Page 45 of Liam
Liam: I’m sorry.
* * *
Nylah’s gazeran over her laptop screen as she read about the classes offered at Columbia for their Bachelor of History degree.
She’d been feeling down all afternoon, thoughts of Liam, of the way they’d left each other, pressing against her chest, suffocating her.
She’d needed a distraction, and somehow that search had led her here. Columbia wasn’t cheap, but online courses were more doable. She had some money saved up, but she’d definitely have to keep working to pay her way while studying, which would be hard. But she’d done hard things before. She was good at doing hard things.
She nibbled her bottom lip. How many times had she thought about resuming her studies to obtain a degree? So many. But as her dad’s health had deteriorated, so too had his workload. It meant she’d not only been working the floor at the bar, she’d also handled accounting and scheduling…basically the entire running of the business. That had left her both physically and mentally drained.
Things were different now. She had the time and the energy to study. And Columbia, like most major universities, offered a number of online degrees in the humanities, including a Bachelor’s in history. She’d already completed her first semester there, which was filled with prerequisite courses. She could use the credits she’d already earned toward an online degree.
Before she could stop herself, she found the address for the undergraduate administrator and curriculum coordinator and sent him a detailed email, asking about whether it was possible to resume her degree, this time online.
As soon as she hit send, her heart rate beat out a faster rhythm. She leaned back on the couch, excitement skittering through her veins.
There. She’d done it. Finally. It was only a first step, but wasn’t that the hardest part?
She lifted her phone from the coffee table and texted Paisley.
Nylah: I did something.
Paisley: Was it dirty? Did it involve whipped cream and countertops?
Nylah: No. Not dirty. No whipped cream, although now I’m hungry.
Paisley: Tell me.
Nylah: I emailed the coordinator of Columbia’s undergraduate program about resuming my studies.
Immediately the phone rang.
“Hey.”
“About damn time, Ny!” Paisley squealed.
Her smile grew. “I know. It feels so right.”
She rose and moved to the kitchen, taking her cell with her as she grabbed leftover Chinese takeout from the fridge.
“What instigated this? Was it Liam?”
Nylah’s gut clenched at the mention of his name. She’d talked to her friend regularly over the last week, and she was pretty sure Paisley was slowly coming around to the man, even though she’d never met him.
“No. I mean, not really. You know it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but… Maybe I did it because I needed something to distract me after myfightwith Liam today.” She hadn’t been meaning to add the last part. The words just rolled out.
“You had a fight with Liam? About what?”
Nylah popped the noodles into the microwave, debating over what to tell her friend. She usually told Paisley everything, but the woman had been one step away from calling Cody the last time something had happened.
“He’s just really protective, and it was feeling like a bit much.” She cringed. It wasn’t technically a lie, but at the same time, it kind of was.
“Oh, Ny. I’m sorry. But honestly, I’m not surprised you’re falling for a replica of your brothers and dad.”
Nylah’s brows pulled together. “Ew.”
“You know what I mean. Your brothers are good guys, and so was your dad. It’s only natural that your standards are high.”
