“I'll bring the hoodie. Four o'clock,” he confirmed.
“Thank you. Really, thank you, Liam. You've been so … wonderful, lately. I know I act crazy sometimes, but I really appreciate it. After everything we've been through and everything that's going on … I just wanted you to know that,” she babbled.
“Awww, shucks, you're gonna make be blush,” he teased her some more. “And it's easy to be so nice when you're so sweet.”
He leaned down and kissed her then. He tried to kiss her every time he saw her – mainly because it was Katya. Kissing her always felt good. But also to constantly remind her of who she was dealing with, what kind of man was standing in front of her. How good he was for her, and how much better he was than Wulfric goddamn Stone.
When he pulled away, she wasn't smiling. She was staring up at him with very wide eyes, almost looking nervous. He smiled, though, hoping to ease any stress she was going through. Then he brushed his thumb down the side of her cheek.
“Call me if you need me, okay? If you need anything. Anything at all,” he told her. She nodded and managed a smile.
“Okay. I will.”
He walked home with a skip in his step, whistling a tune. He spent the afternoon playing video games and arguing with Landon. Then he stopped down at the club and flirted harmlessly with Tori for a bit before getting distracted by other things. He didn't come home till almost one in the morning, and he crawled straight into bed.
Katya didn't call once.
24
She felt a little better the next day. She got up early and took a walk, bringing home fresh bread for her and Tori. Her roommate was wickedly hungover – apparently the bar had shut down after a certain time and Liam had relieved her of her duties. She'd partied it up with Brighton and Gaten, then she and Gate had shared a taxi home.
Katya had no messages from Wulf, which she decided to not think about – it wasn't worth it to worry about something when she didn't have any clue as to what was going on. She was done making assumptions.
While she got ready for her lunch date with Genevieve Stone, she got some messages from Liam. He reminded her of their own rooftop date at four o'clock, and she assured him she'd be there. She was hoping to have a very frank, open conversation with him. No more of his witty banter and no more of her being a weenie.
At two o'clock, Katya was being seated inside a very fancy cafe. She was glad she'd taken care to dress nicely. She'd wanted to be somewhat on par with Vieve, who always dressed up, but she hadn't realized she'd be eating somewhere so nice. She sat and sipped at sparkling water until the other girl showed up.
“So sorry I'm late,” Vieve breathed as she hurried up to the table. Katya stood up and leaned in for a brief hug.
“Please,” she laughed. “It's been five minutes.”
They both sat back down and then a very observant waiter hurried over, taking their drink orders. Katya ordered a lemonade, but was a little surprised when Vieve ordered a mimosa.
“So how was the party after I left?” Katya asked, smoothing her napkin over her lap. “It seemed like you and Gaten were having a good time.”
Light pink stained the tops of Vieve's fair cheeks and she polished off the rest of her mimosa.
“It was a lot more fun than I expected. I thought … I don't know, it was a sex club, in a big city. Leather and whips?” she offered, and Katya burst out laughing.
“It's never quite been like that, even when it's operating like normal. But you and Gate, I -”
“Katya,” Vieve sighed. “I appreciate you introducing us, and he was a very nice guy. Super good looking, polite, seemed intelligent. But I'm just not in the mood to date anyone right now.”
Katya's first instinct was to argue. She always wanted everyone around her to be happy and thriving in some way. That's why she never cared what kind of job Tori had, whether it was in a law office or slinging drinks in a sex club. As long as she was being productive and it made her happy, that's what counted. It seemed like Vieve was a little sad and a little lonely, and Katya just wanted to help with that.
But she stopped herself, realizing that she was making assumptions again. Just because Vieve seemed one way, didn't mean anything. Katya ultimately didn't know the other girl very well. So she smiled politely and nodded, then changed the subject to Vieve's job hunt.
They ate watercress salads and cucumber finger sandwiches, laughing about how silly Liam was and how different he was from his twin. Neither ever brought up Wulf, which Katya thought was a little telling in itself, but she was also thankful.
By the time their plates were being cleared away and they both shared a plate of fruit for dessert, Katya still wasn't sure why they'd met up. Maybe Vieve had really just wanted to go to lunch with someone. Seemed strange, since they really weren't that close.
“This was a lot of fun,” Katya said, wiping at her mouth as a waiter took away their credit cards.
“Yes, it was,” Vieve agreed. “We haven't really gotten to spend any time together, just the two of us. I thought it would be nice.”
“Oh. Well, thank you for that,” Katya replied, not sure what to say.
“And I just … I wanted you to know, I hope … it would be nice, if you and Wulf ever got back together. I won't lie, I think it would be really nice. But I'm not hoping for it or counting on it or even necessarily rooting for it. He's a difficult man, it would require a lot of compromise and hardship to be with him, I'm sure. So no matter what happens between you two, I wanted you to know I'd understand, and I would also … I'd really love it if you and I could be friends. Outside of your relationship with him,” Vieve laid everything out.
Katya was a little surprised. She'd never had some request to be friends with her, it almost seemed silly. Was definitely very sweet. Was also easier said than done. If she and Wulf were really over, if they never fixed what had broken between them, could she stand to be around Vieve? A constant reminder of him? Would Vieve really want to be around the woman responsible for making Wulf even more miserable than he already was?
But that was ridiculous. Who knew how it would go? Would she let potential fall out stop her from rekindling a friendship? Also, Vieve didn't know anyone in San Francisco outside of Wulf and Brie – she'd be all alone.
“That would be great, Vieve,” Katya said, smiling big. “You should come over for dinner next week. Tori and I are going to make huge pitchers of margaritas and a feast for her birthday.”
It looked like the other girl let out a deep sigh of relief.