3. Liam
LIAM
I didn’t lie.
From the second she went on stage until the lights inside the theater turned on, she had my attention
Every single one of her movements captivated me and a part of me wished that I could witness the beauty that was this woman whenever I wanted.
I told myself that the only reason that I was feeling that way was because her performance was just that good. Every little thing that she did was in fact breathtaking. Never had I liked watching a performance like that until I saw Chloe.
She is a spectacular dancer and every single person in that theater was bearing witness to it.
When the lights came on and everyone started making their way out of the theater and into the reception area, I continued to think about her.
Every single one of her movements continued to play through my mind as I talked to other fellow attendees.
For a good thirty minutes I thought that I was going crazy because she kept creeping into my thoughts.
Somehow though, I was able to think about something other than her. All thanks to someone who mentioned hockey.
That lasted a whole thirty minutes.
My mind and attention was back to her as soon she walked into the room.
It was as if my mind could sense her and immediately seeked her out as she was coming through the door.
The second I saw her, it was as if the image I had of her on stage was heightened.
I thought that she was beautiful and captivating as she was dancing and moving from one position to the other but sitting at the back of the theater and watching her, didn’t compare to seeing the beauty a few feet away.
My eyes followed her as she made her way through the room, and when I caught her gaze, I felt like a complete creeper.
I had spent the majority of my time tonight watching this woman and she was heading in my direction.
For some reason, I felt like a teenage boy freaking out because the popular girl was coming over to talk to him.
I studied her as she closed the distance between us.
The way that blue satin dress sat against her body had me picturing her curves in ways I shouldn’t.
The way her curls sat high on her head and framed her face had me wanting to dig my fingers through them and pull her mouth to mine.
Then my thoughts shifted even more and I started to think what it would feel like to slide the dress off her.
How would that blue look discarded on the floors of my apartment.
My thoughts surprised me. Then the old man gentleman approached her, and took her line of sight away from me and all I wanted to do was interrupt.
I wanted every ounce of her attention on me and me alone.
When I heard him ask her to dance at one of his poker nights for his buddies, I decided that interrupting was the best decision.
Did I have to call this girl that I have never met or seen before tonight, my girlfriend?
No, but hey, she went along with it.
Now we’re in the back of a pizza restaurant eating the deep dish I faked promised her as if this was planned all along.
We left the opera house soon after she accepted my invitation. She quickly went to grab her things and soon we were walking down the busy Chicago street, heading to a pizza parlor a few blocks away.
Our walk here was quiet.
We exchanged a few words about the weather and our favorite toppings on pizza but nothing too deep.
It felt nice, though.
Other than when I was watching the performance, I spent most the night talking about the hockey season coming up or business stuff. It was nice to talk to someone about mundane things.
Especially when it was with a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman that has had my attention from the first second I laid eyes on her.
Even in the fluorescent lighting of this pizza joint, I can’t help but stare at the beauty in front of me.
“Did you really mean what you said?” Chloe asks, taking a drink from her iced tea.
Who drinks iced tea with pizza?
It’s beer or pop, nothing else.
“You’re going to have to refresh my memory. What did I say?” I ask, bunching up my eyebrows for effect.
I know what she’s talking about, I just want her to say it. A blush crept up her cheeks when the words left my mouth back at the opera house. It’s definitely something I want to see again.
Chloe gives me an eye roll and a smile starts to play on her lips as she answers my question.
“About me taking your breath away with my performance. I know you told me you weren’t lying but a part of me is having a hard time believing it.”
The little laugh she lets out at the end has me smirking at her.
“And why is that?” I ask, trying to keep the smirk contained.
“Because.” She says, giving me a shrug.
I laugh a little at the impending dance we are about to do.
“Because why?” I ask like a little kid trying to get on her nerves.
Chloe playfully rolls her eyes again before answering my question. “Because of who you are.”
A small blush starts to color her cheeks, making her look absolutely adorable.
“And who am I?” I ask, taking a bite of my slice. I’m trying my hardest not to laugh, but as I swallow down the bite of cheese and dough it’s becoming hard.
The blush on Chloe’s cheeks gets deeper and there is almost a look of embarrassment on her face.
Given what I do for a living and the fact that my face is plastered all over the city, I had a small inkling that this girl knew who I was from the start.
The blush that is coating her cheeks tells me that I was right.
Do I care that she knows who I am? Not really. There is no way for me to go incognito, even if she isn’t a hockey fan.
When someone’s face is plastered on billboards and buses, it’s a little hard to not know that person’s name.
I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that she’s not an overly obsessed fan or something. That wouldn’t be good.
“You know,” She says, trying to brush it off.
The laugh that I’ve been trying to hold in, slips a little but I control myself before giving her the best serious look that I can give right now.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Chloe narrows her eyes at me. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
I give her her answer with a shrug instead of words.
She lets out what sounds like an annoyed sigh, but the smile she gives me tells me that she’s anything but. She looks like she is having as much fun with this as I am.
“Because you’re Liam Crawford,” she finally answers. “A professional athlete that has women falling at his feet. Telling a woman that her performance took more than your breath away is a sure fire way of getting a pair of panties handed to you with a promise of later.”
There is no more controlling of my emotions with that statement.
I burst out laughing and Chloe quickly joins me. If we weren’t at the back of the restaurant we for sure would be drawing attention to ourselves.
But it’s just the two of us and a half eaten pizza in between.
And all I can do is laugh and take in the beauty of the woman that is sitting across from me.
She really is a sight and I don’t know if only seeing it tonight will be enough.
The laughing quiets down and I give the gorgeous dancer in front of me a smile.
“I can one hundred percent guarantee you that you are the first and only woman that I have said that to.”
I watch as her eyes go slightly wide and the blush coating her cheeks spread. Chloe tries to hide the smile that my words bring to her lips but I’m able to catch a glimpse of it as she bows her head and tries to hide herself in her food.
My attraction for this woman is increasing with every single minute.
“I guess I should feel special then, huh?” She says, her voice barely a whisper as she looks at me through her long, dark eyelashes.
That look alone has me shifting a bit in my seat to rearrange a few things.
“You really should,” I throw in her direction. “Before you went on stage, I was planning on sleeping through the whole thing. The second you came out of the shadows, you were all that my eyes could see.”
Okay, Liam. You are lying it on way too thick. Bring it down a notch.
It’s the truth though, and I’m not one to spew out lies.
“Deciding not to nap is huge.” She says, still slightly embarrassed.
“It really is. Especially when you had a crazy work out this morning. Naps are definitely a necessity. You are lucky that you captured my attention.”
The sweet laugh she releases has me shifting once more.
“What was so breathtaking about it?” She asks, a piece of hair falling from its place on top of her head and framing her face.
I want to reach over and tuck it behind her ear so that it doesn’t block me from looking into her hazel eyes.
“Everything,” I say to her, completely forgetting about the pizza in front of me and shifting my mind back to her performance. “I don’t know what it was but from the first second, my eyes were following you. In a not creepy way, of course.”
“Of course,” she says with a smirk.
I lean back in my chair and continue. “I may sound like a total dweeb here, but from the second you stepped onto that stage, it was as if you were in your element. Even from the last row, it was as if each one of your movements was effortless and you could do that whole routine in your sleep. You literally had me at the edge of my seat waiting to see what you would do next. You made me follow the damn story. I know how hard ballet is and you made it seem like it was the simplest thing in the world. Every single thing you did, had a grip on me and when the light came on, I wanted more, because damn. What you did tonight was fucking amazing.”
I didn’t realize I was rambling until I finished talking and see the expression on Chloe’s face. She’s looking at me with the widest eyes and her mouth slightly open, as if she can’t believe a single word that I just said.
This time, I’m with her. I can’t believe it either. Sure I’m the type of person that tells the truth, but even I surprised myself by everything I just told her.
It was as if I had verbal diarrhea.