Not If I Date You First

Chapter 19

ADA

Lights flicker across the bright blue climbing wall I'm clinging to for dear life. My heart wallops so hard inside my chest that it aches. Which has nothing to do with the legion of photographers documenting every second of this fake date Liam insisted we go on and everything to do with the fact that I'm probably seconds away from plummeting to my death.

"Are you planning on moving anytime soon, or are we just going to hang here all night?" Liam's smug voice calls from somewhere below me.

"I don't want to hear it, Chris Evans," I shout, clutching the handholds so tight my fingers begin to cramp. "This was your idea."

"Well, it's a hell of a lot more convincing than your idea was," Liam mutters.

I wanted to get this whole kissing thing over with as quickly as possible. But when I suggested Liam just give me a quick peck in front of my brownstone and go straight back home, he sprung this Brooklyn Bridge Park date on me. Now I realize the egomaniac was plotting to murder me here all along.

"I am so haunting you after I fall off this death wall."

"You're three feet off the ground." I can almost hear Liam rolling his eyes.

"People can drown in less than two inches of water," I say as my arms start to tremble.

"That has literally nothing to do with anything right now."

"Look, we don't all have millions of dollars to spend on personal trainers and the upper body strength of a superhero." I look over my shoulder to glare at him, which is a huge mistake. Three feet might not seem very high when you're safely on the ground, but from up here, it might as well be a mile. Panic floods through me, making my already damp palms slick with sweat. My fingertips slip from the handholds, and I let out a shriek, certain this is the death.

But Liam's broad palm catches me by the left butt cheek, shoving me back against the wall.

"Get your hand off my ass," I growl as my hands scrabble to get a hold of the ledge again.

"I think you mean, 'Thanks so much for saving my life, Liam,'" he says, keeping his hand firmly in place.

"Hand. Off. Ass." I snap.

"If I let go, you're going to fall on your damn face."

The fingers of my right-hand clasp onto a plastic grip, and I swing out with my left to slap Liam's hand away. But, after twenty minutes of dangling from this stupid ledge, I don't have the strength to support my body weight with one arm. I topple from the wall, crashing into Liam and taking him down with me.

I'm vaguely aware of the shouts of the watching photogs as we hurtle toward the ground. I land on top of Liam as we hit the thick padding of blue, recycled rubber tire scraps with a heavy whump.

The frenzy of the flashing cameras doubles as I frantically try to untangle my limbs from Liam's. I can feel his body trembling underneath me, and I'm sure he's either A) dying or B) so pissed he's shaking.

But when I'm finally able to push myself off him, I see he's laughing. His shoulders quake and silent tears stream down his cheeks. I blink at him. He takes one look at my confused expression and busts up all over again. I watch him rolling around, clutching his stomach, and the sheer ridiculousness of the situation hits me.

A giggle bubbles up out of me, and then suddenly I'm laughing so hard my eyes are watering, and I can barely breathe.

Briggs rushes over. "Anders, are you okay?"