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So much for feeling like he was trying to be nicer. That other Liam still lurked under the surface, and something about my question had struck a nerve.
I shook my head, completely confused by him.
Liam Wade was certainly an enigma.
He was someone I should stay away from.
He was angry.
He was rude.
He could cut you down with words and a single glance.
But he was also sweet.
He cared.
He loved.
He had a heart that was far kinder than most people; that’s why he fought so hard to be an asshole. It was to protect himself, because the heart is a fragile thing.
But he couldn’t protect his heart any better than I could stay away from him, because for me, Liam Wade was the first guy I’d had genuine feelings for, and I secretly craved the push and pull between us.
It reminded me that I was alive.
At least for the moment.
Liam
I set my surfboard against the side of the house before taking a deep breath and stepping inside.
I sniffed the air, and my stomach rumbled.
Food.
I followed the scent to the dining room where I found my parents waiting at the table.
“Sit,” my dad ordered, pointing to the empty chair beside him—he sat at the head of the table.
“Uh… Can I change first?” I pointed at my damp board shorts.
&
nbsp; “Yes, but don’t dawdle,” my mom said like I was five.
I’d avoided them as much as possible, and they weren’t letting that happen anymore.
“I never dawdle,” I mumbled under my breath, turning sharply on my heel.
Ari was coming inside as I rounded the corner to head for the stairs, but I didn’t even acknowledge her presence.
I didn’t want to look at her.
Her words echoed through my skull. “I’m the first person you told?”
She shouldn’t have been. I should’ve told my parents. Or Ollie. Or one of the guys. Anyone else before I told her. But I’d wanted her to be the first person I shared my news with. I was growing too used to her presence, craving it, even. It was dangerous, really, the things I felt for her. I loved and hated that she made me feel again. But I had no room in my life for love, or romance, or anything of the sort. I’d had my heart crushed in the past—guys can have their hearts broken too, you know—and I had no desire to revisit that kind of scenario anytime soon.
I couldn’t trust someone like that again, only to have everything blow up in my face and go down in flames.
