6

NORA

I've done a lot of weird shit in my life before, but this takes the cake.

I slept with me.Mr. Arrogant.

Oh my goodness.

The incredulity of what we had done the night before woke me up bright and early. I rolled off the bed, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, half expecting to see Liam lying asleep on his side of the suite. But he was nowhere to be found, probably off somewhere doing something or in the gym. He was weird and closed off like that sometimes.

Or perhaps he also couldn't bring himself to accept what we had done last night and was trying to keep his distance as much as he could. Shit. I tried to run my hands through my hair, but it was a tangled mess from all that tugging last night. Oh, but it felt so good.

As much as I would have preferred to deny it, if Liam walked through that door, asking to get laid, I did not think I could resist him. Fuck, Nora, concentrate.

I mentally chastised myself for even thinking about sleeping with him again. It was nothing. We were two lonely people trapped in a room, it was only natural that we had these kinds of thoughts towards each other. Plus, I needed an outlet. The weight I carried yesterday was way too much for me to bear on my own. I needed someone to share that weight with me. And there he was, offering himself up on a platter, a really sexy platter.

I snapped out of my reverie, making my way into the bathroom to clean up. My hair was a tangled mess, my cheeks were puffy and red, eyes bright and sparkled like I had just one of the most amazing times of my life.

I did, but Liam didn't need to know that. In fact, no one did, except for Sam, of course. Hurriedly, I cleaned up, brushing my hair out of its bird's nest location and into a low pony. With just the right amount of makeup, I looked decent, not like the dejected girl who got on the plane after that terrible breakup. Fuck Jake.

With the thought of how smug Sam would be when I finally divulged this new information to her, I dialed her number. Her face popped up on my screen after two rings.

“Baby girl,” she started, pausing to look on my face, “Okay, you are glowing. Tell me, what's the secret to this?”

“Primer,” I responded, wishing I'd brushed and curled my hair, so I could hide behind it.

“Nuh-uh, I've got some really expensive primer in that purse over there, and I don't even have this glow. " Look, your hair isn't even in a messy bun,” she wiggled her brows, the smile on her face growing, “What's the good news?”

Dammit. I forgot just how perceptive Sam could be whenever she wanted to.

“Okay, okay, detective. " Last night, Liam and I kind of…did it,” the blush on my face was definitely larger than the Australian continent, and I could tell from the smirk on Sam's face that she was about to tell me how she told me so.

“Did what?” She asked, her smirk deepening.

“Liam and I slept together.”

Sam’s smirk turned into a full-blown smile, her mouth opening to let out an inaudible laugh. After a couple seconds of silent laughter, she shook her face in a lot of confusion, raising both brows, “Wait, Liam? Isn't he Mr. Arrogant guy? I thought you hated his guts?”

Then, she burst out laughing once again, “What? Girl, you can say I told you so,”

“Yeah yeah,” I rolled my eyes, getting comfortable on the couch.

“Oh, come on, get into the juicy details. Was it good? Of course, it was good. You're a glowing baby. Was it huge? Tell me, I'm dying for all the deets.” She made an exaggerated dying face, sinking into her own couch.

I smiled, thinking about just how amazing Liam and I were together last night.

“It was good. We worked so well together,”

“I'm pretty sure you did. So, eggplant or banana?”

My face burned, “Sam, what the heck?!”

“Tell me, I'm dying to know,” she whined.

I contemplated telling her, but the smile on my face was enough to answer her question.

“Definitely eggplant,” she concluded, laughing before sobering up. So, what does this mean? Are you looking long-term, or do you just want to have a good Christmastime?”

I sighed. Sam was one of the people who saw me at my worst. She knew how much of a mess I’d been after the breakup. Heck, she was even the main reason I was on this holiday trip all by myself. Did I really want to complicate things once more by adding a man into my life? Did I even like Liam or was it merely because we both shared a room? After all, I hated his guts the very first time we met.

Plus, did he even like me that way? For all I knew, he could pretty much feel the way I felt about him.

“Sam, I don't even know what I'm doing,” I confessed, getting serious.I still haven't gotten over what Jake did to me, and I don't want Liam to be a rebound. I deserve someone better, you know? Someone who cares for me, who loves me dearly, and whom I love too. Liam and I would tear each other’s lives apart,”

As fiery as we were in bed together, anything else between us would be disastrous. We barely even got along.

“I understand. Still, have fun. If you’re not fucking Mr. Arrogant, go fuck someone else. It’s a resort, you’ll find some dude who’ll be very willing to show you a good time. " You know?” She wiggled her brows, lifting a hand to make a V in front of her mouth and sticking her tongue through.

I scrunched my face up, “That's so crude. You’re disgusting.”

“I love you too, get your ass up and out there, okay? Have fun,”

“I will, I love you.”

Sam was right. I needed to get out there and mingle, especially since I didn’t want to complicate things with Mr.. Arrogant. I could do this. I just needed to get out of this room.

~

My neck was bright red from where Liam had left a hickey last night, so I had to cover it with a chic bright pink scarf. Plus, it also worked really well with the rest of my outfit. I’d taken my advice and decided to escape from the cold hands of my suite.

There wasn't really much that I could do at the resort, considering the snowstorm outside, but they’d made sure to create some indoor activities that looked as appealing as the outdoors. There was a cooking class currently going on and while I did enjoy getting my hands dirty and creating a piece of art in the kitchen, I just wasn't up for it.

Instead, I roamed around the resort, coffee cup in hand, as I watched other guests enjoy their time. Most of them had come as couples, hands held tightly together as they whispered words to themselves. I sighed, feeling a little jealous. That should've been me.

Plus, the Christmas spirit was already in the air. The resort had put up decor in every corner, even lighting a huge Christmas tree in the lobby. I’d caught wind of a Christmas party and, since everyone would be there, I just might as well.

Although I didn’t know if a certain brunet would be as well. I scrunched my eyebrows together, blowing at the steam billowing from my coffee. I hadn’t seen Liam since last night, and he hadn’t sought me out either.

Were we avoiding each other now? I mean, it was for the best, but it still hurt.

“Who needs him anyway,” I muttered to myself, lifting my cup to take a sip of my coffee. Unfortunately, my drink decided to go down the wrong pipe, eyes going wide as I caught sight of a familiar back.

Just as he turned around, our eyes clashed, and that was all it took for the loudest cough ever known to man to escape my throat.