-hop mash ups with different colored lights flashing across the floor. Liam slides into one side of the dark blue, worn in leather booth, I follow him and sit on his side and Rosie slides into the other.

When I got home from work Rosie had laid out an outfit for me, a tight black faux leather skirt and red crop top that's just cropped enough to only show a small sliver of my bare midriff. She also touched up my makeup, applying a bubblegum pink lip gloss and tossed some loose curls in my hair. This outfit combined with the hair and makeup has given me a much-needed confidence boost for the evening.

"Oh! We should cross off two things on your list tonight, or I guess at least get started on the second thing." Rosie exclaims as she finishes sliding into the booth. Liam"s eyes widen at me and he looks like he's about to defend himself before I jump in.

"I told her this morning." I pat his forearm, looking down at where I've just planted my hand. Why are men's forearms so attractive? I pull my hand away quickly, folding it in my lap and clearing my throat. "What other one should I start tonight Ro?"

"Going on a date." She looks over towards the bar and dance floor area. "Maybe you'll find a cute eligible bachelor here to ask, or maybe he'll ask you." I notice her look in Liams direction, like she's trying to clue him in to something.

"I don't know." I say at the same time Liam says, "That's a great idea." I look over at him and his face says the opposite of the words that just came out of his mouth, there's no smile, just darkened eyes that dart away from mine and back to the spot on his arm that I had my hand on earlier.

"Okay." I nod and take a deep breath, "I'll go grab us drinks and scope out the scene." As I'm standing and start to head away from the table, Liam grabs my hand lightly, shoving his credit card into it. "Liam."

"Please let me pay."

"I'll never say no, closing the wage gap one drink at a time." Rosie laughs, "I'll have a margarita please."

I laugh with her because of course that's how she'd react to him wanting to pay. "Liam?"

"Just a water."

"You sure?"

"Yes." I nod and head off towards the busy bar. The stools around the bar are full but there are also areas with people standing waiting for their drinks or waiting to order. I find an opening and slide in, taking deep breaths to try and not get overwhelmed. I never considered myself that short at five foot three, though I know its below average, I'm also very aware I'm not the tallest in the room and this room seems to be full of tall guys. I'm standing at the bar for a good five minutes before someone comes over to take my order, two margaritas and one water. As I'm giving my order to the bartender, someone slides into the stool next to where I'm standing.

"Emilia, hey." I turn to my left, excited to see James as the man occupying the barstool.

"Hi." I lean into his side for a quick hug. "I'm glad I actually saw you here." I've never seen James outside of wearing our all-black getup at Nico's and while he looks good in that he looks even better in the nice black pants with a blue tee on that makes his eyes pop. The bartender serves him his beer, letting me know he's making my drinks next. James and I start chatting about our classes and work, laughing about different difficult customers we've had to deal with.

A few minutes pass by and the bartender comes back with the three drinks I ordered, I eye them wondering how I thought I'd be able to carry these back to the table without spilling on myself. I'm about to ask James if I can leave one with him, I'd come back for it once I successfully delivered two drinks to the table but before I can ask a tall and muscular figure appears behind me. I can see Liam from my peripheral vision, he puts his right hand on my waist and stretches his right arm past me to grab the water sitting on the counter.

"Hey Liam."

"James." Liam nods at him.

"You two know each other?" I ask, turning myself around so I can look between the two of them. James is smiling, while Liam has more of a grimace on his face. Clearly if they have any bad blood it seems to be one-sided.

"Yeah," James starts, looking at me, "We play together."

My jaw pops open and I look over at James, "You play baseball?" It's at this moment that I realize I don't know that much about James outside of work and what he majors in. Though him being athletic doesn't come as a total shock, he's not quite as tall as Liam, a few inches shorter I'd guess but he has an incredibly toned figure and the shaggy blonde hair really rounds out the baseball look.

"Sure do." James has his happy smile still plastered on his face. "Not as good as this guy here though, captain and all." Liam gives James a tight smile and I wonder why Liam seems to dislike him so much. Maybe there's some drama on the team. Boys always have some weird rivalry when it comes to sports.

"We should get these back to the table." Liam nods towards the drinks, I pick up the margaritas and Liam grabs the water. I turn around and see the crowd around the bar has thickened and I gulp thinking about making it through that crowd without spilling something on myself. Liam, perceptive as he is, notices my hesitation and leans down to whisper in my ear. "Don't worry I got you." Goosebumps break out over my skin as his breath hits just behind my ear.

"See ya later, Em." James holds up his beer in place of a wave.

Liam plants one hand firmly around my waist as we shuffle through the small opening in the crowd. As we pass through the crowd he says excuse me in a firm voice, one that makes you want to do exactly as he says. People seem to agree with me as they magically float out of the way in his presence. All the way to the table he keeps a strong arm on my waist, one I secretly hope he doesn't remove. Speaking of our table there's another person sitting there now next to Rosie, I can't tell who it is from here but when we get to the booth, I see it's Ryan sitting next to her. Before I can even say hi Rosie is reaching across the table to grab one of the margaritas I'm holding.

"Oh thank gosh." She immediately takes a sip, giving a little moan after the liquid courses down her throat. "Oh, these are good." Rosie shimmies in her seat. Ryan watches her, his blue eyes lighting up at her happiness, before he turns back to us spotting Liam's hand still around my waist. Raising his eyebrows with a look I can't decipher, Liam lets his hand fall to his side and I instantly miss his warm and protective touch.

I slide into the booth across from Rosie and Liam slides in after me, I take a sip of my drink and she's right, these are really good, the perfect mixture of salt with the right amount of lime juice to balance out the strong tequila.

"Was that James up there?" Rosie asks me as we sip on our drinks.

"It was."

"He's cute." Ryan stiffens besides her before taking a swig of his beer.

"Yeah, he is. He's nice too." I smile down at my drink, maybe James would be perfect to ask on a date. I already know him so I don't think it'd be awkward, unless he said no. The boys are quiet beside us for what feels like forever but is probably just a minute, before Liam starts asking Ryan about hockey practices.

"Let's finish these and go dance." Rosie states, taking a final sip of her drink before gesturing for Ryan to get out of her way. He obliges and Liam does the same for me, grabbing my hand as I'm walking away and spinning me slightly. "Just let me know when you"re ready to leave, okay?" I nod at him, giving him a soft smile before Rosie grabs my other hand dragging me away to the dance floor.