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Liv
Charliepullsupfromhis trip into town and I meet him at the stairs to his apartment. I woke up this morning with some clarity I’d been searching for. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but Garrett’s outburst, coupled with my conversation with Luke, forced me to face reality. And that reality means I can’t keep stringing Charlie along. I care about him, but I’m not in a place to give him what he needs, because my heart belongs to someone else.
Charlie smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. It’s like he can sense what’s coming. He takes my hand and I follow him to his apartment. I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning. He wasn’t home when I went to invite him to dinner last night and he didn’t respond to my text asking where he was until this morning.
We sit on his couch, and my nerves flare to life. He pulls my hand into this lap. “It’s ok, Liv. Just say what you need to say.”
I sigh as a calm settles over me. He wipes away the tears that are already falling down my face and kisses me.
“I’m so sorry. I really wanted this to work. We could have been amazing together. But–”
“You met Luke first.” He stares at our joined hands. “I saw the way you looked at him. I can’t be your safety net as much as I want to be. It’s not fair to either of us.”
My bottom lip wobbles. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can’t keep running from him.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear and wipes away more tears. “Why did you have to be so wonderful?” I ask, and he chuckles.
I smile through my tears and meet him halfway for a kiss. It lasts a long time because we both know it’s our last. But he pulls back first, somehow finding the strength I can’t. “No matter what happens, I’ll always have your back. Ok?”
I smile and nod. “And I’ll always have yours.”
He walks me to the door and down the steps. We part after another goodbye kiss, and I suck in a sob as I leave him and climb the steps of the porch. I duck into the restroom to compose myself. A strange calm sits on my shoulders like a warm blanket, and I splash water on my face to cool down.
I emerge and head into the kitchen. The house is full of people as Mark, Brando, and my mom prepare dinner.
“There you are!” she says when she sees me. I wash my hands and cut up the fruit on autopilot when she hands me a knife.
“Tell me why on earth you haven’t forgiven Luke. He’s a dreamboat. Forget Charlie. Luke is perfect for you.”
“Did I hear my name?” Luke asks, peeking his head into the kitchen from the hallway. I turn my face away from him as fresh tears fall. My raw nerves can't handle him right now.
“I was just asking Liv what’s taking her so long to forgive you.” Mom nudges my shoulder, but I drop the knife. It clatters to the butcher block.
I leave before they can say anything and walk out onto the back porch. Crossing my arms, I watch a storm pass in the distance while I take calming breaths. A few minutes later, Luke stands next to me, his hands in his pockets as he watches the lightning bolts rage at the earth. “You think it will head this way?” he asks.
“No, it’s heading north.”
He looks up at the sky near us and a few minutes of comfortable silence passes. “I’m going to leave when everyone else does. I don’t want to cause you more stress,” he says, his words punctuated by the distant thunder.
He meets my gaze and when he realizes I’ve been crying, alarm fills his features and he moves closer, reaching for me but stopping himself. “What happened?”
I’m transported to the day I was shot, when he told me he would leave for New York. I ignore his question. “You said you would go to New York before I got shot. You would uproot your life, be apart from your sister, your friends. All because of me.”
“You’ve been my priority since day one, Liv.”
“And now?”
“It will never change.”
I think about everything he’s done for me since I’ve met him. How much he continues to do. He spreads his arms, and I let him wrap me up in a hug as I sob into his shoulder.
“Liv, tell me what’s wrong. Please,” he says, his voice tight with concern.
I continue to cry, and he holds me tighter. Once I get my emotions under control, I wipe my face and step away, meeting his gaze. “Stay,” I say. It’s the simplest word, but my heart races as I wait for his answer. He searches my eyes for a moment, then nods. I turn and head into the house.
The next few days go by fast. I only see Charlie in passing. He’s avoiding me, but I don’t blame him.
My friends are a great distraction from the sadness. It’s the weekend, so we’re partying it up at the lake. The longer Luke stays, the more I can admit that having him around is good for my soul. I promised Charlie and myself that I’d sort through my feelings. So, I decide to focus on the friendship Luke and I shared. We fall back into it with ease. We joke and give each other a hard time like we used to. It’s made the sting of Charlie seem like a distant memory.
