Page 36 of Liam

“Can you show me after dinner?” Taamira asked shyly.

It was not strange to her that she was the odd one out, she had spent her life that way, but it was nice not to have it make her so vulnerable.

“Yes, of course. Let’s leave the cleaning up and go through to the lounge with our cheesecake, and we can get the laptop out,” Evelyn added.

As the night wore on, Taamira relaxed more and laughed at the images the girls showed her of men, the blush of innocence creeping over her cheeks. What she did not feel was like an outsider.

“So, tell us about you and Liam?” Pax asked and received a dig in the ribs from Evelyn.

“Pax.”

“What? I waited. I just want to know if she’s getting the goods.”

“Pax!” Evelyn and Callie called.

“Fine,” she grumbled.

Taamira thought for a moment; she desperately needed some advice from people who knew of such things better than she did then took the plunge.

“We are more than friends, but we haven’t… I mean, we haven’t…”

“Had sex,” Callie stated gently.

“Yes... I mean no, we have not done that yet.”

Pax inclined her head. “But you’ve done other things?”

“We have kissed and touched over clothes but nothing more.” Taamira touched a hand to her face as her cheeks burned with the admission.

“Do you want more than that?” Evelyn asked as she leaned back and stuck her fork in her cheesecake.

Taamira set her full plate on the coffee table and clasped her fingers. “I do. I want more, but I am also scared.”

Pax leaned forward and took her hand. “Scared of what, honey? Liam would never hurt you or force you to do anything.”

Taamira smiled and squeezed Pax’s hand. “I know this, and I am not scared of him hurting me, but that I will disappoint him. I am much less knowledgeable about this than he is.”

Evelyn leaned forward and placed her empty plate next to Taamira’s full one. “Can I ask a personal question?”

Taamira nodded.

“Are you a virgin?”

Taamira nodded. “Yes, it is the tradition of my culture not to have relations before marriage.”

“And is marriage what you want from Liam?”

Taamira shook her head. “I do not know. I care for him very deeply, and when I am with him, nothing else seems to matter, not my country, my traditions, or my family. He makes me feel...” Taamira searched for the words.

“Like you’re the centre of everything,” Callie stated.

Taamira looked at her with excitement. “Yes. As if I am special.”

“You are special, sweetie,” Pax said.

“I am not worthy of a man like him. He thinks it is the other way around, but he is so worldly and brave, and I am a fake.”

“No, you’re a warrior in your own way.” Evelyn stood abruptly, and Taamira glanced up at her. “You’ve lived in a place where you never felt accepted or loved and never relaxed for fear of someone sticking the metaphorical knife in your back. Yet, instead of becoming bitter and cold, you want to use your status to help, to educate people, to help the women of your country. Don’t tell me you’re not worthy because you are, and Liam knows it too.”