Read Online Across the Miles by Kristen Dickerson - Free Book Online Page B

the best date ever. They felt like kids
again. They were so care-free and had so much fun. It was exactly
the kind of light outing they needed. They felt completely at ease.
There was no awkwardness from the conversation they had the day
before about their feelings for one another. It seemed it had all
been forgotten for the time being.
     
    That is, until they went out for dinner,
where they were greeted by a much-too-friendly waitress, who was
obviously a huge fan of Liam's, and, as far as Rose could tell, was
an extremely attractive young woman. Liam didn't seem to notice,
though. He only had eyes for Rose. At least, until the waitress
practically threw herself at Liam a few seconds after they walked
in.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe it's really you! It's such an honor to
meet you! I heard that you were in town for a few days but I never
thought I'd actually meet you!" The waitress practically screamed
at him.

    Rose leaned over and whispered into Liam's ear
as they sat across from one another in a booth, “I see what you
mean now about how me not screaming in your face was kind of
attractive to you. This chick is scary."

Liam chuckled.

They quickly ordered their food, while sharing amused expressions
over the excitement of the waitress every time she came by the
table, which was way more often than should have been necessary.
But they didn't mind for the time being. They were just happy to be
there together, enjoying a nice meal over a candlelit table.

"So... tell me about your dating history,” Rose questioned, hoping
she wasn't prying too much, but genuinely curious about the girls
who had used and broken Liam in the past.

Liam nearly choked on his drink.

“Oh... wow. I don't even know where to start...” Liam pondered, but
interrupted himself abruptly at the look on Rose's face.

“NO! No! I didn't mean it like that. It's not so extensive that I
can't remember it all. It's just... complicated. And... kind of
hard to talk about, you know?”

“Oh. Okay... well, you don't have to talk about it. I was just
curious. It's just... you mentioned after that news article came
out that most people use you and leave you. I guess I just wondered
if you've ever had at least one good relationship in your
life?”
    “I did, before I became famous. But the second I became famous, and
then she became famous by association, I realized that she was
beginning to use me- holding hands in public way more often than
necessary, making sure the paparazzi always got her good side...
you know, stuff like that. So I had to leave her.” Liam shrugged.
“The fame was getting to her head. And every girl after her was the
exact same... so I just stopped dating after a year of dealing with
it all. It's been two years since then.”

Rose couldn't believe it. Liam was such a great guy. She couldn't
believe that girls would use him like that. They probably never
even stopped to appreciate what they had before they traded it in
for the spotlight.

“Those girls are crazy. You're a great guy, Liam. You deserve
better.”

Liam blushed.

“Thanks... but what about you? What's your story?”

“I don't have one.”

“Wait... what? How do you not have one?”

“I don't date. The only friends I had in Kansas were Mason and
Lillian, who you'll hopefully meet in Wichita, and then the glee
club, but there wasn't anyone I wanted to date there. And I just
haven't found the right guy in New York City. I don't just date
around, you know? Why waste my time if the guy isn't worth
it?”

And, suddenly, Liam understood where Rose was coming from when she
turned him down. Liam wasn't the only one in this relationship who
was afraid to let someone in. Rose was afraid too, just for
different reasons. Liam saw that now. She really did like him, but
she didn't want to waste her time with all the emotions and
commitment if it would all just come crashing down at the end of
the summer. And he knew it would come crashing down at the end of
the summer, but