I Have Loved You

Chapter 2 - Promises Darlings

"So, back to Liam and Nathaniel. I don't think Liam will tell. He does have an angle, of that I am sure. There must be something he wants." Taylor stopped talking when the bell on the door rang again. 

She nudged Zara. "Speaking of Liam."

They both craned their neck as Liam made his way to the counter. Taylor stood up and walked towards the coffee machines. She pretended to make more coffee. 

"Hello Liam. Are you here for a Cuppa?"

"Hardly. Do you have to say that every time? It's kind of obnoxious."

Oh Liam, you always know how to humiliate, she thought. "Can I help you with anything?"

 He looked around, checking out the empty coffee shop. He nodded at Taylor, who was staring at him, then turned his attention back to Zara. "I wanted to talk to you for a minute. Do you have a break coming up?" 

Liam looked back at Taylor. She didn't hesitate to volunteer. "Go. I got this. I think I can get the cups to reach the ceiling."

Zara flashed Taylor an, I'm-going-to-injure-you-later, so you better put-it-in-your-calendar look, while reluctantly following Liam. She tried to take the lead and walked to a table in the corner, but he didn't follow her. 

"Let's sit by the window."

"Why? So there will be witnesses?" 

"Sure." 

Being seen with Liam wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He was hot. She could admit it. Next to him, and in her uniform, she looked like a little kid he was mentoring. He's the reason the expression "out of your league" was invented. No one would confuse the situation and think they were anything like friends. 

They sat down, scraping the chairs backward on the black and white checkered linoleum. Liam leaned forward so quickly that she reacted by leaning back just as quickly, like magnets repelling each other, except she was the one being repelled. 

"Look, I'm not going to tell Nathaniel." 

"Ha." Zara heard Taylor exclaim. 

He shot her a quick look. "What?"

"Nothing, just got a fly." Taylor had a rag in hand and was suspiciously cleaning a table nearest theirs. He just shook his head. 

"Okay, but you want something from me?" She sat ramrod straight in her chair, on alert.

It was Liam's turn to lean back in his chair. She watched him. He was considering her before he answered. This gave her time to observe him. 

And what did she observe? He was one of those boys who always wore their hat backwards, leaned backwards, looked backwards, liked to spin his car in reverse. If he was walking forward, he was still looking back. 

"Is your sister dating anyone?"

Zara's mouth dropped. Taylor's rag dropped on the floor. Liam folded his arms across his wide chest. 

She backtracked. "Are you really friends with Nathaniel?"

"Yes." He answered her like he was brushing lint off of a sweater. "Your sister?" 

"I feel like this is a game of chess." She folded her arms to match his. 

"Are we?"

She wasn't good at making people wait. If she bought a gift for someone's Birthday they would get it that day, even if she found it months before. She itched to answer Liam's question as much as she wanted to make him suffer by waiting.