As the doorman opened the door for me and offered to carry my groceries up the stairs, which I declined, I noticed some people hanging around the entrance. I guess it was the first time I paid attention to what was going on outside of Liam’s home.
When the elevator opened its doors, I let myself into his apartment with the key had had given me. I was still not sure if it was just so that I could make him dinner, or if he wanted me to keep it. Never the less, I entered the kitchen and put all my bags down. I figured making pizza was the best thing since who didn’t like pizza.
The clock on his microwave read 5:34. I had plenty of time to make dinner, thankfully, since Liam said he would be back around 7. I had gone directly from work to the store and then to his house.
After unloading all the bags, I began with the dough, since it would take the longest time. After mixing all of the ingredient and kneading the dough, I put it on the counter to rise, washed my hands, and then picked up my oversized purse to head to the bathroom. I had decided to bring clothes to change into from work, since it would be nice if I was wearing something other then an old tee-shirt and jeans for him.
In the bathroom, I put on a little extra make up, pulled off my shirt and replaced it with a casual, but still a little dressy, pink sleeveless shirt followed by a black and white stripped cardigan. I had worn my black skinny jeans to work, but finished my night look with a pair of nude heals.
Back in the kitchen, I began to chop up some vegetables and fry the sausage I had purchased. I had always been partial to sausage and onion pizza, but I figured I would make a few different pizzas, so Liam had a choice. I chose to make one strictly with vegetables, a sausage and onion pizza, and one with everything on it.
I had never been someone who wore heals very often, and soon after starting to cut the vegetables, I could already feel my feel begin to hurt, so, I took my heals off and decided to just be barefoot until Liam got home.
Loki stood at my feet as I chopped up the food. His puppy eyes were so cute and he was so hoping for some food, but I knew better then to give him any since Liam had already warned me about Loki wanting food. “Sorry, babe, you are not allowed any people food.”
I had the first two pizzas in the oven and was rolling out the dough for the third when I heard the key in the door. My stomach was doing summersaults, like I was a thirteen-year-old going out on my first date, even though my first date was not until I was nineteen. Just as I heard the door open, I remembered that I needed to put my shoes on and ran to put them on.
“No, don’t put those heals on. I like you walking around barefoot in my apartment.” Liam said, stopping in my tracks.
Slowly I turned to see him, looking sexy as ever in a dark shirt standing just a few feet behind me. “Hi.” Was all I could muster.
His hand found my hip, pulled me close to him and gave me just a soft peck of a kiss. “Smells good.” He said looking in my eyes. I could see that he was having a hard time not kissing me deeper, but a deal is a deal. “I am going to go change.” He said quickly turning his back on me and heading to his bedroom.
Just as I had been able to get my heart rate to slow down back to its normal pace, Liam reentered the kitchen, wearing just a wife beater and some jeans hung low on his hips. I turned by back on him to calm myself yet again, pretending to look at the pizzas in the oven.
“Pizza.” He said. “And don’t tell me you home made the whole thing.”
“Is there any other way to have pizza?” I asked in all honesty.
“Order out.” He replied but quickly adding, “But I bet you never had take out pizza growing up.”
“Only when I went to friends houses, but I always liked homemade better.” I genuinely answered.
“Truth be told, this pizza smells better then any pizza I have ever had. Thanks you.”
He took Loki out while I pulled the pizzas out. While I cut them, he set the table and poured us glasses of water. If I didn’t know any better, it was almost as if we were an old married couple.
After we sat down, Liam smiled at me with his half crooked smirk before it formed into a full grin.
“Allie, I want to know everything about you, don’t hold back.” He said.
“Alright.” I said, a bit confused since I though I had been telling him everything about me.
He took his first bite of his pizza and made a sound of pleasure before asking me any questions. “Tell me about your first boyfriend.”
“My first boyfriend…” great, we were going to go here. I took a deep breath and let it out before I started to talk. “His name was Eric and we met at university. I was nineteen, he was twenty one.”
“That doesn’t give me much information, Hun. Oh and this is really good.” he said.
Shit, he wanted more. “There is not much more to say. We dated for four years, until I graduated and moved here.”
“So you are telling me you just got out of a four year relationship just a few months ago, and that is was your first relationship?”
“Yes, it was my first relationship. He was my first everything. First kiss, first date I went on, first man I slept with.” Slowly I went on not sure why I was telling him this. “He was also the first man to hit me, and as soon as he started to get violent with me, I left.”
“I don’t think you realize how strong you are Allie. I am not sure I know anyone who would be able to walk away from a four year relationship if something went wrong.” Liam said looking at me with concern and awe.
“I didn’t have much choice. I left him because I saw the rage in his eyes, I’d seen it for a while, but when that rage was taken out on me, I was more terrified of staying then leaving.”
“Did you love him?” he asked me, the first person to ask me that since I had told Grif about what had happened.
“I think I did, at some point. But by the time I left him, I had not been in love with him for a long time. I think I used him as a safety net. I could always get out of any plans I had by saying that he didn’t want me to, or that I was busy with Eric.” I could see the pain in his eyes, though I was not sure why he was hurting. “I don’t know if I ever truly loved him, though.”
“Allie, you need to know, I would never do something like that. I am not someone who would hurt you. I don’t want to ever hurt you.” He had grabbed my hand and was holding it in both of his.
“I know. Truly, your eyes tell me all I need to know.”
Our conversation through the rest of the dinner was not as heavy. He told me about his family and about how he had grown up a loner, like myself. He eventually had walked me to the elevator and rode as far as the bottom floor with me. He kissed me lightly, still playing by my rules, before allowing me to leave the elevator and his company.
As I left the apartment, I saw a tall, dark and ruggedly hansom man walk past me, but I did not give him a second glance. My mind was still replaying the night and still a little shocked that I had admitted as much about Eric as I had to Liam.