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“That this is amazing.”
He chuckles, a deep throaty sound. “All good things must come to an end.” He drops my foot, eliciting a groan from me, before starting on the other one.
“Why though?” I whine. “Why can’t we just stay like this forever?”
He’s quiet for a moment while he considers the question. “What’s life like for you, outside of these four walls.”
The question makes me groan. “Shitty.”
“Expand,” he says calmly, eyeing me.
“It’s… fine. I’m just…” I trail. “I don’t really know what I’m doing, ya know?” I sigh.
He nods, but doesn’t speak yet, so I continue. “It’s weird, and I feel like such a child whining about it because I have more things than anybody could ever ask for. I’m spoiled, even I can admit that, but it’s not enough. How selfish is that? I have so much and I’m miserable. It just seems… wrong.”
“It’s not wrong.” He says, “You’re allowed to have your feelings, Gemma. You don’t have to feel bad about them.”
“Maybe, but I feel like I should be grateful or that I should be doing more with what I have.”
“What are you doing with it?” he asks, genuinely.
I snort a laugh. “Nothing. Drinking my life away.”
He chuckles. “I guess that’s step one.”
“Hey,” I chide, taking another sip from the champagne bottle. “Don’t you dare try to take my alcohol away.”
He laughs, snatching the bottle from me and taking a chug.
“What about you?” I ask, teasingly. “What’s life like for the infamous Liam O’Connor, hmm?”
He smiles. “Boring.”
“I doubt that.”
He leans back in the tub with a thoughtful look on his face. “Everything comes down to money.” He finally says. “Money and power.”
“Hmm, and do you have both of those?”
“Nah,” he says. “I have money, but I’m just another pawn for my father to move around on the board as he pleases.”
I feel that, deep in my core.
Being a chess piece in someone else's game.
“That sucks.”
“Yeah.” He takes another chug from the bottle.
The water ebbs and flows between us as we sit in the calm silence.
“I’m sorry.” He finally says, breaking the quietness.
“For what?”
“Your mother,” he whispers, and I can feel all the hairs on my arms stand up. “It wasn’t me, but it was my family, and I wish I could take it back. I didn’t…” he trails, gathering his thoughts. “I didn’t know you.” He whispers. “Your family was always just this foreign, faceless enemy but now you have a face a
nd a name and I wish I could take it back and heal your pain. If I could do that for you, Gemma, I would.”
