"Will do."She hugs me goodbye, then turns to Liam with a pointed look."Take care of my girl, yeah?"
"Always," he says, and something in his tone makes me look at him more carefully.
Another hour passes, filled with easy conversation about work, books, and the small details of life.Things feel comfortable with Liam—nice, normal, easy.
There's no emotional minefield to navigate, no history to tiptoe around.Just two people talking, laughing, existing in the present moment without the weight of the past pressing down on everything.
"It's getting late," I say eventually, glancing at my watch."I should head home."
"Can I walk you home?"he asks, standing and pulling on his jacket.
"It's fine, really.I don't live far."
"My mother would kill me if she knew I let a girl walk home alone at night."
There's something old-fashioned about the way he says it, gentlemanly in a way that feels genuine rather than performative.Liam is everything any reasonable person would want—he's kind, intelligent, attractive in that clean-cut British way, ambitious but not ruthless.
On paper, he's perfect.
But perfect on paper doesn't make my pulse race.Perfect on paper doesn't have dark hair and brooding hazel eyes and the ability to make my world stop with a single look.
When we reach my building, I turn to say goodnight, but Liam steps closer, his expression soft and hopeful.
"Well, thank?—"
Before I can process what's happening, his lips are on mine.
The kiss is gentle, tentative, and for a split second, I let myself imagine this could be easy.That I could fall for someone uncomplicated, someone available, someone who wouldn't require me to choose between love and logic.
But then panic floods my system like ice water.I pull back abruptly, probably too quickly, and see Liam's face fall.
"Fuck.I'm sorry, I thought—" He runs a hand through his hair, looking mortified."I completely misread that, didn't I?"
"No, it's not—you didn't do anything wrong."My voice sounds shaky even to my own ears.
"Then why do you look like I just terrified you?"
I lean against the building, trying to find words that won't hurt him.
"Look, I like you, Liam.You're amazing, truly.And you have been nothing but good to me since we met.But I just got out of something complicated, and I'm not ready for this.Whatever this could be."
His expression softens with understanding."How long ago?"
"Not long enough."
"Well shit, I didn't think it was possible to be a pushy bastard and a bellend and now also an ignorant bastard in one night.But here we are."He says it with a self-deprecating laugh, rubbing the back of his neck—guilt and embarrassment warring on his features.
"You're not any of those things.You're incredibly kind and attentive, actually.I'm just?—"
Emotionally unavailable.
Mentally fucked up.
Confused.
A concoction of all those things multiplied by ten.
He nods, understanding something I don't seem to understand myself, while stepping back to give me space.
