16. KISS ME.
The sole of her shoes hit the brisk pavements, and Liv’s hands brushed against the walls that acted as railings. Every structure in Vienna seemed to be stoned or made out of this colorful bricks that added some sort of vibrance to the roads.
She filled her lungs with the fresh Vienna air, precipitating of a mix of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries. She raised her glasses to her forehead, looking at his picture in her phone and then Liv arched her brows. “Sam” She whispered, typing a text to the stranger she’d only just started a conversation with. However, she couldn’t shake off this feeling that there were eyes on her.
Liv: I’m at Vendrette.
Her eyes went to the store before her, from which hung traditional confetti and in front of her were wooden chairs and tables by the pavement, one from which a young man raised his hands. Her shoulders fell, as she handed her keys to the service man. She made her way across to the fully set table before taking off her jacket. Sam walked all the way over to pull out her chair and Liv had a sly smirk on her lips. He did as well.
The man before her didn’t fall short of her expectations. He was dark like chocolate, beards freshly shaven and in a shirt that gripped firmly across his muscled chest. His sleeve were rolled to his elbows, from where dangled an expensive silver wrist watch. The complimentary dish was already served but he didn’t take his eyes off her. They were a mixture of brown and orange and he had a distinct Tom Ford scent. She’d hit jackpot, Olivia thought to herself because not everyone was able to secure a fine gentleman for a first online date. And she was living for this side of her that sprung forth, willing to explore wherever this went.
Looking to him—wherever he went.
And for once, her mind was poisoned by the thought of Damien, or his presence, or his cologne. This, right here was a breath of fresh air. She let her wrists wedge her jaw as she looked into his eyes. His gaze was unwavering, confident and he smiled.
“Hi Sam” Came a subtle whisper, with his picture beaming from her phone on the table. And he made the first move, slightly tipping her jaw to face him squarely. He sucked his perfect teeth and Liv clenched her thighs in public. There was a slow acoustic version of a Harry Styles song playing in the background and this was her moment. For both of them.
“Hi Olivia”
“You’re even more beautiful in person”
She chuckled slightly. “Stop” She feebly said, pulling away from him and awkwardly looking to the plates between them. “I mean it” His smile suddenly faded and they locked eyes. “I mean, i thought you were a catfish at first” He then broke the silence and she scoffed. “I thought you were a catfish” She said back to him and he clutched his chest. “That’s—flattering?” There was a stint of doubt in his tone and she heaved a deep breath.
“It is”
He nodded proudly, holding his coffee in his hands. “What is a fit girl like you looking for on a local dating app?” Her hands pulled a strand of hair behind her ears as she choked. “What?” He interrupted her thoughts and she looked to him. “It’s just—it’s just the first time someone other than my bestfriend has called me pretty” She blurted out and they shared a good chuckle.
“No way.”
“I take it you’re not from around here?” He asked and Liv squinted her eyes at the sun. “What gave it away?” She slyly whispered and Sam cleared his throat. “Everything?” She scoffed.
“But you’re probably right, i’m not”
“If you were, i’m pretty sure you’d get more than a score of compliments a day” His voice went deep and she looked up at him, flustered. Blood filled her pale cheeks. “That’s a good thing to say but i highly doubt” She chuckled awkwardly because he had a straight face, with the straightest brows. “I mean it. I mean everything i said” He continued and silence fell between them, brewing the tension that breezed into her hair and veins. Her fingers clenched on the table as he bore his eyes through her soul. Liv let out a soft chuckle, returning his intense gaze with the most naive eyes and he leaned over the table.
It took a minute but she soon turned away to the band by the played by the pavement. It was now a Niall Horan song, but still an acoustic and she heaved a deep breath. “I know that song” She broke the silence and he scoffed. “Yeah me too” He replied.
There was a crack in her voice as she turned back to him. “Do they play here everyday?” She asked and he nodded. “They do, it’s pretty surreal” He replied. “Ethereal” She added, looking to the crowd that slowly glided their shoulders and hips to the song. God, she loved Vienna and it was nothing like the bustling, polluted city of Chicago where she was from. She loved this moment she was in and she pulled out her phone to take the picture—one of which had Sam in the background. He chuckled, being nothing like Damien. Shit, there he was again in her mind.
She was happy, with another man and there he still was.
She refused to confess what went through her mind, so instead she just cleared her throat, putting her phone away once she’d sent the picture to Alli. “Hey” His voice suddenly pierced her ears again and Liv looked to Sam, biting into his lower lip. “Can i?” His eyes were filled with passion and his hands were folded in a fist, one that highlighted the veins across his dark hands.
“Can you?” Liv echoed, a crack in her bristle voice. “Can you what?” She added and he leaned in closer. “Kiss you” Her heart fell but she wasn’t the slightest bit hesitant. Liv didn’t back away for the first time, although her hands had gone cold. This was the moment she’d dreamed for her entire teenage years—when she thought it would be Damien Alexander to have her first kiss. But in this moment, there she was on the verge of twenty two with chapped glossy lips, staring at this man she’d only just met. And she realized this was as close to perfect as it could be.
She smiled slyly, letting her eyes fall to his lips.
And call her sick, but she had this gut feeling that Damien was around. However, she chose to consume herself in this exact moment that Sam drew close to her from across the table. He was gentle with her chin, briskly brushing the tips of their noses just before his lips met hers. He adjusted in his chair and Liv closed her eyes, letting him gain entrance between her soft, plump lips and she hummed, wrapping her arms behind him. He was not just a good kisser, he was perfect. The moment was, all before she realized she was in public and then she pulled away from him. You could tell she already missed the taste of his lips as she stepped back and he chuckled, resting back in his chair.
“What happened?”
Her eyes went over her shoulders and then back at him. “It’s just—“ She waved her arms around them and he smirked. “I get i get it” He interrupted. “It’s okay if you aren’t comfortable or into it. I’m sorry if i was be—“ Her shoulders fell she eyed him.
“What? No”
“That was the best kiss i’ve ever had” She lied, it was her only kiss and that fact made her chuckle. “That was perfect, you are. It’s just we’re in public and—trust me if we weren’t, i’d do more than kiss you” She said and he scoffed. “Wow. Interesting” He let out an exclaim before letting his attention fall solely on her. “Why does it matter anyway?” He asked.
“That we’re in public?”
“It’s not as if there’s anything you’re hiding from me” Those words pierced her ears and she whispered. “We only just met but it’s—“ Sh paused, letting the winds blow between them.
“It’s complicated. It’s more than j—“ She immediately halted, something catching her attention. Someone, it was Davis, peeking through his car windows as he parked right opposite them. And Liv’s lips fell wide open as she defensively got up. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me” She rolled her eyes.
“What?”
“Just give me a second Sam. I need to take care of something. It seems my driver needs to put in place” She turned to him before making her way down the stoned steps. The windows had gone up, like she hadn’t already seen him. And she banged against him, threatening to break it with him behind it. And then slowly, it went down. Her hands rested on her hips as she stared at him—
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Davis wen silent and she rolled her eyes. “Did Damien put you up to this? Because apparently i’m too little or immature to look after myself. Is that it?” She raised he voice, drawing a scene towards them and his eyes went around. “He said, i should just make sure you were safe because of the engagement” Davis said.
“Safe my fucking ass”
“Or he’s just jealous. Egoistically jealous, that he can do whatever the fuck he wants to a random hostess on a plane and the moment i go on a date—the moment he sees that i’m finally doing something for myself, he fucking shows up. Because he just can’t let me have anything, can he?” There was a crack in her voice as David shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s always going to be about him, isn’t it?”
“He’s always going to be there, subtly reminding that he’s there. That he’s always there, watching. But i’m done” Davis arched his brows as she crept closer to his car. “I’m just doing my job” He backed away and she narrowed her eyes. “Five seconds” She said.
“Five seconds is all i give you and you’re still here, i will make sure i slash your fucking tires, right before i take a stone to engrave on the trunk that your boss can suck my motherfucking dick” Liv gritted through her teeth as Davis let out a chuckle, before realizing she was damn serious. She picked a stone, and he picked his keys, igniting the engines of the Mercedes Benz.
She dropped the stone from her hands, with a plastic smile across her lips. “Now, if you don’t mind i’m going to finish up with my date even if it’s the last fucking time i see him” She flipped her hair back to him. “Oh and don’t forget to deliver ever letter of my message to your boss” She stormed off, walking back to her table as Davis pulled away.
“Who was that?”
Sam’s eyes looked up from his phone as Liv took her seat. “Just family drama, you know?” She smiled, leaning towards him and taking his phone from his hands. “Now, where were we?” The question slipped from her lips in a whisper and Sam scoffed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to do it here, i mean we could always go back to my pl—“ Her gaze rested on his lips before her finger did and he quieted. She whispered, pulling him closer to her as the adrenaline and new found confidence pumped in through her veins.
“Shut the fuck up and kiss me.”
To be continued…