Left With Liam

Chapter 27

Liam

I don't know what happened.

One minute, things were perfect. The next...

I have no clue how it all went so wrong.

What the hell have I done?

Three hours earlier...

I could tell Mel was confused. The look on her face said it all. I told her nothing about what we would be doing on our date- not what we were doing, not where it would be, nothing. So, naturally, I expected her to have questions when we pulled up outside of the hockey arena.

Her face was full of confusion when I helped her out of the car, but she said nothing as I walked her inside. The questions were stirring in her mind the whole way, though. I know because she kept looking at me, analyzing me, trying to figure out the answer to the puzzle I presented her with.

There were no games at the arena today, no special events, no volunteer programs, no classes, not one thing was scheduled for today. I made sure of it when I picked this day to bring Mel here.

I wanted to make sure no one else was around to mess up what I had planned for her. After seeing Mel with her students and watching as her face contorted with pure bliss as she skated freely around that rink, I knew I wanted to give her more of that feeling. I wanted to see her with that look on her face again as the chilly air nipped around her.

I talked to Coach, Rusty, and the building owners- for a very long time- to convince them to let me rent the space for a few hours so I could make this date happen. After several lectures and mountains of paperwork later, I finally had what I needed to make this date a reality.

I hired one of the light and sound crew members to sit in the operations booth and make my vision for this date come to life. I had mapped out everything, the lighting effects, the music playlist, the empty arena- all in hopes that it would make this date special for Mel.

When I steered Mel toward the team locker room, she eyed me suspiciously. It took all I had not to laugh as I led her inside, where our skates were waiting.

As soon as she saw both sets of skates, her eyes widened. Then, she saw the bouquet of deep purple lilies resting on top of the bench.

She turned to me with a look of awe. "You remembered?" She whispered.

Moving closer to her, I tried to keep my voice steady as I confessed, "I remember all of your favorite things, Mel- the flowers, the taco truck, penguins, your favorite song... I never forgot any of it."

I could see the moisture collecting in her eyes as she took in everything I told her. "You're amazing, Liam. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mel," I answered, looking down at the floor, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

When I looked back up, she was edging closer- the look in her eyes growing more intense with every step. My arms wrapped around her as soon as she was close enough to let me. With one hand on my chest and the other on my bicep, she leaned up, pressing her lips to mine.

I let my right hand slowly creep up her back as I pulled her to me, deepening the kiss. I heard her gasp when my left hand slid lower, cupping around one cheek of her jean-clad ass.

I was prepared to forget the rest of the date and spend our time doing that instead, but Mel had other ideas.

She pulled away, granting me one last peck before asking, "What do you have in store for us next?"