Chapter 6
LIAM
Ispent the next week trudging through work in a fog.
Every time I tried to focus on my tasks, my mind drifted to Holly.
My gaze would wander to the dancing game in the corner of the bar or to the rows of tequila bottles, and suddenly I'd be drowning in memories—her laughter, the way her lips brushed against mine and the electric spark that had followed.
I wrestled with myself constantly, knowing exactly where she lived but unwilling to show up unannounced and risk coming across as a total creep.
At night, I stuck to my routine—throwing myself into every aspect of the bar, making the rounds with staff, and greeting regulars.
But instead of scoping out potential candidates to fulfill the absurd bet my brothers had devised, I found myself scanning the crowd for brown hair and blue eyes.
Each night I left without seeing her, the pit in my stomach grew heavier.
By the end of the week, Amber, the only person in the bar besides Ralph who had met Holly, had enough. “I’m tired of your moping.”
“I’m not moping,” I barely glanced up from the inventory sheet I’d been staring at for the past hour.
I’d struggled and failed to track how many bottles we had on hand.
Counting turned into thinking, which turned into remembering and every time I thought I’d dug myself out of the Holly rabbit hole I realized I’d fallen back in.
“Moping, sulking, drowning in sorrow—whatever you want to call it,” Amber crossed her arms and leaned against the counter with a dramatic sigh. “You’re basically a walking cliché of ‘my heart was broken,’ except your heart can’t be broken because you just met the girl.”
“I never said my heart was broken,” I muttered, the words feeling heavy in my throat as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. And I didn’t just meet Holly. Fate threw my college crush back into my life at an impossible moment. But I didn’t tell her that.
“Well, you’re acting like it,” Amber stepped forward and set a hand firmly on mine, forcing me to meet her piercing gaze.
“You know where she lives. Either go find her or let whatever this is go. Those are your choices, Liam. But the clock is ticking. You’re running out of time to win this bet—and let’s be real, your brothers definitely haven’t played fair. ”
I frowned, finally paying attention and looked up at her. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, please.” Amber rolled her eyes, the exasperation in her tone impossible to miss.
“The first week they sabotaged every girl you talked to by telling every single girl at the bar you had herpes. Don’t even get me started on week two’s rumors.
They want you to fail, and I’m starting to think you do, too, because if you like Holly as much as you clearly do, you’d have made a move by now. Unless you want to give all this up.”
“You know I don’t want that.” I dragged a hand through my hair and dropped onto a stool. “It’s just...I don’t know. I haven’t felt this way about a girl in a long time. I can’t get her off my mind.”
“Then stop sitting here like an idiot and do something about it. She kissed you, right?”
“Well...yeah,” I admitted, my ears heating at the memory.
“Then she’s already opened the we should be more than friends door,” Amber said with a knowing smile. She tilted her head as if the solution was painfully obvious and I was an idiot. “The least you can do is step inside and see what happens.”
“You mean have it shut in my face,” I muttered. I groaned and stared up at the ceiling when I finally looked at Amber again. She was staring at me. Waiting for me to man up. “I don’t know anything about her except where she lives.”
“Exactly! Holly let you take her home. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t get to go inside because girl code dictates that that’s a neon flashing sign saying, ‘Hey, I like you, but I don’t wanna rush things.’”
“And the marriage clause of my bet would be rushing things.”
“Tomato tomahto.” Amber grinned, clearly pleased with herself.
“Start small with flowers, or coffee, or maybe tequila. Whatever you think works. Worst-case scenario? She turns you away, and you’ll finally stop pining.
Best case scenario, she whisks you upstairs and you have mind numbing sex.
Either way, you’re in better shape than you are now. ”
Her words settled in my chest like a challenge, sparking a flicker of determination I hadn’t felt in days. “You’re right.”
Amber blinked, her brows shooting up in surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to actually take her advice. “Wait, you’re really going to do it?”
“I’m gonna do it!” I said with a determined nod.
“Good.” A slow, approving smile spread across her face. “Now get out of here and go get your girl.”
I passed Holly’s house three times before mustering up the courage to park the car.
I stepped out with a bouquet of daisies in one hand, a bottle of tequila, and a bag of oranges in the other.
I felt ridiculous—unsure whether this was the best or worst decision I’d ever made—but I was already here and Amber would roast my nuts if I chickened out.
With a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
My heart thundered in my chest with each passing second.
I questioned, for the hundredth time, if showing up was sweet or stalkerish.
Part of me felt like if things had gone as well as I thought they did, Holly would have come back to the bar or at least given me her number.
The other part of me hoped she was just busy or shy, or maybe just as nervous to see me as I was her.
The door eventually opened and Holly’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “Liam? What are you doing here?”
I had a speech planned, one that made me sound suave yet sweet. But the moment I laid eyes on her I forgot everything. My speech. My name. What day of the week it was? My brain was an empty vortex, unable to form a single thought beyond, damn she’s gorgeous.
After a painfully awkward minute, I remembered what words were. Although, what came out of my mouth was clunky, rushed and miles away from suave.
“These are for you,” I said, holding out the daisies. My hand felt clammy, but I managed to hold the stems tight and not drop them at her feet.
Holly’s lips parted slightly like she was shocked. She blinked, probably unsure what to make of me and the gesture. After another long moment, she reached out and took the flowers. “Thank you.”
“I was hoping…” I began awkwardly, then cleared my throat and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I was hoping you’d want to get a drink. But if you don’t want to go out, I, uh, brought tequila. No pressure, though. I just wanted to see you again.”
Holly studied me, her gaze curious but guarded. “You did?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.
This was going well… I think. Holly hadn’t slammed the door in my face yet, so maybe Amber was right.
Maybe there was hope for us and I spent the last week stressing over nothing.
“I had a great time with you the other night, and I hope maybe you did too.”
“You remember that night?”
“I wasn’t that drunk,” I said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the tension hanging in the air.
“Sorry, I just… I didn’t think you’d remember me.” Her words came out hesitant, as though she was afraid to hear my answer.
“Remember you? How could I forget you?”
Forgetting Holly was impossible. I’d tried, but she had a way of leaving a hole in your heart that no one but her could fill. Her rejection freshman year crushed me. I hoped tonight wouldn’t be as painful.
Holly hesitated, her expression shifting between uncertainty and something else I couldn’t quite place. Finally, she stepped back and opened the door wider. “Do you want to come in?”
“Yeah,” I said, trying not to sound overly excited as I wiped my boots on the mat and stepped inside.
Her living room was cozy, with a cat tree in the corner and soft throws draped over the couch.
Through the sliding door I saw a large hutch on the patio and two fuzzballs running around.
I smiled at the sight, because what adult has guinea pigs?
They live nearly as long as dogs. I assumed she got them as a child or maybe an early teen and has been caring for them ever since.
“I told you they’d miss me if you murdered me,” she teased when she caught me looking at the cage.
“Good thing this isn’t some intricate phase of my plan,” I shot back with a grin.
To the right, in the kitchen, Holly set the tequila and oranges on the counter before rummaging through a cabinet for a vase. Her movements were quick, as though she was trying to distract herself. “Can I get you something to drink?”
I understood how she felt. I hadn’t been this nervous to hang out with a girl since… well, I couldn’t remember when. My stomach was so tumultuous, the idea of putting anything inside it was terrifying. The last thing I wanted was to throw up and ruin the small impression I might’ve made.
“So, how have you been?” Her gaze was fiercely focused on the bouquet. She cut the stem of each at an angle and carefully set each flower in the vase.
Confused. Lost in thoughts of her. Replaying college memories I’d forgotten. “Okay, I guess”.
“Did you find a wife yet?” she asked, her tone light but her eyes cautious as they flicked up to meet mine.
I shook my head.
“That’s a shame.” The flowers were all set. The vase filled and on the counter. With nothing left to distract her, Holly had no choice but to pierce me with her pretty blues. “Just so you know, I’m not going to marry you.”
“I wasn’t going to ask,” I said quickly, holding up my hands in mock surrender.