Chapter 196 - Let's Drink Till We Drop
After discussing the details of their deal in the evening, Liam and Ximena ended up having dinner together. It was Ximena's idea to thank him by treating him to a meal. Of course, he was not about to let a woman foot the bill but he humored her for a while.
"Is the food too boring?" She couldn't help asking when she realized that he had barely eaten a bite and was instead blindly running his fork through the fried rice. "I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with many of those restaurants that you probably go to. Not that I would afford a bottle of water in any of them."
"It's alright." He said, despite not having tasted it. He was evidently dull.
She did not expose him and instead sighed. "So, that means I'm the one who is boring." As if it made sense, she added, "No wonder when we discussed, you looked like you wanted to bolt away as soon as the chance presented itself.
"Ximena," He frowned.
"What's eating up your mind?" She probed.
"It's nothing. I'm in a bad mood for personal reasons." He responded dismissively.
She glanced at her fair wrist as if she was checking the time although she was not wearing a watch. "I have all the time in the world. You can tell me about it if you don't want to bottle it up. You don't want to risk having a series of sleepless nights, do you?"
She sounded like she would bug him to death if he didn't tell her what it was about. For some reason, he felt it was safe to confide in her. Maybe it was because after their deal, they would go separate ways and it wouldn't matter what she knew. It wasn't like it would do her any good even if she were to try and use it against him anyway.
After a few forced bites, he suggested that they get some drinks at the bar across the street instead.
They sat opposite each other on the rooftop where there were much less patrons and multiple times less noise which was ideal for both of them. After downing a few shots of vodka, he glanced at her. "Hey, I'm about to tell you a secret. Don't tell anyone, okay?" The alcohol was yet to kick in. He was merely teasing her and knew that she was not drunk either.
Instead of answering his question, she beckoned to a bartender and swept her hair behind her neck when he came to their table. "Do you know where I can get a megaphone?"
"Ximena!" He roared.
"I'm just teasing." She chuckled and let the bartender go after making him blush by complimenting his looks and winking at him.
"He looks like a teenager." Liam grumbled about the bartender. "What's so good about him? Who blushes from a slight wink?"
"What do you know? It depends on how beautiful the eyes winking at you are." She exaggerated.
Well, it was no exaggeration. Now that he studied her eyes, he had to admit that his heart would race and skip a few beats if she were to wink at him. They were clear, bright and beautiful. She was gorgeous when she was not annoying him. She was gorgeous all the time. The annoyance was more noticeable when she turned on her devil mode.
"You were about to tell me some interesting secrets." She nudged him.
He averted his gaze from her. "It's not even a secret. Anyway, I finally had a talk with her. I asked her why she wouldn't consider me."
Ximena's eyes squinted. "Your luck in romance is horrible."
"Thanks." He glared at her.
"I mean, what happened?"
He downed a shot. "Apparently, my best friend is everything she had ever wanted in a man."
She was about to say something when she stopped as his words sank in. "You…you like Zaria?"
"I figured you'd put two and two together. But we don't have to go into detail. She made everything clear."
"That must suck. I'm sorry."
"Thanks." He looked at her. "I thought you would make a monkey of me."
"I'll make fun of you for anything but this." She had a smile that he would consider genuine. "I've been there before."
It was his turn to be shocked. "You like Desmond?"
"Hell no!" She almost shrieked like it was a taboo for him to even think about it. "I mean, who the hell would like a bossy asshole of his sort? Only Zaria can tame him. They deserve each other. But I did have a crush on a guy who happened to be in love with Zaria."
"Tell me about it." He wanted anything that would distract him even if it was a story that involved Zaria.
Ximena laughed at herself before she narrated, "We were childhood friends. Zaria, Ryan and I."
"You don't mean Ryan Fin, the one who Desmond still wants to throw out through the window, do you?" He was shocked.
"I do. That Ryan." She chuckled. "Growing up I had a crush on him. We would often hang out together. Zaria was the scaredy cat who would need a lot of convincing before we could all sneak out for some fun. On the other hand, Ryan and I were daredevils. I actually liked him for several years. Until a week before I turned sixteen."
"What happened a week before you turned seventeen?" He listened keenly, despite knowing where this might be headed.
"I snuck to his room."
"What the…!" He looked at her in shock.
"Don't give me that look." She laughed. "I was an infatuated teenager, okay? You will not believe who gave me the idea to sneak into his room."
"Zaria?" He guessed, since they were best friends at the time.
"Yes. She didn't know the guy was Ryan, though. Anyway, nothing good came out of it. He was not in his room but there was paper strewn all over his desk from all his attempts at writing a letter—to Zaria. Urgh, the irony." She laughed at her past self.
He found it more interesting than his own sob story. "Did you see him in the end?"
She shook her head. "I did what an infatuated, stupid self-centered friend would do—snuck out of his room and pretended nothing happened, then used the chance when Zaria missed school to tell him that the basketball captain was chasing her. He really was, but I deliberately sent the wrong message. I apologized to him on my birthday after a sleepless week." She slapped her forehead. "Then I moved on and wished him luck winning her over, and they didn't even end up together! I swear, love is crazy."
He burst into laughter. "Do you still like him?"
"I would be a fool if I did." She rolled her eyes. "It had taken me ages to realize that I didn't even like him in the first place. I just liked the fact that we were so much alike. It was like having a male version of myself. I adored the friendship and mistook it for romantic feelings." She added. She was certain that if what she felt for Ryan in the past was really love, she wouldn't have retreated without feeling jealous of her best friend.
"And here is another male version of you." He spoke.
She cocked her head to follow his gaze before turning back to look at him. "Where?"
He smirked. "Right in front of you."
"What are the odds?" She groaned but had to agree with him.
The alcohol was kicking in and their words were a slur as they complained about their horrible romantic experiences to each other.
"F*ck love. Let's drink till we drop." She proposed a toast with her empty shot glass.
He refilled it and clinched it with his. "F*ck love. Let's drink till we drop."
"Hey, that's what I said." She glared at him.
"I was thinking the same thing." He countered.
"I published mine first." She insisted.
"Published…" He rocked in laughter. "I didn't know you could publish your speech in the air. You are a superhero."
"Shut up." She challenged him to down a few more drinks before requesting him to drop her off. Too drunk to drive, he called his chauffeur and paid the bill.
She was more drunk than he was. When they arrived, he supported her to her doorstep in case she wobbled her way to the wrong house.
She turned and hugged him, taking him by surprise. "Thank you for tonight."
He chuckled. Her mind was a jumbled mess. "I'm the one thanking you."
"Ah, right. For the megaphone. Don't worry, I'll keep it." She promised with the clumsiest wink he had ever seen. She basically closed both of her eyes several times and when she realized that it wasn't working, she placed a hand over her left eye.
He laughed and winked. "Get some sleep. You will be able to wink tomorrow." He turned after taking a couple of steps. "Nice figure, by the way."
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