Page 130 of Ward Willing
Is he really going to let a tiny detour like this change our entire dynamic? I mean… yeah, it’s not the most ideal situation given what we were supposed to be doing all weekend, but we can still spend the night together. I stand up and swipe at my cheeks, clearing the tears away as I look around. Just then, Captain Sushi trots over to me, purring loudly as his head nuzzles against the back of my knee.
“Your dad is an idiot,” I tell him gently, petting his head with my good hand.
I walk upstairs, and Captain follows me; he must sense that I need some company. Instead of wallowing, I get proactive. I carefully remove my splint and take the slowest, hardest, one-handed shower of my life. It involves a lot of squeezing bottles between my chin and my chest, but I manage to get clean by the time I’m done. After changing and putting on comfortable clothes, I wrap the wrist splint around my sore wrist before climbing into bed.
It’s nearly eleven and I’m exhausted, but I don’t sleep.
I can’t help but worry when I check the time, realizing that Liam has been gone for nearly two hours. I pull my phone out as my heart races.
i know you dont want 2 talk about it, but can u at least let me know if youre alive?
I stare at my phone for several moments, watching it go fromdeliveredtoread. I await his response, but nothing comes—not even three little dots.
Okay, so he’s alive.
The tears threaten to spill as I sit against my headboard and pull my knees to my chest, but I refuse to cry.
Refuse to shed more tears until we can sit down andtalk.
TheYou’ve Got Thissign taunts me—glowing bright pink when I do nothaveanything.
A couple more hours pass, and I spend most of that time slowly editing my book at my desk with eyes that ache and sting. Captain dutifully stays at my feet, a light purr permeating the quiet room. It’s late, and my body is heavy from tiredness. I’m just about to give in for the night, at nearly three in the morning, when I hear Liam’s Jeep crunch the gravel out front.
I’m instantly awake. I leap out of bed; startling Captain so much that he stands with his back arched and his tail puffed as he looks around.
“Sorry, Cap,” I whisper, walking out of the bedroom as he purrs and runs behind me.
Liam quietly opens the door as I step into the entryway. His eyes find mine, and he looks almost surprised to see me.
He thought I’d be asleep. That’s why he waited so long to come home.
I try to cross my arms, but it’s impossible with the brace, so I stand there in leggings and one of his old T-shirts. It’s not a band tee; it’s one of his worn, thin white T-shirts. I’d stolen it a couple of weeks ago, and as his eyes linger for a second too long on my peaked nipples, I realize that I may have a small chance to win him back over.
He may think he wants to give up on us, but I wore him down twice before. He’shappierwith me. Being with him is… indescribable.
I have to try because I’m not ready to walk away from whatever this is.
“You’re still awake,” he says, his voice almost hoarse. When he closes and locks the front door, I take in his disheveled appearance. His shirt now hangs loose and wrinkled. His joggers are equally wrinkled, and his hair is messy, as if he’s been running his hands through it for the last four hours. He sets our overnight bags down by the door and turns to face me, and it slams into me that perhaps he wasn’t alone tonight.
We never did decide to be exclusive, after all.
That inky, uncomfortable feeling from the first night of the hotel returns, and I hate it. I have to believe that he wouldn’t do that.
“I was with Orion,” he says, as if he can read my thoughts, and I can’t help but be relieved.
“We should talk,” I say quickly. “You’re scared, and that’s normal. If you want, we can go slow.”
“Zoe, this needs to stop.”
His words slam through me, sucking all the air out of my lungs. My emotions go haywire; despair comes first, followed by pure, unadulterated anger. One hiccup, and he wants to walk away? One slight deviation from the plan, and he wants to stop everything between us like it never happened? The despair and anger mix together, mingling and forming something akin to betrayal. It lances through me when I think of what he’s trying to tell me.
When I don’t respond, Liam takes a step toward me, and to my surprise, Captain begins to growl.
We both go still and look down at the large cat, wondering if we misheard. Liam takes another tentative step forward, and sure enough, Captain growls again, stepping forward in front of me.
Liam’s eyes are wide as they go from his cat to me, and I huff a cruel laugh.
“Guess I’m not the only one who thinks you’re being a coward,” I tell him, my words laced with venom.
