Michael gave the flowers another sniff, feeling a surge of giddiness every time he took a whiff. They were white lilies, simple yet perfect for Liz. If she even liked flowers. He had no idea if she did, but he had been willing to try and see.
In his other hand, he held breakfast, the bag swinging to and fro as he made his way to the door. He braced himself on the other side, knowing this could either go very well or he could end up with a bouquet full of expensive flowers in the trash.
He opened the door and slipped inside. It was already past nine, so he knew she would already be out of bed, but he was hoping to surprise her. She was not in the living area. Good, that was good. Hopefully, she was still in the bathroom.
Michael entered the bedroom to see her already dressed, standing by the mirror and putting in her earrings. She didn’t turn when he entered.
All of a sudden, he was nervous. “Alright, I know you probably aren’t the type to like flowers and stuff but I was passing by a store and I couldn’t help myself. I got lilies, because I thought that if you were to like flowers, it would be lilies. And they’re white.” He paused as Liz calmly clasped a necklace around her neck. His nervousness skyrocketing, Michael rambled on, “I also got you some breakfast. Just a few muffins because I thought we could go out and get something bigger to eat.”
“Don’t you have a show to get ready for?”
“I have another one here in Venice but it’s not until a few days from now. So, you have me all to yourself for the next few days.” He grinned at her, trying to meet her eyes in the mirror. Liz only pointed a finger toward the bed.
“You can leave them right there,” she said. “The flowers.”
“Oh. Okay.” He made a move towards the bed then paused. “Do you like them?”
“I’m not a flowers type of girl.”
“Right. Right.”
She waited until he laid them on the bed before hesitantly turning to him. “But I love them. And you’re right. White lilies are beautiful.”
The joy that rocked his body nearly knocked him off his feet. He almost reached out to her—wanted so badly to hold her in his arms—but Liz turned away from him before he could attempt to.
“Melody showed up here.”
Michael’s smile fell. “What?”
Liz clasped a gold watch on her hand then faced him again, this time, crossing her arms. “She showed up here. Pulled out her cheque book and asked me to name my price, for what it would take to get me away from you.”
“She did what?”
Liz shrugged. “I have to say. She has great tenacity.”
“She’s spoiled and isn’t used to not getting what she wants, that’s what this is.” The thought of Melody barging in on Liz and demanding that she leave him alone had his blood boiling. She should be upset, cursing at him, demanding that he not let that woman come near her again. Instead, she was calm, only regarding him with those cool eyes.
Michael released a slow breath, trying to calm his anger. It didn’t do much. “What did you say to her?”
“I took the cheque.”
That he hadn’t expected. “You… what?”
“I took the cheque.” The way she observed him gave none of her thoughts away. Michael hadn’t wanted to crack someone open as badly as he did her. She was much too hard to read. “Is that what you’re expecting to hear me say?”
“No, of course not,” he said quickly. “I just know how Melody can be.”
“Don’t worry. I told her to leave.” Liz straightened, hands falling to her side. She came towards him, her steps slow and deliberate.
Michael didn’t give her the chance to say anything. He couldn’t be certain what she would say, but he had a bad feeling she was on the verge of ending this thing they had when he had only just managed to get her back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “This is all my fault. I’ll rectify it. I won’t let her get near to you again.”
“Alright.”
Michael blinked. “Alright?”
“Alright. If you say so, then I believe you.”
The relief was earthshattering, but he didn’t let himself get his hopes up too much. “Is that it?”
“I’m not going to bite your head off, Michael. What do you take me for?”
“I thought you were going to break up with me again.”
“I thought about it,” she said with a shrug. “But what’s the point in that? I’m benefiting from this thing as much as you are.”
He grinned, quick and easy. For some reason, it pleased him that she clearly didn’t know what to call this as much as he did. Feeling confident now, he took her hand and pulled her into him. Liz allowed him to. She even placed her hands on his chest as she looked up at him.
“I have something else for you,” he said.
A slow-burning need bled into the green of her eyes at his tone. “Oh? I think I know what it is.”
“Oh, trust me. You’ve never gotten this before.”
He dipped his head, nuzzling her neck. Liz craned her head to give him more access. “I have to go soon,” she said.
“How soon is soon?” he murmured against her skin.
“The next ten minutes.”
“More than enough time for me.” All of a sudden, he picked her up, shocking a laugh out of Liz. This time, when he threw her on the bed, she was more than ready for him.
Michael didn’t let her leave until an hour later. Liz had let loose a string of curses as she fixed herself back up, but the words had lost their effect, bouncing off him harmlessly. It didn’t make it any easier that he was lounging on the bed, still entirely naked, watching her walk around the room picking up her discarded clothes which he had thrown about.
“Did I ever tell you how cute you look when you’re trying to be annoyed?”
No one had ever thought to call her cute before. Liz didn’t expect it to give her so much pleasure. She glanced over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes. “I’m not trying to be annoyed. I am annoyed.”
“Sure, you are.”
Her response was to throw one of the pillows they’d kick off the bed at his head. She suppressed the grin that seized her features when he laughed loudly.
“Alright, alright,” Michael conceded. “Why don’t you come back to bed?”
“No,” she insisted. “I told you. I have things to do.”
“Things like what? What would be better than lying in bed with me all day?”
Liz faced him, holding out a finger. She opened her mouth, about to list a few things but he cut her off, “Hey, hey, hey, it was a joke. No need to go hurting my feelings now.”
More amused than she cared to be, Liz faced the mirror again. She ran her brush through her hair.
“No, seriously,” Michael’s voice broke back through. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“I found Alessandro.”
He sat up at that. “You did? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did. Yesterday. And I didn’t tell you because between you showing up at my door drunk, and everything that happened this morning, it just slipped my mind.”
A lie, one that Michael picked up easily. She wouldn’t have forgotten something like that. No, she’d simply chosen not to say anything, which confused her as much as it undoubtedly confused Michael. Why would she lie?
She could basically feel the doubt radiating off him. After a moment, it seemed he decided to let it pass. “Are you heading there now?”
“Eventually.”
“What did he say when you asked him about the painting?”
“Nothing promising.”
“Liz.” Impatience coated his tongue. “Don’t you trust me by now?”
She looked sharply at him. “That’s doesn’t have—”
“It has everything to do with this.” He rose, the white sheets falling down to his hips. “You don’t trust me enough to tell me anything about your work, now that you’ve found him. Were you just using me to get to him in the first place?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “And you knew that.”
Hurt flashed across his face. It shocked her, and she instantly wanted to crawl over the bed to him and hold his head to her chest. Liz leaned her hip on the dresser, resisting the urge.
“Right.” Michael nodded, the movement slow. And sad. “I did. You’re right. Well, I should be going as well.”
“Michael…”
“No, I have some things to take care of anyway. I turned off my phone so we wouldn’t be disturbed, but I bet you anything that Marcus is out of his mind trying to find me right now.”
“You didn’t tell him you were here?”
“I did. But I have rehearsals at the theater today.” As if his entire body was being weighed down by his unmistakable hurt, Michael pulled himself out of bed. Without a word, he tugged on his clothes, then rounded the bed to her. He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
Liz didn’t say anything as he left. She knew she should, and had words on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t let them slip out. She watched him go, listened to the resounding thud of the door, then the echoing silence. He was hurt by what she said, despite it being the truth. She knew she should have offered up some words of reassurance, knowing how fragile his heart was, but she couldn’t allow herself to. She couldn’t allow herself to care anymore than she already did.
To become more invested than she already was.
When Melody left, and when the furious jealousy wore off, Liz had a lot of time to think. The fear of how she was feeling crept up from behind, stark at the front of her mind. She hated herself for her jealousy, for letting that woman get under her skin. She hated how different she was now, hated that when she looked in the mirror, she didn’t see the same person. This person was being ruled by her emotions, emotions all linked to one person. The man who just walked out the door.
Liz told herself that if she was smart, she would let him stay on the other side of that door. The other side of Italy. Heck, the other side of the Atlantic.
But the way her heart panged at that thought made her think it was easier said than done.