Page 78 of Liberty

Briget looked over at him. “You’ve watched the old ones?”

“Heck yeah,” he said. “Goldfinger, Dr. No…”

“Thunderball and You Only Live Twice!” Briget gushed.

I rolled my eyes and looked over at Belle. “She’s a movie buff?”

Belle bit at her lip to keep her grin back and said, “Lifetime Movie Queen, Netflix Netty, married to HBO. Literally, a card carrying Movie Classic channel member.”

I slowly shook my head and looked back over at Fate.

He kept staring at Briget with stars in his eyes.

“Well, fuck,” I swore under my breath.

Belle giggled. “I think it’s cute.”

“If it doesn’t work out,” I told her. “You won’t think it’s so cute then.”

Belle took my hand and laced her fingers through mine. “You can’t control what other people think or do, Liberty. You just got through telling me that a couple of hours ago.”

“I can’t believe this!” I exclaimed.

“What?” she asked me.

“You actually listened to me?” I teased her.

She laughed and smacked my arm. “When you aren't talking like a big jock oaf then yes, I listen to you.”

I squinted my eyes at her and said, “Well, when you relax a bit and stop being such a know-it-all control freak, I feel like I’m not wasting my time.”

“Oh wow, I am so turned on,” she said as she leaned forward and kissed me.

Like always, we fell into it deeply as we scooted closer together and kissed like it was again our first time.

Finally, after I don’t know how long, we broke apart breathlessly.

Looking over at the other two at the table, we could see the utter shock on their faces.

“Wow!” Briget said. “That was…” She shook her head as her face went pink.

“ReDick-U-Lous,” Fate said. “I mean geez people, have some grace and dignity, will ya?”

I laughed. “Like you even know what that is, Fate.”

A knock sounded on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Fate said as he rose up and headed over to peep into the hole. Pausing, he pulled his head back. “It’s some old lady.”

Briget got up and rushed over. Pushing at his arm, she made Fate step over to the side. Peeping through, she gasped a little. “It’s Mrs. Argyle!”

Belle let out a sigh. “No, no.”

“Who’s Mrs. Argyle?” Fate asked.

“She is the biggest gossip in this building,” Briget said.

“Oh, I thought you were gonna say the inventor of socks, maybe?”