I hear a low groan and squeeze my eyes shut. “I love listening to your messages. Your voice. I love hearing you say my name. I replay that part over and over again. Pathetic, right?” He lets out a low chuckle. “Yeah. Pathetic. Anyway, some big things are happening here right now, but I don’t want to jinx it and tell you before it’s all set in stone. Hopefully I’ll have good news next time we speak.”
There’s a beat, but I can hear him breathing. “Okay, well . . . that’s all I wanted to say, I guess. Oh, and one more thing. I’m in love with you. I have been for a long time. No big deal.” He pauses again and sighs. “Shit. I promised myself I wouldn’t say that until I saw you in person, but I guess I’m impatient, and dammit . . . I want you to know. I’m not stupid. I’m sure there are men falling over themselves to date you at The Grove, and the thought of anyone but me making love to you drives me insane. I don’t want you to date other men. I want you to date me. Unfortunately, geography has other ideas, so I guess I’m screwed.”
I hear him take a sip of his drink and swallow. “Okay, well, now that I’ve spilled my guts way more than I intended, I’d better go. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to claim something I can’t have by saying the L word. I really don’t. And I certainly don’t expect you to say it back. In fact, please don’t. Saying those words just because someone else does is hollow. If and when you say it to me, I want to look into your eyes and know that you mean it. Because I mean it. You don’t even understand how much. Hope you’re well. And missing me. Love you. Bye.”
Every time I hear him say that, it makes me just as giddy as the first time. Of course, I called him straight back to tell him I felt the same, but when the message tone sounded, I couldn’t go through with saying it to a machine. Instead, I asked him to call me back ASAP so we could talk properly. He didn’t. In fact, my next three messages asking him to call also went unanswered.
Now, I have no idea where I stand. Is he embarrassed about saying he loved me? Or did he realize it was the booze and nostalgia talking rather than him?
Either way, I feel like I’m in limbo. And until I speak to him—the reallive him—I don’t see that changing.
I take a deep breath as my finger hovers over his number. Screw it. I’m going to keep calling until he answers. One way or another, we’re going to have a conversation today.
Adrenaline surges through me as I make the decision. I stand, sling my bag over my shoulder, and start walking. I try to expel nervous energy as I hit his number.
I tap my thigh as the call connects and starts to ring, once . . . twice . . . three times. After the sixth ring, it goes to voice mail. I hang up and redial.
Three more times it connects to voice mail, but on the fourth try, he answers.
“Liss? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
The relief I feel at the sound of his voice is so intense, my knees go weak. “Liam. Hey. Hi. I’m fine. I just needed to talk to you. The real you. And . . . wow. I am.”
I hear him exhale. “I . . . God, Liss. It’s good to hear your voice.”
“You, too. Your voice, I mean. I . . . uh . . . I can’t believe I’m speaking to you.” I’m so nervous, my saliva has dried up. “How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Good.” I shake my head as I reach the stairs leading down to the fountain. I’ve never felt awkward with him before. Why am I starting now? “How’s everything going? I haven’t heard from you in a while. I mean, I’ve tried a few times. I wanted you to know how much I loved your last message. I loved it. Really. Why didn’t you call me back?”
There’s a pause. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been crazy busy. Actually, I’ve been meaning to call. I . . . uh, got a movie. Well, a movie franchise, actually.”
My heart skips a beat. “What?! Seriously? Tell me everything.”
“I auditioned for it when I first got here. They’ve made me do about twenty screen tests since, but a couple of months ago, they told me I got it. Have you heard of Rageheart?”
I stop dead in my tracks. “Are you kidding me? I read the script when it was leaked online. Please tell me you’re playing Zan. Oh, God, on second thought, no. He’s already too sexy. If you were playing him it would be disastrous for women everywhere, and me in particular. Okay, wait.” I take a deep breath. “Break it to me gently.”
He chuckles. “I’m playing Zan.”
I actually squeal and do a little jump. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before, but this is news worth squealing about. “Liam, that’s incredible! I’m so happy for you! This is it. Your big break to mega-stardom.”
As I come down the stairs, I pause to watch a group of people milling around near the fountain and wonder what’s going on. Knowing New York, someone’s filming here. It’s a daily occurrence.
Down the phone, I hear Liam sigh. “The whole thing has happened so fast my head is spinning. We’re already rehearsing and doing press.”
“Who’s playing Areal?”
He pauses. “Uh . . . Angel Bell.”
I frown. “Really? I didn’t know she was an actress. I just thought she was a professional famous person.”