Chapter 172: Date With Vanessa PT.2! [FIXED!]

Liam was nearly out the door when his phone buzzed on the counter. He glanced down, expecting Vanessa, but it was Mateo instead.

[Mateo: yo random question, think u could help me get a manga sometime? theres this series i been wanting but idk the good bookstore spots]

Liam smiled slightly, thumb hovering over the screen.

[Liam: why not ask Sophia lol]

[Mateo: idk shes always busy and also she doesnt really get the whole manga vs comic thing, she’d just buy randomly lol]

Liam huffed a laugh under his breath. Fair enough. Sophia probably would walk into a store and grab whatever had the flashiest cover, no understanding of why that specific detail mattered to a sixteen-year-old deeply invested in getting it right.

[Liam: say less, can’t do today tho, got somewhere to be tonight. tomorrow work?]

[Mateo: fr?? yeah tomorrow’s perfect]

[Liam: bet, I’ll swing by after school]

[Mateo: youre the goat]

Liam shook his head, smiling, and slid the phone into his pocket. Small thing, but it mattered — Mateo trusted him enough to ask for something that specific instead of settling for whatever Sophia might grab. He made a mental note to actually look into which series Mateo meant before tomorrow, so he didn’t show up clueless.

He checked himself one final time in the hallway mirror, adjusting his collar. He hadn’t eaten anything all day, deliberately — if tonight was going to be the kind of dinner Vanessa was expecting, he wanted room for an actual meal, not something halfway ruined by a sandwich he’d eaten three hours earlier out of boredom. His stomach reminded him of that decision with a quiet growl, but he ignored it.

"Soon enough."

He grabbed his keys and headed out to the car, pulling up his phone one more time before starting the engine. He didn’t have Vanessa’s exact address — never needed it before, their interactions always confined to the office or wherever they’d agreed to meet. But he knew the general area, close enough to downtown, a nicer apartment complex a few blocks off the main strip that she’d mentioned once in passing days ago.

"Good enough to work with."

He pulled out of his driveway and merged onto the main road, traffic lighter than expected for the hour. The drive gave him time to think, radio humming low in the background, city lights starting to flicker on as dusk settled fully over Seattle.

-

He passed familiar landmarks — the coffee shop Vanessa had mentioned grabbing breakfast from most mornings, a dry cleaner’s she’d joked about overcharging her, little scraps of information he hadn’t realized he’d actually retained until this exact moment. Piecing together an entire neighborhood from secondhand conversation felt oddly intimate, like he’d been quietly building a map of her life without either of them noticing.

He slowed as he turned onto her street, scanning the building numbers until he spotted the complex that matched the general description in his head — modern, clean brick exterior, a small courtyard out front with manicured hedges.

Liam parked across the street, cutting the engine, and pulled out his phone.

[Liam: I’m actually outside, figured I’d pick you up instead of making you come find me]

He stared at the message for a second before hitting send, leaning back against his seat, watching the entrance of the building with mild anticipation. Picking her up directly felt like the right move — a small gesture, low effort but high impact, the kind of thing that said I thought about this without needing to say it outright.

He didn’t have to wait long before his phone buzzed with her reply, though he kept his eyes fixed on the entrance, waiting to actually see her walk out before responding further.

-

Vanessa was fully ready, clutch in hand, phone tucked away, just about to step out the door when it buzzed against her palm.

[Liam: I’m actually outside, figured I’d pick you up instead of making you come find me]

She stopped dead in the hallway, staring at the screen like it might rearrange itself into something that made more sense.

"There’s no way."

Vanessa knew this was too much, even for him, there was no way the man who ignored her Instagram messages was going to got his far for her. It seemed inconceivable.

She hadn’t given him her address. Not once, not even in passing or at least not that she could remember. Their entire relationship existed within the walls of the office or wherever they’d agreed to meet — never here, never this personal.

"What’s wrong with your face?" Penina asked, appearing in the hallway with her own phone in hand, immediately clocking the stunned expression.

"Liam says he’s outside." Vanessa said in disbelief.

Penina’s eyebrows shot up. "Outside, like, outside-outside?"

"That’s what I said!"

"How does he even know where you live?"

"I don’t know!" Vanessa’s voice climbed slightly, equal parts confused and strangely thrilled despite herself.

Penina’s face lit up with the kind of excitement reserved for actual gossip.

"Okay, so hold on — he didn’t ask for your address, he just showed up? That’s not a work thing, Vanessa. That’s a ’I thought about where you live and made an effort’ thing."

"It’s not that deep." Vanesse tried her best to downplay it because this was the quickest way to get disappointed.

"It’s extremely that deep." Penina was already moving toward the window, practically vibrating with curiosity. "I need to see this man."

Vanessa rushed to the window herself, scanning the street below. Cars lined the curb, a few pedestrians passing by, but no Liam in sight.

"I don’t see him," Vanessa said, frowning.

"Maybe he’s parking."

"Or maybe he’s messing with me." Vanessa crossed her arms, equal parts annoyed and disappointed. "This feels like a prank."

"Liam doesn’t seem like the type to prank-text someone’s address into existence," Penina pointed out. "What would he even gain from that?"

"I don’t know, maybe he thinks it’s funny."

"Girl." Penina was already grabbing her own shoes. "Let’s just go look."

They headed downstairs together, Penina trailing close behind, eyes darting across the street in every direction while Vanessa grumbled under her breath.

"I swear if he’s not actually here—"

"He wouldn’t lie about something like this."

"He better not be lying, because I did my hair for nothing if—" Vanessa was interrupted as a voice came from her blindside

"Boo."

Liam’s voice came from directly behind her, low and amused.

Vanessa practically jumped out of her skin, spinning around so fast she nearly lost her balance. There he was, standing just a few feet away, hands in his pockets, clearly enjoying himself far too much.

"Do you really have that little faith in me?" Liam asked, smirking.

"You—" Vanessa pressed a hand to her chest, heart still racing. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to hear you complaining about me not being here while I was literally right behind you."

Penina, who had spotted him first and had been frantically trying to signal her friend with zero success, finally found her voice. "Oh my god, hi."

Liam turned his attention to her, extending a hand. "You must be her roommate. Liam."

"I’ve heard about you," Penina said, shaking his hand, composed despite the obvious excitement buzzing underneath.

"Good things, I hope?" Liam asked with a hopeful tone.

Penina’s smile turned sly. "A mix, honestly."

Vanessa shot her a sharp look and nudged her lightly, but Liam just laughed, clearly charmed by the exchange rather than bothered by it.

"Well," Liam said, turning back to Vanessa, taking in her outfit properly for the first time — a fitted emerald dress, elegant but not overstated, paired effortlessly against his own charcoal button-down and tailored trousers, the two of them looking like they’d coordinated without ever discussing it. "As much as I’d love to stand here and get fully interrogated, I’ve gotta steal this one away. We’ve got somewhere to be."

He extended his hand toward her, the gesture simple but deliberate, and Vanessa felt her stomach flip slightly as she took it.

Before stepping fully into the car, she glanced back at Penina, eyes wide with disbelief — did you SEE that? — and Penina, still standing on the sidewalk, mirrored the exact same expression back at her, mouth slightly open in silent, delighted shock.

"Have her home at a reasonable hour," Penina called after them, finally finding her voice again.

"No promises," Liam called back, opening the passenger door for Vanessa before rounding to the driver’s side himself. He knew that this would not only create anticipation but speaking like this made Vanessa have no idea how the night was about to turn out as Liam had already long established that she liked him.

Penina stood there a moment longer after the car pulled off, grinning to herself, already pulling out her phone to text someone the entire play-by-play.

Because this was premium tea, and one that showed things might potentially be getting very very serious with Vanessa’s love life.