Not If I Date You First

Chapter 19

"I'm fine," Liam wheezes between bouts of laughter. He sits up, looking over at me and scrubbing his forearm across his face. "You're a menace to society. You shouldn't be allowed out around other human beings."

"I told you that thing was a death wall." I swipe a finger under my eyes.

"No. Uh-uh. Don't try to blame the wall." Liam shakes his head at me as he pushes himself to his feet. "That's the second time you've tried to maim me this week." He holds a hand out to me, and I let him pull me to my feet.

"Are you always this dramatic?" I ask.

"Are you allergic to apologies or something?" he asks, not letting go of my hand.

"Only if they're to you."

He snorts, and I hate that making him laugh has me feeling all kinds of floaty. I tug my still-damp hand from his and wipe it on my pants. I glance back at the paps, who're practically salivating as their cameras blaze.

"So, how do we do this?" I turn back to Liam. "Are you just going to, like, plant one on me or something?"

"Plant one on you?" Liam's lips twitch. "You've got a real way with words there. You sure you don't have a boyfriend already?"

Irritation crackles through me at his mocking tone. I fold my arms. "What if I do?"

"Wait." Liam's forehead creases. "Do you?"

"Do you care?"

Liam stares at me for a beat, then he clears his throat, looking away. "Of course not." Reaching for my hand again, he jerks his chin toward the walkway that runs along the waterfront. "Come on. I've got a spot in mind."

We walk down the paved trail in silence, fingers twined together. I try to ignore the paparazzo jogging backward in front of us, camera clicking away. I focus instead on the sound of the East River lapping against the rocky beach as we pass beneath the steel beams of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. There's a vague scent of saltwater lingering in the air that's mostly masked by the roasting almonds from the stand across the way.

"So, do you?" Liam asks, breaking the silence. "Have a boyfriend, I mean."

The fact that he's still thinking about that has a smile tugging at my lips.

"No," I admit. "I don't."

Liam nods, looking almost pleased, which stirs up a fizzy feeling I don't want to think about. I concentrate on using this opportunity to try to get intel for Agnes.

"So, what about Mia? Are you guys really done, or was that an act too?"

Liam looks down at me, gaze guarded. I force an indifferent shrug. We walk a few more steps, loose pebbles grinding beneath our feet.

"That wasn't an act," he finally says. "We're definitely done."

"What happened?" I ask.

Liam glances out at the river, not meeting my eye. "We're just very different people." I can tell from the closed-off tone of his voice that he isn't going to tell me anything else.

We lapse back into silence. The sun is starting to set, and I notice a glow of golden light coming from ahead of us on the trail. Strains of up-tempo, tinny music drift through the muggy air, reminding me of the circus my dad took me to when I was a kid, and I realize where Liam's taking me.

"Jane's Carousel? Isn't that a tad cheesy?"

"Cheesy?" Liam repeats, shaking his head. "God, do you have a romantic bone in your entire body?"