Tom wasn’t saying anything, but his countenance spoke a thousand words.
“No.”
Someone approached the bar, laughing while already half-drunk, but Tom did not move.
“No,Tom.”
Those spindly bartender’s fingers slipped off Tom’s hips. He wandered away to tend to the tipsy customer while Liam accepted the fact that he was alone for the rest of his night.
“Nope,” he muttered to himself as he turned on his phone and opened his camera app. From there, he scoured his photo history for the last time he and Benson took a picture together, looking happy and content as clams. “Nada. Nope. No way.”
There they were, on a tropical island in the Caribbean –notLa Mariposa, but one not too dissimilar. They stood together in the shallow end of the pool, clinking together their ridiculous pina coladas while wearing sunglasses and looking like they were gonna hit up Carnival in two more weeks.
Instead, I blew it all to hell.All because Liam had seen the cracks in Benson’s life and wanted to help.
Liam put his phone away. Melancholy settled over him. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to stand to finish his drink. He would go home and think about anyonebutBenson Smith, the man he had shared more than one woman with.
Wouldn’t mind sharing her…There was Brim in his mind’s eye as soon as he walked into his bedroom, where he collapsed face-first into his bed. Somehow, just her face, as if Liam suddenly grew a conscience and couldn’t imagine someone as hot and willing as Brim the Butterfly as anything but a happy, friendly face.Nope. Never had sex with her. Clearly.
When Liam lifted his head, it was to the sound of his phone buzzing.
The notification wasn’t anything interesting. But now that his phone was in his hand, he went down another rabbit hole of digging into texts. The man had not changed his number since college. He still had texts from ex-girlfriends and voicemails from his mom, reminding him to file his FAFSA. Since he loved his mom, he kept them, knowing that one day he’d be grateful.
Right now, though, he blew past those and found the last text Benson Smith ever sent.
“Fuck you.”
Liam wouldn’t relive what he had said before that, five years ago, when everything came crashing down in his life. All he’d remember was the yelling, the cursing, and the accusations that sent him on a spiral to LA.
Now he was back for more.
Chapter 5
Eden
Chapter 5
Eden
What the hell do I wear?
That was the conundrum she had after she rolled out of bed at ten, ate breakfast, and hit the gym, only to come back for a shower and to see that Benson had texted her where to meet him that night – a fancy Thai place famous for its curries and homemade peanut sauce. While it didn’t scream cocktail dress formal, Eden sure as hell wasn’t going in jeans and a blouse. Especially since she had a feeling Benson would arrive in… well, something nicer than jeans.
Mm. He was great in jeans.
They weren’t meeting until six-thirty. Eden barely had time to hit the department store down the street and shop for a dress that was flattering and perfect for dressing up or down, depending on the situation. Since every store now ran askeleton crew, no one was around to help her pick something out, let alone help her into the changing room promptly. But between the power of her phone camera and knowing all of her measurements thanks to La Mariposa’s policies, Eden soon settled on a magenta minidress that would pair well with any of her coats or jackets.
She would have hit the nearby nail salon, but her cuticles and style were still good. Instead, she went to the hairdresser, who asked what she was doing since it had only been a month since they last saw her.
She needed… something. And since she had a little spending money from the last weekend, she might as well do herself up for her big date. Which the stylist was only way too willing to talk about while they styled her hair.
Of course, Eden had to be cagey, especially with how they met.I can’t say we met where we met… but if I suggested I’m dating my financial advisor…No, she had to keep it neat. She could mention the fancy restaurant, how much she would like to impress him, all of that… but Eden concocted a story about meeting at a fancy, exclusive club that a friend had invited her to.
I’m already straddling that line.The line of two Edens. She supposed the other one was simply namedBrim.
Her idle nerves drove her to the coffee shop between the hair salon and her apartment. While she waited for her white mocha, she stared at her phone screen, although her eyes refused to take in anything in particular.
Not until she glanced up and saw someone she recognized walking away from the register to come wait near her.