Page 10 of When It Rains He Pours

What he said was irrelevant. Even he probably didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

I'm thinking too much about this.

I'm alright, he didn't get to do anything to me, that's all that matters.

I need to focus on how the hell I'm going to fix this mess.

Tears prickled my eyes, threatening to consume me. Water seeped over the surface, making my vision blurry. Sucking in a giant gulp of air, I sighed, wiping my wrists across the sockets to keep them dry.

“I haven't introduce myself, I'm Liam.” His head dipped low, trying to grab my attention. “And you're Glory I take it?”

Flicking my head up, I glared through tight lids. “How do you know my name?”

Smiling playfully, he shifted in his seat, laying clasped hands onto the table. “Well, the sign outside said Glory's Gallery. So, I'm assuming that's you.”

Ruffling my brows, I arched them high. “Yeah, that's right.” My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, making me feel ridiculous. Tipping my chin, I grabbed the straw on my place mat and tore small pieces off the ends. “I forgot about the sign.”

“Yeah, I don't blame you. You went through some shit today.” Pursing my lips, I gave him a stern glare. Shaking his head, he frowned. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. I'm trying to help you relax, not get you more worked up.”

“It's alright, I'll be okay.” I lied. It wasn't going to be okay—Iwasn't going to be okay.

My world had been torn open, my life shredded and discarded as if it was worthless. Because it wasn't just about losing out on money, it went far deeper than that.

Art was all I had, it was the one thing that helped me through all the rough times growing up. All my feelings were molded into strokes on the canvas, that was where I shed my grief.

And that asshole had stolen it all.

But it wasn't this man's fault. He had saved me from that dick, and I was grateful for that. I wanted to thank him for what he had done, for putting himself in harms way to protect me.

Flashing him a feigned smile, I said, “Thank you, I really mean it, thank you for what you did.”

“No.” His voice grew rough and heavy. “It was the right think to do. And none of this is alright. You just went through something horrible, you don't have to pretend. I don't expect you to sit there and act like nothing happened. If you need to cry, you cry. If you want to scream, do it. I won't stop you.”

Angling my head, I spun the straw on its tip, dragging it back and forth over the deep purple place-mat. “You won't stop me from screaming?”

“Nope.”

“Even in here, with all these people? You wouldn't be upset if I started screaming?”

“Hell no. And if anyone said anything about it, I'd knock them out.”

A tender smirk itched my lips. “What if it was a woman? Would you knock her out too?”

His eyes grew still, gawking at me like I should know better than to ask a question like that. “No, of course not. Do I look like an asshole? I'd ask her politely to mind her own business. And then I'd knock her boyfriend out.” A thin smile slithered up his face, creating a small dimple in his cheek.

Fuck, that dimple. . . My heart sped up again, crashing against my ribs like a caged prisoner.

“Seems reasonable. But don't worry, I won't scream.” Laughing lightly, I let my eyes settle on his. Relaxing into the seat, I started to feel a little more at ease.

What he was doing, it helped.

Smirking, he cracked his knuckles, stretching a single hand over the table to touch my wrist. We stared at each other for a long second, sitting silently as the room around us filled the empty space with inaudible chatter. Something sparked between us in that moment, something that I felt and saw, without knowing exactly what it was.

Clearing my throat, I darted my eyes away, jerking my hands into my lap. That feeling scared me, it was too strong, too real, too raw. I had never experienced an instant attraction to someone that was so deep I could feel it in my bones.

“Can I ask you something?” Liam tilted his head, causing his hair to sweep over his forehead, and land just above his eyes.

“Sure.” Fiddling with my fingers in my lap, I shrugged my shoulder.

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