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The meeting continues to drag on, and at one point, someone asks for my availability for some charity function next month. I answer automatically, having no idea what I’m saying because all I can think about is getting her alone.
By the time the meeting adjourns, I’m done waiting.
People stand, chairs bump the table, conversations start.
Across the table, I see Alie gather her notebooks quickly, like she’s trying to slip out of the room unnoticed.
Not a chance, babe.
I don’t even say goodbye to anyone. I just rush out the door after her.
“Alie.”
She stops mid-step, her shoulders tightening before she turns.
“Liam, you can’t just—” she starts.
“What? Talk to you?” I shrug. “Seems reasonable to me.”
“And you need to talk to me right now?”
“I don’t see the need to wait.”
She glances around, giving a few nods and closed-mouth smiles as people pass us.
“Come on,” she mutters.
She leads me down the corridor, past unused conference rooms and storage space. We reach a door, and she opens it, pulling me inside and shutting it behind us.
Silence falls instantly, and we’re locked in a stare.
It feels close.
Dangerous.
Private.
“We can’t be doing this. Weshouldn’tbe doing this,” she mutters. “Not until I have a chance to speak to my parents.”
“You brought me in here.” I smirk.
“That’s not the point.”
I step closer to her, crowding her space.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice that you couldn’t stop looking at me in that meeting.”
“You were looking at me too.”
“I’m not denying that I was.”
Her breath is shallow, and I can see a flush running up her neck. She’s affected by me.
“This is risky. We could get caught.”
“We haven’t done anything wrong. We’re just talking.” I reach for her hands. “Tell me to leave then.”
She doesn’t.
