Page 21 of Falling For Liam
“I know. I get it, I really do. But you should have thought about it a little more. About her feelings, not just your need for revenge. You’ve jeopardised any chance she had of getting him arrested. All it would do is get you idiots in trouble.”
“Sorry, Mum,” BJ mutters in an amused tone.
“I tried telling them it was a bad idea,” Dec pipes up, “but they were pretty set on it.”
“She’s going to forgive me, right?” I ask, while everyone’s deep in thought.
“Of course, dude. She’ll be thankful. You might even get some,” BJ says, wiggling his eyebrows.
Turning from him, I look to Nic, who probably has a better response to my question.
“Just give her time, Liam. Be her friend, support her. She’s been through a lot; the last thing she needs is you coming on hot and heavy.”
“Now, get out of here and go sort your face.”
“But—”
“No, Liam. You need to give her space. You all do.”
“But what if she’s not here in the morning?”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
“Hmmm…you said that last time.”
“Just go.” She pins me with a look that stops any further argument, and BJ and I start to leave. “You, too,” she says, pointing a stern look at her fiancé.
“Me?” he asks innocently.
“Yes, you. Give us some space.”
Dec looks gutted as he follows us out of Nic’s house.
We walk towards the sea in silence. The events of today run around my head; thoughts of whether we should have dealt with things differently make me question everything, but every time the image of her covered in blood fills my mind, I know that I’d do it all over again. Anything for her.
“Wanna drink?” BJ asks, nodding over to the shack.
“Yeah, but not there. Let’s just go home. I’ve got a bottle of Jack to keep us company.”
BJ’s never been much of a talker, but something about tonight has made me question what his life might have been like before we met. He’s all about the partying and having a good time. I never really stopped to question it before, but after everything, I can’t help the words falling from my lips. “What was that all about today?”
“What?” he asks innocently, draining his glass.
“The need to go after Liv’s boyfriend.”
“He hurt her—well, his brother did. I will not stand by and watch any woman be treated like that by a man, no matter who he is.” His anger is palpable, and I can’t help thinking there’s so much more to it.
His eyes find mine and I see a vulnerability in them that makes me swallow any more questions. BJ’s got secrets. Secrets he’s not going to open up about.
“Okay…well, to revenge,” I say lifting my glass and breaking the sudden tension surrounding us. It’s clear he has nothing more to say on the subject, but the shadows in his eyes tell another story, one I hope he’s able to reveal one day.
I lay in bed later that night. The room’s spinning from the Jack we knocked back out on the patio as we silently stared into the night, lost in our thoughts. My face throbs where he managed to get a good couple of punches in, but it’s nothing I can’t cope with. The image of her in my mind, battered and bruised, hurts more. Every muscle in my body is tense as I fight to stay put. My need to go to her and make sure she stays here this time is all consuming. I will not allow her to go back and put herself in danger, no matter what happens between us.
Chapter Seven
Olivia
The alarm clock wakes me at 8am the next morning, and it takes me a few seconds to register why the voice talking to me is familiar. It’s Liam. The radio’s tuned to his morning show, and I sigh as his smooth voice washes over me. I tell myself I’m being ridiculous, but I swear I can hear the defeat and regret in his voice. For the first time since last night, I allow myself to feel grateful for what they did. It may have been misguided and stupid, but ultimately they were trying to protect me, and I can’t really argue with that—even if I am still livid they did it.
