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The stubborn bastard never got help!
Rachel watches me pace, wetting her lips before softly saying, “I can see this is cutting you up, but?—”
“There’s no but. This isn’t a discussion. I don’t want that man in my life, and I especially don’t want him around you.”
Her expression crumples like I’ve said that wrong thing, but I fucking haven’t! I mean, what the shit? She has no idea. She wasn’t there in that closet with me, all those times I had to listen to my mother get beat. She didn’t hear the glass shattering or the knuckles crunching. She didn’t have to walk back downstairs after the hurricane had stormed out to find the carnage—the upturned chairs and broken plates, the sobbing woman on the ground with blood dripping from her nose or mouth. She didn’t have to see the way my mother cradled her ribs and flinched at loud noises and?—
“Don’t you at least think you should find out what he came here to say?”
“No!” I bark. “I don’t want to hear one fucking word out of that bastard’s mouth!” I move to the door. I feel like a bit of an asshole, yelling at her and not letting her finish any of her sentences, but she needs to understand that she’s asking too much.
Standing from the bed, she crosses her arms with a heavy sigh. “I think you’re making a mistake. You didn’t see his face. I said some stuff that?—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” My voice is strained, stretching out the words and making them thin and quiet.
Rachel pauses for a moment, and the only sound in the room is me puffing like I’ve just run a marathon. My chest heaves as I wrestle my thudding heart into submission. It’s not playing fair. My body is fucking vibrating, and it’s only made worse when she softly tells me what she thinks.
“If you don’t find out what’s going on, it’ll eat at you.”
“I disagree.” Wrenching the door open, I give her one more pained frown before turning my back and walking away.
CHAPTER 35
RACHEL
So it turns out when Liam’s really wrestling with something, he goes super quiet. I guess that’s better than yelling, but after two whole days of super quiet, I’m over it. He’s not ignoring me per se, but his answers are the shortest they can possibly be, and I can tell he’s still annoyed that I spoke to his father… and that I want him to find out what’s going on. Even if he just calls his mother, surely she’ll know something.
I’m tempted to call her myself, but I’m certain meddling in this one could end my relationship with a guy I’m falling pretty hard for.
This hiccup between us is a little disconcerting, but he’s not being mean to me. He’s just… processing, I guess. How long does it take a guy like Liam to do that?
It’s impossible not to feel a sick sense of foreboding. Is this the beginning of the end for us? I don’t want it to be, but I also don’t want another Theo situation. Not that I think Liam would ever hurt me physically, but I thought Theo was pretty perfect until we moved in together. I never would have expected him to behave the way he did. What if Liam has some ugly surprises up his sleeve too? What if this whole “I’m gonna shut you out” thing happens more frequently than I expect?
A pain I can’t describe tugs at my chest when I glance Liam’s way. He’s so beautiful, and shit… I think I love him. Like I’m in love with him. I don’t know when it happened exactly, I just know it’s true.
I don’t want what we’ve got to putter out or end, but is this love? Feeling all these wonderful things for someone only to realize they’re not as perfect as you thought they were?
Do you still keep going in spite of that, or do you break it off before things get even harder later on down the line?
Break it off.
The idea is like a boulder in my stomach.
Slipping my hand into Liam’s, I cling to him and am grateful when his fingers curl around mine. We walk into the sorority party together, looking like a united couple. He’s my big guy who will keep me safe. I shift a little closer to him, so our arms are bumping as we walk.
This is my first college party since arriving in Nolan. I’ve been to Offside a couple times, but these student parties have a different vibe. The alcohol is flowing freely, the antics on the lawn are already to the point of crazy, and I’m sure they’ll only get worse as the night goes on.
The Cougars won their game and tomorrow is Sunday, which means no practices and no school. It’s put everyone in high spirits.
A bunch of spectators walked straight from the stadium to the sorority house where the Gamma Sig sisters are putting on quite the soiree for the conquering heroes.
High-pitched squeals greet us the second we step through the door.
“Liam!” A sexy blonde with pigtails and a skirt that looks more like a belt jiggles up and down, her boobs bouncing as she waves at him.
He gives her a closed-mouth smile, then tugs me a little closer before letting go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my waist.
I can’t stop my grin. Brushing my lips across his cheek, I’m relieved to share a smile with him before he’s distracted by a massive guy called Wily. Turns out the football player is a gentle giant, and he shakes my hand like I’m made of glass.
