By admin Fake Dating My Ex’s Favourite Hockey Player Novel CH 21
EMILIA
After all that screaming, I’m pretty sure Liam and I are scarier than anything inside that haunted house.
We stumble outside, gasping for air between fits of laughter. My heart is still racing, and I swear I can still feel the ghostly hand that grabbed my
ankle.
Liam runs a hand through his messy hair, shaking his head. “That was ridiculous.”
I smirk and nudge him. “Says the guy who almost punched an employee.”
“In my defense,” he says, completely serious, “he shouldn’t have jumped out like that. Fight or flight, and I chose fight.”
I snort. “You screamed.”
He glares at me, but there’s no real anger behind it. “And you clung to me like your life depended on it.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he just raises an eyebrow, waiting.
Ugh. I hate that he’s right.
“Whatever,” I mumble, looking away. “Let’s go find something slightly less terrifying.”
Liam chuckles, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he follows me. “What, like the teacups?”
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I roll my eyes. “You wish.”
We find another park map, and this time, Liam refuses to let me decide
our next stop.
He crosses his arms, standing way too close. It’s more obvious now that he’s looking down at me, which makes my scowl deepen. He snorts.
“Why do you get to pick all the stops?”
“Excuse me? When I asked you to pick a ride, you said ladies first. That’s your bad call, not mine.”
“I meant once, not always.”
“Like I said, your bad call. I never claimed to be good at following instructions.”
We go back and forth like this for a while, neither of us willing to back down–until Liam plays dirty.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he says casually. “I wasn’t lying when I said this place used to be a botanical garden. There’s a little garden restaurant. And the place has insane reviews.”
And just like that, I’m sold.
So, technically, it’s less of a compromise and more of a bribe.
As we step into the garden restaurant, it feels like we’ve walked straight into a dream.
The restaurant feels like a completely different world. It’s calm, quiet, and so beautiful it doesn’t even seem real. It’s hard to believe a place like this exists inside an amusement park.
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Fairy lights twinkle in the trees, casting everything in a soft golden glow. The air smells fresh, like jasmine, citrus, and something warm and buttery from the kitchen. A stone path winds through the garden, leading to tables tucked between lush greenery and colourful flowers.
Roses, hydrangeas, and lilies bloom everywhere, their petals glowing softly under the lanterns hanging from wooden beams. In the centre of it all is a small pond, where koi fish glide lazily beneath floating flower petals.
“Wow,” I breathe, taking it all in. It looks like something straight out of a tomance movie.
Liam smirks beside me. “Speechless? That’s a first.”
I should say something snarky back, but honestly? I’ve got nothing. This place is too perfect to ruin with bickering.
Liam steps away to talk to a waiter, and though I can’t hear the full conversation, I catch words like roses and reactions.
Before I can overthink it, the waiter leads us to a table under a canopy of wisteria vines. The deep purple flowers hang like chandeliers above us, and a candle flickers in the centre of the table, its light dancing off polished glassware. Somewhere in the distance, a violin plays softly, mixing with the quiet hum of conversation and the bubbling of a nearby fountain.
Liam pulls out my chair before sitting down across from me, looking annoyingly at ease–like he belongs in this fairytale setting.
I glance around again, still in awe. “This is… not what I expected from an amusement park restaurant.”
Liam leans back, watching me with that unreadable expression of his. “Told you it had insane reviews.”
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I glance down at my outfit, then at the elegant setting around us. “Are you sure we’re not underdressed?”
He just smirks. “You just wanted good food, didn’t you?”
I roll my eyes and pick up the menu. It’s filled with dishes I definitely can t pronounce, so I do what any sane person would–I skim for rice.
Liam watches me with an amused expression, arms crossed. “Are you even reading the descriptions?”
“Nope,” I say, flipping the page. “But as long as there’s rice, it’s a winner.
When the waiter arrives, Liam orders first. “Grilled filet mignon, medium rare. And for her…” He glances at me, then at the waiter. “Paella. The non–seafood option. Would chicken be okay?” He looks back at me, raising an eyebrow.
I blink, caught off guard. My mouth opens, but no words come out, so I just nod.
The waiter scribbles down our orders and walks off, leaving me staring at
Liam.
“You-“I narrow my eyes, trying to ignore the weird flutter in my chest. You remembered? The words almost slip out, but I swallow them and say instead, “You ordered for me?”
He shrugs like it’s nothing, reaching for his water. “You said you wanted rice but didn’t want to read the descriptions. I figured I’d read them for you.”
The warmth in my chest catches me off guard. I press my lips together and focus on my glass, swirling the water to distract myself.
“So,” Liam says after a beat, “should I be concerned about your rice
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addiction?”
I snort. “Only if you plan on judging me.”
“Always.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling.
”
The food arrives quickly, and the moment I take a bite, I let out a quiet, satisfied hum. “Okay. Maybe you win this round.”
Liam raises an eyebrow. “Just this round?”
I point my fork at him. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
He chuckles, shaking his head, and for a while, we just eat. The conversation is easy, the atmosphere strangely comfortable.
And I try not to overthink how easy it is to be around him.
But as I glance at him–distracted, chewing, completely at ease–I can’t help but wonder. Is he still pretending?
Our arrangement is obviously fake. But in moments like this… we don’t have to pretend. And yet, now that Cam’s words are stuck in my head, the doubt won’t leave me alone.
I sigh and turn back to my plate. After several failed attempts at cutting my chicken with this ridiculously dull knife, I finally give up. I’m about to swallow my pride and ask Liam for help when-
CLICK.
The sound is soft but unmistakably the sound of a camera.
I freeze.
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My heart jumps.
Paparazzi? I glance around quickly, scanning the restaurant.
Liam chuckles. “Why do you look so lost?”
CLICK.
I snap my gaze back to him. He’s holding up his phone, camera aimed right at me, a small, soft smile on his face.
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Are you…. taking pictures of me?”
His eyebrow raises. “Why do you look so shocked, love? Go on, keep eating. It’s not fun taking pictures when they’re not candid.”
I
gape at him. “Excuse me?”
He just smirks, then CLICK takes another picture like this is totally normal.
I don’t know what’s more annoying–the fact that he’s taking pictures of me out of nowhere, or the fact that I don’t hate it.