Page 4 of Rejected Heart (The Westwoods #5)

Ever since he’d approached me during our class field trip to Westwood’s last week, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him.

While nobody had ever been downright mean to me—I was fortunate not to be one of the kids that got bullied—the reality was that nobody had been super friendly to me, either.

I hadn’t necessarily minded. Sure, it would have been nice to have even one close friend, but I was content to stay focused on my schoolwork and just make it through to graduation.

But now that Liam had shown me that kindness, he was all I thought about for the last week.

As terrified as I’d been to go on nearly every single ride at the amusement park, I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d had more fun.

And to be able to do it with him, with the guy that everybody just seemed to love, made it that much more special.

Maybe that was why everyone liked him so much.

Liam was the guy who always did the right thing, no matter what anyone else thought.

Except, of course, for right now.

Because we were at the start of our study hall period, when I should have been getting some extra work done, and now he was sitting beside me.

“Liam?”

He grinned at me. God, his smile was so breathtaking. Between that and his bright blue eyes, I didn’t know what I liked more. “Hi, Layla.”

“What are you doing here?”

Liam looked around the room, at the students who were either sleeping or doing work, as well as the hundreds of other empty chairs. “We’ve got study hall together this period.”

I nodded. “Yes, I know. I meant, what are you doing here, sitting next to me?”

“This seat wasn’t taken, was it?”

“No. But you never sit here.”

“Am I not allowed to change my mind?” he countered. “Maybe I wanted a change of scenery.”

Tipping my head to one side, my eyes roamed over his face. “Oh? And what is it you think you’re going to get a better view of from here?”

His smile returned. “You.”

My belly dipped. Maybe that was my inexperience with boys. I hadn’t ever had a boyfriend—I was only fourteen—and there was something about Liam sitting next to me, let alone flattering me, that was far more than I could handle.

As good as Liam was making me feel, I had to admit there was a bit of fear lingering there for me. This just wasn’t what I was accustomed to. “Is this some kind of cruel joke?”

“What?”

“You’ve never come over to sit down beside me. In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever spoken to one another before last week, so I guess I’m wondering if this is one of those situations where the popular, most loved guy of the class takes on a bet to befriend the unsuspecting nerd.”

Liam hesitated a beat, a touch of curiosity in his expression. “First of all, I’m not the kind of guy who’d ever do anything like that to anyone. But more importantly, you are not a nerd.”

“Oh?”

I shot him a look that dared him to explain his ability to make such a declaration.

Liam didn’t precisely do that, but what he gave me was arguably better.

“I’m sitting here because I had a lot of fun with you at the park last week, and I wanted to see if you really did enjoy yourself, too.

Not only that, but you’re right. Last week was the first we’ve ever spoken to one another, and I realized I was missing out.

So, I’m rectifying that by making the effort to talk to you every day that I see you. ”

My belly dipped again, but this time, it happened in addition to my heart rate picking up. “Do you mean that? ”

He nodded slowly, his lips curving into a smile. “I do.”

I smiled back at him. “Well, if what I experienced last week is anything to go by, then I suspect I’m in for a real treat moving forward.”

“So, you had fun at the park?”

Biting my lip, I dipped my chin. “It didn’t start off that way, but it got better after you sat next to me on that bench.”

“I’m glad.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” His beautiful blue eyes were dancing. “Thank you for that, by the way. You didn’t have to, but you did, and it meant a lot to me.”

“Well, it was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, too. I didn’t know that a girl who’s as quiet as you could scream so loud.”

My eyes widened. I could feel the flush creep over my cheeks. I diverted my attention to the ground, my shoulders rounding. “Most of those rides were terrifying,” I murmured.

Liam’s hand reached out to cover mine. Tingles shot up my arm as I kept my gaze focused on his fingers. “It was your first time. I would have expected nothing less. I’m sure by the time you go back, it’ll be easier.”

I blinked in surprise. “By the time I go back? When would I be doing that?”

“Well, if you really want to try to squeeze it in before the park closes for the year, I’d be happy to set something up. Otherwise, we can do it again in the spring.”

Was he asking me on a date ?

“I… uh… well?—”

“Let me rephrase that,” he said. “Regardless of when you’d like to go back to the amusement park, I definitely want to hang out with you again. We can do something different, though.”

He was.

Liam Westwood was asking me out on a date.

“You want to hang out with me?”

“Yes.”

I was shocked. Stunned. “Why?”

“Because I had fun with you. Because I want to get to know you better. And because I think you’re really pretty, and I like looking at you.”

If I thought my face had been flushed before, it was nothing compared to the heat that crept through my body now. I tipped my chin down, pressing my lips together in order to stifle a grin.

Liam thought I was pretty. It was the first time any guy had ever said something like that to me, and it was all I could do not to freak out in the middle of the auditorium.

“I’d love to hang out with you sometime.”

“Alright. How about you give me your number, and I’ll call you after school one day this week to plan it?”

Liam thought I was pretty, wanted to hang out with me, and had just asked for my number. Somebody needed to pinch me!

I flipped my notebook open to a blank page. Then I wrote down my number, tore off the slip of paper, and handed it to him.

He took it from me, his eyes shining and his lips twitching. Then he slid the paper into his pocket and spent the rest of our study hall period reminiscing about our time together at the amusement park.

I didn’t get any work done on my research paper, but I didn’t care.

Barring the time we’d spent together a week ago, it was the best forty minutes of my life.