It took me ten minutes to fix my hair and makeup. Thank god my room at the mansion has been left untouched. I would’ve been so embarrassed if I had to walk out of here looking like I did.
Liam is looking around the room anxiously as I walk back in. His eyes land on me and he exhales in relief. I’m instantly swamped with guilt.
“There you are. You’ve been gone for an hour, Lyss. I was so worried. Are you okay?”
I blush and nod at him. Liam touches my hair thoughtfully and then glances at me, a question in his eyes that he won’t voice. Daniel messed my hair up so badly that I had to let down my fancy up do and settle for loose hair instead. I feel compelled to give him some sort of excuse.
“Ah, my head was hurting,” I mumble. Liam smiles tightly and looks behind me. I turn to find Daniel walking in. His bowtie is undone and hanging around his neck. He hasn’t bothered to fix his hair at all. All he’s done is fix his clothes… mostly. Even from this distance I can see a hickey and a hint of my lipstick on his neck. At least he wiped it off his lips.
I glance back at Liam, who’s staring at the floor with a hard expression on his face. He bites down on his lip and then looks at me, shaking his head. Eventually he sighs and pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear gently. He looks resigned, and I feel bad for putting such a sad expression on his face.
I see Daniel walk up to Olivia from my peripheral vision. It hurts that she’s the first person he walks towards. Did what happened just now mean anything to him? Was it just lust or break-up sex? He hasn’t so much as glanced at me since he walked in. Olivia takes a good look at him and then bursts out laughing, confusing the hell out of me. He runs a hand through his hair and smiles smugly. Daniel looks around the room until his eyes find mine and I look away instantly, embarrassed.
Liam grabs my hand and tugs me towards the seats by the podium. “So you just so happened to disappear when Daniel did, huh?” he remarks. He doesn’t sound angry. Instead he sounds hurt, and that’s so much worse. “Did you know he followed you as soon as you walked out the door?”
I glance up and find him glaring into the distance. “I’m sorry, Liam. I didn’t — I didn’t walk out expecting to meet up with him or anything like that. It wasn’t like that at all.”
Liam nods and looks down at his hands. “I know,” he murmurs. “That’s what makes it even worse. If he’d stayed away tonight, I might’ve actually had a chance with you, eventually.”
I’m spared from having to reply when Mary walks onto the stage. She greets us all and the auction commences. Some of us are here to buy presents for others while contributing to charity, while others are here to bid for the same items they’ve put up as a way to contribute to the auction and donate at the same time, without losing a precious item. I’ve done the latter every year. This year I considered pulling out, but neither Mary nor Dominic was having it.
I’m surprised when Olivia bids on the ancient vase she donated. I’d have thought Daniel would’ve bought it back for her for sure, but instead she’s doing it herself. I keep glancing at the two of them. They’re seated all the way at the front in the row to my left, so I have a far clearer view of them than I would’ve liked.
Eventually my mother’s necklace goes up for auction. I lift my hand immediately, but Liam grabs it and brings it to his lips. He kisses the back of my hand gently while he raises his own.
“One million,” he calls. Daniel clenches his jaw and looks back at us, his eyes lingering on our joint hands that are still pressed against Liam’s lips. His eyes darken and he turns back to the front, his own hand rising.
“One point five million,” he says, his voice loud and clear. The room falls silent as most people glance between me and Daniel. Our names have been on everyone’s lips tonight. I’ve ignored the whispering and the curious glances as best as I could, but Daniel is just outright fuelling the rumours now.
“Two million,” Liam says.
I shake my head and grab both his hands. “Don’t,” I whisper. Liam looks at me and tugs his hand loose. He cups my cheek gently and looks into my eyes with a lost expression. His forehead drops to mine and he sighs.
“Three million,” Daniel shouts, his anger obvious. I want to glance at him, but Liam is still cupping my cheek, keeping my eyes on his.
“Three point five million,” Liam says.
I look at him pleadingly, and he smiles, a mischievous look in his eyes. He presses a gentle kiss to my forehead. “He won’t let me buy it for you. That man… I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but he’s head over heels for you, Lyss.”
“Four million!” Daniel calls.
I look down and laugh mirthlessly. If only that were true. Liam puts his finger underneath my chin and lifts my face up. “Since he came between me and you, the least I can do is lighten his pockets a little.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You drove up the price knowing he wouldn’t let you have it?” I ask. Liam nods and I giggle, slapping my hand over my lips just as Mary proclaims the necklace sold.
“I’m sorry, Liam,” I whisper.
He shakes his head and throws his arm around my shoulder. “You told me this wasn’t a date and that you weren’t in a good place. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to come. Am I happy that you disappeared with your ex and showed up looking rosy and far happier than when you left? No, not particularly. But I don’t blame you either.”
I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder as Mary wraps up the auction. “You wanna go home or do you want to dance a bit longer?” I ask. Liam chuckles and grabs my hand as he pulls me back towards the dance floor.
“I know this is going to be the only night that I’m sort of your date, so I want to make the most of it. Of course I want to dance.”
