Model Behavior

Moira put on a nice, modest lavender dress that looked like something out of the fifties and slipped into some flats while waiting nervously for Liam to arrive. She kept having flashbacks to when she and Harry went around town the entire time she got ready but she continued to try and push thoughts of him away. She was going to have fun tonight with whatever Liam had planned because he was a gentleman and very kind and she owed it to him to not be thinking about another guy.

Especially not one like Harry.

She had just pinned her hair back when she heard the soft tapping on her hotel room door and she peeled it open to see Liam looking very handsome all cleaned up. She had gotten used to seeing him in flannel or plain white tees that seeing him in a nice button down and slacks was a little shocking at first. In a good way. He cleaned up well … really well. “Wow, you look so nice.” She complimented, very glad she had decided on a pretty dress for the evening since he had given her no indication of what they were doing.

“You look absolutely beautiful, Moira.” He said, flushing at her comment. She liked that she wasn’t the only one that turned tomato at the slightest compliment.

“Thank you … I wasn’t sure how to dress …”

“You look perfect. I was just thinking some dinner and maybe a walk?”

“Sounds wonderful. Lead the way.”

Liam took her to Bistro Chantefable, a very cute little French café in the artsy neighborhood of Belleville, Paris. There was even a lovely view of The Parc de Belleville, where Liam explained that was where he figured they could take a walk through after their dinner to which she agreed excitedly. It looked beautiful and flowery and she liked parks very much, even back home. He seemed quite knowledgeable about quaint little places around Paris and explained to her all the places they drove by and through as though he was a tour guide. Unfortunately, cute as it was, it reminded her of Harry once again.

The bistro was adorable, Moira thought. There was art covering the walls and it was cozy and comfortable though still roomy with a touch of elegance. She liked it immediately and continued looking at all the art as they were walked to a booth in the corner. She only felt a flutter of panic when she looked down at the menu to see it was completely in French. Her widened eyes looked up to Liam and found him chuckling.

“It’s all right – I know plenty of French to help you through.” He comforted, just in time for their waiter to approach their table. Liam fluently ordered them wine, discovering she was partial to white and blush rather than red, then started to explain some of the dishes to her.

In the midst of his explaining, her eye caught sight of something at the bar that made her gaze break from Liam’s warm brown eyes. A very familiar mop of curly hair was perched at the bar with the same girl whose dress he had been zipping – or unzipping, she couldn’t quite recall – having drinks. They looked to be in deep discussion or perhaps they were sitting that close because what she feared was actually true and they were sleeping together. After all, they seemed quite comfortable with one another. She couldn’t peel her eyes away from his handsome face and she tried very hard to look back to her date. She could hear him continuing talking about the menu items but it was as though she was underwater and his voice was nothing more than a disjointed murmur.

Harry spotted her after a few agonizing moments of her watching him talk and raise a hand to rub the girl’s back soothingly. His face paled – she figured it was because he knew he had been caught – before he said something to his companion. She wasn’t at all prepared to see him getting up and coming towards them and she tried to shrink further into her booth seat. It wasn’t working and all too soon he was upon them. His eyes didn’t leave hers until he was at the table and they raked over Liam with an emotion she couldn’t decipher before greeting them.

“Moira … I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name. You work on the set?”

“It’s Liam … I’m the carpenter.” He responded coolly, shaking Harry’s hand. Moira couldn’t tell if Liam was at all self-conscious because he seemed completely confident in Harry’s presence. She was the only one that probably looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

“Harry. Nice to meet you.” Harry said, though his tone said the exact opposite than his words. He looked like he was about ready to fight him, or cry. Moira wasn’t sure which would be worse. His eyes finally moved from Liam back to her and she felt her breath catch. He looked like he hadn’t been sleeping and a sharp twinge of pain shot through her heart as she assumed it was because he was using his bed for other activities with the beautiful model still sitting at the bar.

“You didn’t want to introduce us to your friend?” She hadn’t even really considered saying it out loud but it was running through her head and it seemed to slip out on its own.

Harry blanched and took a step back from the table as though her words had physically slapped him in the face. He stuttered, for once not his cool, calm self that she always saw, before shutting his mouth in a straight line. Her words had either hurt, upset or angered him and she couldn’t tell which. She was never very good at reading people. Instead of trying to explain himself, he only apologized quickly before walking back to the girl at the bar. Moira’s eyes followed as he said something to her before walking out of the bar. When the model looked up, Moira immediately turned back to Liam.

“You still have feelings for him.” It wasn’t a question, but an observation.

“I don’t know. I know that I’m glad to be here with you. Is that enough?”

Liam smiled kindly. “Yes, that’s enough. Now, where was I …”

The dinner was good and Moira felt she ate too much but it was very easy talking to Liam. She learned about his past and how he ended up constructing runways for fashion shows. He talked about his family and growing up where he went to school and why he chose architectural design over law school like his father had pushed for. He talked a lot but he also asked her plenty of questions to learn about her, too. Conversation flowed even as they walked around the park which was beautifully lit up at night and he smoothly reached for her hand and laced their fingers together as they strolled about. If Moira could stop thinking about Harry, it would have been the perfect date.

When he dropped her off, he even gave her a very sweet goodnight kiss. And it was good. He wasn’t a bad kisser by any means but he didn’t make her weak in the knees like Harry had, nor did she get goosebumps over the majority of her body as his lips landed on hers. His lips were rougher than Harry’s, too just as were his hands that cupped her cheek. To the right girl, it would have been an amazing kiss but to Moira it was just all right. Because she had had her amazing kiss already.

And it belonged to Harry.