“I guess the one that stands out the most is from college. I was really into this guy named Trent.”
“Trent,” Liam mutters with disdain. “I loathe him already.”
“Same. I’m sure he and Norman would get on great.”
“I concur.”
Liam reaches down and takes my hand then, and we stop walking, both a little surprised. Him, that he did it, and me, that I’m allowing it. It seems somehow against the rules, but I don’t let go. I look down as he threads his fingers through mine, and my mind shoots back to the night we stood together holding hands in front of Big Ben. We had so much time then. We don’t anymore, and I feel like I might cry.
“Anyways,” I continue, hoping he misses the hitch in my voice as we continue walking. “Trent and I were casually dating for a month or two, and then we were watching a movie together in my dorm the day before Valentine’s Day...”
“Ah, the day before Valentine’s Day. If that doesn’t warn you of impending doom, I don’t know what does. What kind of movie were you watching?”
“A comedy, ironically enough. Anyways, I figured it was the perfect time to define the relationship, so I asked him what we were...”
“At which time he dropped to one knee and proposed, and you now reveal to me that you’ve been hiding a secret husband this whole time, and thenthisbecomes my new most horrifying breakup ever.”
A small chuckle escapes me at the thought of it. “I guarantee you, I’m not that diabolical. No, Trent just went on to say that I was more the type of girl you have fun with rather than being girlfriend material.”
“Well, that’s terrible,” Liam says. “I thought there would be some kind of a funny twist, but it appears Trent was just a jerk.”
“Yes, just a run-of-the-mill turd. And from then on, I was pretty guarded when it came to relationships. I didn’t want to get all excited over a guy only to end up getting Trent-ed in the end.”
Liam nods. “You know a guy is the worst when his wretchedness warrants being used as a verb.”
“Agreed. And I’m pretty sure both Merriam and Webster would agree with us.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
We’re back on Liam’s block now, and every step forward takes more effort than the last. His pace slows substantially, and I’m glad of it.
“This isn’t how I thought our talk was going to go when I came down,” he says.
“Me either. I don’t know what I even expected by coming here... I just couldn’t let that be the last time I saw you.”
My words sink in, and both of us seem to be struck by them. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” I go on to tell him. “Probably in the afternoon. Once I get back to the studio, I’m buying a ticket.”
His hand tightens on mine the slightest bit. “You don’t want to wait a few days and go home as scheduled? I can’t imagine a flight to New York is cheap.”
“I think me quitting would make it kind of weird to be cozied up in first class next to Juliette. I can’t imagine what we’d say to each other.”
“You truly quit, then?” he asks.
“After the show. It was a long time coming.”
“I’d hate to think I had something to do with it.”
“You’re worried you led me down a path of sin?” I tease. “Would you take it back if you could?”
“No, I just... I know how much your job meant to you. Rethinking everything, it was wrong of me to force my way into your life.”
I give his hand a comforting squeeze. “If I didn’t want you in my life, you wouldn’t have been in it. And as far as me quitting, it was something that had to happen. I don’t know if I loved working with Juliette so much as I was dependent on it. And her. And not just financially, but emotionally, too. While staying her assistant, my writing was always going to be second fiddle to hers, and it’s time for me to change that.”
“Sounds empowering. It makes me want to get my life back on track as well.”
“Maybe you should,” I tell him.
“Easier said than done.”
