Page 50 of Tide Over

I let out a breath and glance around the room before turning back to him. “I think the sunroom needs new drywall.”

His eyes finally meet mine with confusion, but curiosity swirls under the surface.

I walk over to the stack of tools in the kitchen and grab a pry bar. Liam watches me as I move to stand before him again and hold it out.

"I don’t know much," I say quietly, "but I do know pain. And you need to let it out."

Liam drops his gaze to the pry bar and reaches out to wrap his hand around it. My eyes fall as well, and I take in the slight scarring on his fingers. My heart skips a beat as I remember himreaching into the fire… and I think what I had suspected is true. He was hurting himself. He wanted to feel the pain and let it out.

“While I may not have done much with this house… it has been a good outlet.” I look up at him again. “I think you need it too.”

Liam reaches out with his other hand, grabbing my arm and pulling me into him. His lips meet mine in a soft, yet desperate, kiss. I let him hold me here for as long as he needs, until he slowly releases me with a soft nod.

“Yeah,” he says, in almost a whisper.

I pour us some coffee, the comforting scent filling the air as we head into the sunroom. The rain continues to beat steadily against the large windows, creating the perfect backdrop for Liam to release the storm inside him.

We push the couch away from the wall and stand in the middle of the room, staring at our target. It looks like it’s been patched and painted so many times that it’s barely even drywall anymore. We’re quiet as we take it in, and I wait for Liam to make the first move.

Suddenly, he steps forward, swinging the pry bar into the wall with force. It crashes into the wall with a satisfying crack, creating a large hole right in the middle of it. He yanks it out and slams it in again, harder this time, sending pieces of drywall and plaster falling to the floor. Each swing is heavier and more desperate than the last, and I just stand back and watch him, letting him release everything he’s been holding onto.

Miss Bobber peeks around the corner to see what the commotion is all about, but quickly scurries away as chunks of drywall come crashing down before her.

Eventually, I step forward, swinging my own pry bar into the wall. And with every piece I rip away, I also release some of the emotions I’ve kept buried for so long.

The sadness that lingers, always there when I think about my dad and how I’m navigating life without him. This life he created for me, and how I thought he’d be around longer to show me how to live it right. Anger boils over as my thoughts shift to the job he passed down to me… and that this job I love is the same one that took him away. And then frustration simmers underneath it all, because I’ve also carried a different kind of pain. I’ve finally figured out who I am, and why I’ve felt so oppressed and trapped for so long. But outside these walls, I don’t know if I can be that person.

Even as I tear them down.

But alongside the sadness and anger, there’s something else… something lighter. Because Liam is here with me, behind these broken walls. And with him, I’ve felt more like myself than I ever have before.

When the last piece of drywall falls to the floor in dusty, crumbled pieces, Liam turns to face me. His ice blue eyes meet mine, and I watch as a single tear streams down his face.

I step towards him, lifting my hand to the side of his face. And as I press my lips to his, I give him a silent promise to help him the best I can.

TWENTY

All I can do isstare at Liam, asleep beside me, in my bed. The early morning light casts a soft glow on his features as he sleeps peacefully, absent of the usual tension he carries. As I let my eyes trace his face, and I listen to his soft breaths, I can’t help but once again replay our conversation from yesterday morning. We didn’t talk about it anymore as we worked on the sunroom, instead just falling into a peaceful quiet as we tore out the old drywall and installed new panels I already had in the workshop. His mood lifted as the day went on, but I know he’ll continue to carry those feelings for a long time. This is just the beginning for him, and if he wants me to, I’ll be here through it all. As long as it takes.

Miss Bobber lets out a soft meow when she notices I’m awake and starts her little journey from her spot at our feet, climbing the hills and valleys created by our bodies under the blankets. Liam stirs as she climbs his legs, and he looks down at her as she makes an adorable leap into the space between us.

His dark hair falls over his face, and I smile as he brushes it aside, revealing his bright eyes in the dim light. He glances at my lips before a small, sleepy smile tugs at his own.

“Your bed is comfier than mine,” he mumbles groggily.

I chuckle, running my hand over Miss Bobber’s head as she purrs and nuzzles into my palm. “Well, yeah. Why the hell would I take the less comfortable bed?”

He rolls his eyes, letting out a soft huff before turning onto his back to gaze up at the skylight, as the sky slowly brightens with a new day.

We lie here for a bit, Miss Bobber’s purrs the only sound filling the space between us as she climbs onto my chest. But my thoughts are stuck on him. Liam Fraser… this random guy I invited into my house just over a month ago. And he’s in my bed. Just by coming into my life, he put so much into perspective, and gave me the answers to questions I was too afraid to even ask. And he barely even had to say a word.

Even after everything we’ve done together over the past two days, I still can’t believe this is real.

“Thank you,” he says quietly, breaking the silence.

I turn my head to look at him, tracing the lines of his face with my eyes as he continues to look up at the sky. I know he’s referring to yesterday, for pulling him out of the spiral he was in. I don’t think he’s had anyone to do that for him. Until now.

“Anytime,” I reply softly.

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