Liam.
He stepped out of the shadows, his presence a sudden and unexpected disturbance. His face was serious, his eyes hard, like he had something important to say. I couldn't help but feel a wave of frustration. The last thing I needed right now was more questions, more complications. Yet here he was, interrupting whatever fragile peace I had left.
"Liam?" I asked, the word leaving my mouth with an almost nervous edge. I was surprised to see him here. Surprised, and a little uneasy. The conversation between Thorne and me had already reached a point where I didn't think anything could make it worse. But Liam... Liam could.
He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable. The silence between us stretched long and heavy, almost suffocating. I could feel my pulse quickening, my mind spinning with everything that had already happened—everything I didn't understand. Why was he here? Why now?
"I heard you talking," Liam said, his voice quieter than I expected. His gaze flicked between Thorne and me, like he was trying to piece something together. "Something's happening, Asher. I don't know what it is, but… I'm starting to remember things."
I blinked, confused. Was this some kind of joke? What was he talking about? I looked at him, unsure if I was hearing him right. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice unsteady despite myself. What did he mean by "remember things"?
Liam shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly not sure how to explain what he was feeling. "It's like… pieces of memories. Things I shouldn't know. Faces, places, things I can't explain. It's... it's like they're not even my memories, but they feel real."
His words hit me hard. I felt a lump form in my throat. Was he talking about the same thing I was? The strange pull of the past I couldn't remember? My thoughts immediately went to all the dangers, all the secrets surrounding us. Could Liam be a part of all this? Was he connected to everything I was running from?
"Liam, I don't know what you mean," I said, my voice tight. I wanted to distance myself from whatever madness was consuming him. "This world is dangerous. You shouldn't be mixed up in this."
But Liam wasn't backing down. Instead, he took another step closer, frustration flickering in his eyes, and I saw it—something like desperation. He needed answers, just like I did.
"I know, okay?" Liam's voice rose a little. "I'm not asking you to fix this. I just... I just need answers. I'm starting to remember things, Asher. I don't want to be crazy, but I need to know what's happening. What the hell is going on?"
My stomach tightened. The pit in my chest deepened. I knew that feeling all too well—the need for answers, the constant question that kept me up at night. But I didn't have any. I didn't have anything that could help him. I didn't even have the answers for myself.
"I'm not the right person to ask," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, but the words felt hollow. "I'm still trying to figure everything out myself."
Liam didn't look convinced. His eyes were locked onto mine, not in anger, but with an intensity that was almost uncomfortable. The silence between us stretched, suffocating the air around us, until finally, Liam broke it. His voice came out quieter now, like he had been holding something in.
"You kissed me."
The words were so unexpected, so direct, that they hit me like a punch in the gut. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze. I hadn't been expecting this, not in a million years. It was a moment I had buried, shoved to the back of my mind, something I didn't know how to handle. But hearing him say it like that... It made everything real again.
"What?" I whispered, unsure if I'd even heard him right. Was he really talking about that?
Liam didn't back down. His gaze was unwavering, steady, as if he was waiting for something. "That day," he continued, "The kiss we shared. What did it mean, Asher?"
My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't prepared for this. The kiss... it had been real, and it had meant something, but what exactly? I couldn't explain it, not to him. Not now. The words were stuck in my throat, like they were trapped behind a wall I couldn't break through.
"I... I don't know," I said, my voice a little too tight. "It wasn't supposed to mean anything. It was just… a mistake."
Liam's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to soften just the slightest bit. "A mistake?" He repeated, his voice carrying a slight disbelief. "Is that really all it was?"
I felt the weight of his gaze, like he was peeling back layers of me I wasn't ready to let anyone see. I wanted to say something—anything—that would make it easier. But the truth, as much as I hated to admit it, was a lot more complicated than I was willing to acknowledge.
I didn't want it to mean anything. I didn't want to feel what I was feeling. But I couldn't lie to myself. Not anymore. It wasn't a mistake, not really.
"You don't understand," I muttered, more to myself than to him. My voice faltered, barely above a whisper. "I didn't want it to mean anything."
Liam's face softened. He was still watching me closely, waiting for me to say more, but he didn't push me. Not yet. "I don't know what it meant either, Asher," he said, his voice quieter now, almost as if he was talking more to himself than to me. "But I think it meant something to you. And… I think it means something to me too."
My stomach dropped. I didn't know what to say. His words were too close to the truth. Too close to something I wasn't ready to confront. Everything was slipping, spinning out of control, and I couldn't stop it.
I couldn't stop him.
Thorne chose that moment to speak, his voice slicing through the tension like a knife. "This is pointless," he said, his tone cold and dismissive. "Liam, you're wasting your time. The answers you want aren't here."
Liam didn't even glance at Thorne. His gaze was still locked on me, and I felt the weight of his eyes as he waited, still waiting for me to give him something. To give him answers that I didn't have.
"I don't have the answers, Liam," I said again, my voice quieter, more vulnerable than I intended. "I don't even know what's happening anymore."
Liam didn't seem disappointed by my response. He wasn't angry, but there was a certain sadness in his eyes, like he had expected more, or at least hoped for it. But instead of pushing harder, he nodded slowly, as if accepting the truth I couldn't give him.
"I'm not asking for everything, Asher," Liam said, his voice calm now. "Just a little piece of the puzzle. Do you think I'm crazy? For remembering things that don't fit? For wanting to understand what's going on?"
I wanted to answer him, to tell him that no, he wasn't crazy. But my mind was a mess. The questions, the confusion, the weight of everything pressing down on me, and Liam standing there, waiting, just made everything more complicated. How could I give him answers when I didn't have them myself?
"I don't think you're crazy," I finally managed to whisper, the words barely audible. "I think we're both just trying to figure out something bigger than us."
The words hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning, but before I could say anything more, I turned away. I couldn't face him. Not now, not like this. There were too many questions, too many things I didn't understand, and I couldn't bear to be the one responsible for providing the answers.
But Liam wasn't finished. He reached out and grabbed my arm gently, his fingers warm against my skin. It wasn't forceful. It wasn't urgent. But it was firm, like he wasn't going to let me run away from this.
"We're not finished talking, Asher," Liam said quietly, his voice steady and sure.
His words weren't a threat. They weren't even an order. But there was something in the way he said them, something that made it clear he wasn't going to let me avoid him, not this time. And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't sure what to say.
There's nothing to talk about anymore Liam, i told him and he left feeling disappointed and sad but it even hurt me more and left me questioning so much, why did he have to enter my life, i was fine without loving anyone, why him.