Almost: Chapter 7
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story. Those belong to me. ;)
PAIRINGS: Liam x Riley (MC)
SUMMARY: Riley Lawson didn’t believe in second chances, until one night a face from her past makes a shocking reappearance in her life.
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06/08/2020 - Ahhh here it is! A long awaited updated. I’m always so busy, but with summer starting and some much needed vacation days on the horizon, I’m updating everything. If Only & TTS will be coming along shortly. :)
Thank you! As always if you want to be tagged, send me a message!
Chapter 7
It didn’t take long for Riley to jump into action when Liam agreed to her offer to see the Statue of Liberty. She started to text furiously on her phone, and when she wasn’t getting a response quick enough, she resorted to actually calling up the friends she knew would still be up at that hour. After all, she lived in the city that never slept, and a good chunk of her friends were in line with that mentality. At first it seemed like she wouldn’t have any luck making her plan happen, but eventually one of her friends pulled through. Matt Dennison had owed her a favor from ages ago. She had never expected to actually stake a claim on said favor, but here she was at some god awful hour staring at the boy that had stolen (and ultimately broken) her heart eight years ago, and all she wanted to do was make his dream come true. So, desperate times called for desperate measures and she had absolutely no qualms about waking Matt up from his beauty sleep.
Matt was a frequent patron of the bar, and he and Riley had struck up a bit of a friendship. He was a lot nicer than a lot of the regulars, because he never tried to make any sort of pass at her. That in and of itself had won him a bunch of brownie points. One night last October, an out of towner had come into the bar already reeking of alcohol. Daniel had refused to serve him the three tequila shots he had ordered because he couldn’t bring himself to serve the guy any more alcohol when he had already stumbled into the bar clearly intoxicated. The out of towner didn’t take too kindly to being told no and started to scuffle with another patron, sucker-punching the guy in the stomach for no apparent reason. Seeing this, Matt tried to intervene. His Good Samaritan behavior landed him with a black eye and a set of handcuffs. It didn’t matter who did what, when the cops had shown up; everyone got taken in, leaving Matt in a very serious bind. He had no money to post bail, and everyone he thought would come through hadn’t even returned his calls. Riley swung by the jail at the end of her shift in the hopes of explaining things to the arresting officers. She was an eye-witness after all, but no one wanted to take her statement. She couldn’t see Matt spending the night in jail, so she decided to come to his rescue. She bailed him out and posted the thousand dollar fee without even spending a second to think about it. Ever since then, he had been eternally grateful to her. A month later, he paid her back in full plus interest and told her that if she ever needed anything, he’d make it happen for her. She had brushed the comment off, never really intending to take him up on her offer, but tonight . . . tonight she was ready to cash in.
Matt owned a small boating business that offered tours of the harbor. It was a great way to get some pretty nice scenic photographs of the New York City skyline. His business wasn’t at all like the fancy ferry lines that also ran their own tours out of the docks, but Matt’s tours were a whole lot more inspirational and weren’t the cookie-cutter spiels that the other ferries tried to sell. It also helped that he didn’t price gouge the hell out of the tours that he sold. So, although he wouldn’t be a multi-millionaire anytime soon, he did all right for himself. He had always offered to take Riley on a free tour . . . but he probably never meant for it to be well after midnight. Regardless, he had come through for her, and was on his way to the docks to take them to see Lady Liberty in all her glory.
“Ha!” She exclaimed giddily. “You’re in luck,” she beamed, a large grin forming on her lips. “My friend Matt is going to help us out,” she explained. “The thing is . . . we’re going to have to walk . . .” she said hesitantly. “It’s about a twenty minute trek to the docks. Think you can handle that,” she looked down at his dress shoes.
“Perhaps I should be asking you that question,” he motioned to her high heels. “This isn’t the easiest terrain to take a hike on,” he reasoned. “Especially in those,” he pointed out.
“I’ll be fine,” she said confidently, brushing off his concern. “I’m a New Yorker, remember? Walking around in heels is a thing here,” she chuckled.
Liam glanced back briefly at his friends. They were still entirely wrapped up in what they were doing. They didn’t even seem to notice that Liam and Riley had wandered off on their own.
“Do you think they’ll be angry that I left without telling them?” He asked hesitantly.
Riley took a quick peek behind her shoulder. She didn’t know them well enough to say either way, but based off of the earlier conversation that she had with Drake, this was definitely something that Liam needed to do – regardless of whether or not his friends would be angry with him. He needed to put himself first for once in his life, especially if, for whatever reason, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to come to New York again. She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure they’re having a grand old time without you,” she murmured.
Liam’s eyes shifted to their direction once more. Riley could see the hesitation building in his eyes. He was having second thoughts about the whole thing, and she couldn’t let that happen. “Hey . . . don’t look so guilty,” she nudged his shoulder playfully. “You wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, and it’s going to happen,” she assured him. “Besides, if they get antsy and want to head back to the hotel, you left the car with them. You can always meet back with them later if they’re still on the whole party roll,” she reasoned.
Liam nodded, finally pulling his gaze away from them. “You’re right. I should take full advantage of the fact that this is my last night in New York . . . and . . . well I’ll have more responsibilities after I go back, so maybe it won’t be so bad being a little selfish tonight,” he said simply.
Riley pondered his words thoughtfully for a moment. Oh right, he was getting married. He wouldn’t just be able to hop on a plane on a whim. He’d have a wife’s opinion to consider. She thought on his words again, and she couldn’t help but think that he was giving his words served more as a confidence booster for him to actually go through with it he was trying to rationalize his decision to take her up on her offer. The Liam she knew in Germany would never turn down an adventure, so it was a bit surprising to see him behave so cautiously. She supposed getting older and being swamped down with more responsibilities had changed his outlook a bit. It was strange to think that over the years she had become more adventurous and outgoing. She supposed that it was her time with him in Germany that had really allowed her to branch out and experience new things.
“Exactly,” she agreed.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. She could feel his gaze wander over her a few times as they walked, and she briefly wondered what was running through his head as they walked together side by side.
“So, why did you stay in New York?” He asked, trying to engage her in small chit-chat.
“What do you mean?” She looked back at him.
“Well . . . you weren’t always a New Yorker, right? If I remember correctly, you were from Virginia?” He said thoughtfully. “Or was it New Hampshire,” he said uncertainly.
“West Virginia,” she corrected him. She licked her lips anxiously. “It just wasn’t home anymore,” she shrugged. “I made a life for myself here,” she responded simply.
“Right. West Virginia,” he nodded. “How are your parents doing? Did they end up moving out to New York, too?”
Riley stiffened at the mention of her parents. They had a falling out shortly after she came back to the States from Germany. She had been devastated after everything that happened there, and she had hoped that going home and spending time with her family would help her clear her head, pull the shambles of her life together, and figure out where to go from there . . . but it hadn’t. Instead, she came home to judgment and disappointment, and she felt her life fall apart all over again.
“We don’t talk anymore,” she shrugged, becoming a bit uncomfortable.
Liam’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t?” He paused for a moment, trying to formulate the right words. “I’m sorry. You were always so close to them,” he said, a look of regret in his eyes. “Did something happen?”
Riley frowned. She hadn’t intended for the conversation to stray in this direction. It wasn’t something she was necessarily ready or willing to talk about. “We had a disagreement about my life choices,” she said vaguely. “I did what I thought was best, and they didn’t agree with me,” she shrugged. “Case closed,” she said coldly.
Liam studied her carefully. She hated the way he was analyzing her. She knew he could probably sense that she was keeping something from him, but in that moment, she just couldn’t bring herself to get into things right then and there.
“I just find it so odd that you wouldn’t be in contact with them,” he frowned. “You spoke with them nearly every single day while we were in Germany . . .” he trailed off.
“Well, Germany was a long time ago, Liam,” she said a bit shortly. She started to feel tears form in her eyes. He was right. She had been exceptionally close to her parents, especially her mother. It killed her to not have a relationship with them, especially after everything she had been through. She just couldn’t bring herself to forgive them after everything that was said and done.
She turned to Liam, ready to tell him to just back off and drop the issue about her parents, but when she met his gaze, she saw the concern in his eyes. She bit her lip. He was worried about her. Even after all this time, there was still a part of him that wanted to make sure she was all right. She debated letting everything that was on her mind flood out from her right then and there, but she knew that once she spilled her heart out to him, there would be no taking the words she said back. She’d likely never see him again after tonight. So why should she bother? What good would it do except to stir up unnecessary pain and heartache of something that had long happened years ago?
He slumped his shoulders a bit, the concern never leaving his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to upset you,” he said quietly.
She shrugged. Her family was a sensitive issue. He was right. They had been exceptionally close. Her parents had always been wonderful . . . until, well, they weren’t. She remembered the screaming battle they had when she had gone back to West Virginia. Her life had changed so much in a few short months, and they couldn’t understand that she was her own person . . . who was able to make her own decisions. The life she had decided to lead didn’t correlate with the live they had envisioned for her.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m at odds with my family as well,” he sighed.
“Not speaking to them?” She asked in surprise. Liam had always spoken very highly of his parents. He admitted that they were a bit overprotective, but she had never gotten the feeling that things were strained between them.
“Oh no, we’re speaking . . . let’s just say that it’s all . . . an act,” he sighed wearily. “I play my part, and hell doesn’t get raised,” he said vaguely.
“That sounds like there’s a story there,” she commented. Her curiosity was piqued. Just moments ago she had wanted him to butt out of her personal affairs, yet here she wanted to know about his own rift with his parents.
“You have no idea,” he sighed as he tried to keep pace with her. “So whatever happened with your parents may be minuscule compared to what I’ve been dealing with my father and Regina,” he sighed in frustration.
Riley snorted. “I doubt that.” She sighed, letting the topic drop. Talking about her parents always put her in a foul mood, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Liam now felt the exact same way about his parents. “We’re here,” she motioned to the rickety dock in front of her.
He looked at her in surprise. “Really? That didn’t take too long . . . this doesn’t really look like an actual dock area,” he said as he looked around.
“That’s because it’s not,” she explained. “Well, it used to be, but no one ever really uses it anymore. This is one of my favorite spots in the city,” she said quietly as they waited for Matt to show up. The dock overlooked he entire city’s skyline. Over time, newer docking areas were built on the opposite side of the river, and boats started to frequent the newer docking stations. The older docks sort of just got left behind. Riley gazed out into the night sky - the different towers were all lit against darkness. There was faint music playing in the background from one of the yachts off in the distance. It was actually a really nice spot to just think. Riley supposed that’s why she had enjoyed it so much. Because no one really used the dock anymore, there wasn’t really all of the hustle and bustle like the main dock areas.
“I can see why you like it so much,” he said, gazing out into the sky. “The view is spectacular.”
She nodded in agreement.
“Now what?” He asked, looking around.
“We wait,” she said simply.
“For?”
“A magical boat I’ve summoned just for you,” she smiled. “Just enjoy the moment, will you? The old Liam would have embraced every second of this adventure so that he could remember everything about it,” she said.
“Yeah, well the old Liam also learned that sometimes being adventurous can lead to loads of trouble,” he sighed. “The new Liam tends to err on the side of caution nowadays.”
“That’s too bad,” she said sullenly. “Old Liam was a pretty fun guy,” she said nostalgically. “So . . . what made you want to see the Statue of Liberty? You talked a lot about it back then, but I don’t think you ever told me why you wanted to visit it so much.”
He shrugged lightly. “You of all people should know why.”
She arched her eyebrow in question. “What do you mean?”
“She represents something that I so desperately want,” he sighed.
She looked at him curiously. “Freedom?” She guessed.
He nodded sullenly.
She furrowed her forehead in confusion. “And why would you want freedom, Liam?”
He stuffed his hands in his pocket, his eyes gazing out onto the skyline. “It’s not easy when your life is under a microscope,” he explained.
“I’m not sure I understand,” Riley said as she stepped closer to him.
“The life I lead is under constant scrutiny. Every decision . . . every action may reflect poorly on myself and my family. Something I’m never allowed to forget no matter how badly I might want to,” he said sadly.
“Liam . . .I’m sorry . . . I didn’t know things were that difficult for you,” she cleared her throat. “That sounds awful,” she reached out placing her hand lightly on his shoulder. “It must be difficult for your fiancé to live that sort of life, too,” she commented.
There eyes meet for a lingering moment, before Liam tears his gaze away. “Riley, I – “
The horn from the boat blares, and a man dressed in worn overalls and a torn up hat waves haphazardly at them from the side. The moment between them wanes as Matt pulls the boat as closely to the dock as possible
“Riley!” He called out to her. “When I said I owe you one, this wasn’t what I had I mind,” Matt chuckles loudly. “Leave it to you to call someone at one o’clock in the morning. I had to refuel and everything,” the man bellowed.
Liam’s words became forgotten as Riley snapped back into high gear remembering the mission set before them. “I know! You’re the only one who picked up,” she shrugged. “I know this is a bit . . . unusual . . . but my friend here leaves tomorrow and he’s never seen Lady Liberty. We’re hoping you can make that happen for him?” She asked.
“Of course I can make it happen,” he smiles broadly. “Just wish we were doing this a tad bit later in the morning than one o’clock,” he laughed. He started to pull down a plank onto the deck so that Riley and Liam could board the ferry.
“Is that?” Liam looked at her with concern.
“Our ride,” she nodded.
Liam looked at the large, rickety ferry, his face turning into a frown. “Are you sure he’s reputable?” He looked at Matt and the ferry with skepticism. “I mean . . . I hear the horror stories about these sorts of situations that go awry,” he whispered. “I have a . . . thing about boats,” he trailed off.
“Beggars can’t be choosy, Liam. Besides, I know Matt looks a bit rough around the edges, but he’s a decent guy . . . Just don’t think about how it all looks . . . push that aside and think about the bigger goal . . . you want to see Lady Liberty don’t you?”
“Well, yes,” he nodded. “I just didn’t imagine it would be on this sort of vessel.”
“It’s now or never, Liam. You leave tomorrow. Who knows if you’ll ever make it back to see her,” she motioned behind her. “Do you really want to live with the regret of not having at least tried? What if your wife doesn’t want to travel to the States? Or if you have kids right away? This could be your last shot to ever see something as grand as the Statue of Liberty. Are you really going to let the shape of Matt’s boat turn you around?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I suppose not,” he admitted.
“Excellent,” she beamed. Hop on. You’re about to see Lady Liberty in all her glory.”
As Riley and Liam boarded, Matt pushed the ferry into high gear. “Hang on, guys. Next stop, the Statue of Liberty.”
They stood on the edge of the ferry, and after ten minutes of not so smooth sailing, they could see the Statue of Liberty gleaming out in the distance.
“Wow,” Liam murmured.
“Aren’t you glad you decided to take a chance?” Riley chuckled as her own gaze lingered over the majestic beauty of the statue.
He nodded, his eyes never straying from the sight of Lady Liberty in all her glory. “She’s amazing,” he murmured.
“Isn’t she?” Riley sighed, she too couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the sight of her.
The boat neared closer and closer to the statute’s base, and Liam’s smile was absolutely blinding. He pulled his cell phone out, snapping different photos at different angles. He was acting as if he’d never see it again.
Riley paused with the thought. That very well could be true. After all, she had said the very words to him only moments ago. What if he never did come back to New York? Let alone back to America? Whatever it was that waited for him back home seemed like an anchor. At least, that’s how he seemed to describe it. Life under a microscope? She couldn’t imagine spending every single day of her life worrying about what other people were thinking about her choices. It made her wonder why Liam’s life was like that. Had he been some sort of celebrity back home? Riley watched him with intrigue as Liam happily gazed up at the towering beauty. For a brief moment, she saw the carefree Liam she had fallen for back in Germany. She didn’t see the boy who broke her heart and left her without even a single word. Instead, she saw a man, so bogged down with secrets and troubles that such a simple thing like seeing the Statue of Liberty brought him so much joy. She almost felt sorry for him. How troubled was his life that he couldn’t even steal a few moments of enjoyment for himself back home?
“I didn’t think you could pull this off. I should have known better,” he let a small chuckle escape as he turned to face her.
Riley snapped out of her thoughts. “What do you mean?” She looked at him a bit puzzled.
“Admittedly, I may have had some skepticism about this whole thing working,” he smirked. “Especially when I saw the state of his . . . . boat,” he cringed looking around.
“It floats,” she chuckled. “And it’s given you the chance to see your life-long dream,” she eyed him. “Be grateful,” she chuckled, nudging his side slightly.
“I am,” he held his hands up. “I just . . . well, I suppose I haven’t done anything this . . . impulsive in quite some time,” he mused. “It feels odd.”
“Yeah . . . tonight is full of impulsivity for you,” she smirked.
Liam burst out in a hearty laugh. “Says the girl who doesn’t have an impulsive bone in her body.” He rolled his eyes jokingly.
The playfulness in his tone caught Riley off guard. Riley feigned offense. “I’ll have you know I’ve done tons of impulsive things in my life. You haven’t seen me in eight years,” she pointed out.
“I suppose . . . I guess I have a hard time reconciling the you now with the you back then,” he shrugged.
She looked up at him, completely understanding what he meant, and nodded.
“Hey . . . “ he said a bit excitedly. “Do you remember back in Germany when you tried to convince me that you were a rebel? You told me about this time when you were in high school and you held a protest against your schools’ science program because one of the teachers scheduled an assignment to dissect a rat?”
Riley’s face flushed in embarrassment. “Of all the things to remember, that is something you bring up?” She sighed heavily. “Hey, don’t judge me for the stupidity of my youth,” she forced a chuckle, but the embarrassment was still going strong. “At that point in my life . . . yeah that had been the craziest, most rebellious thing I had ever done. You were always so worldly and daring . . . I just wanted to impress you,” her blush deepening.
Liam chuckled more. “Oh, you’ve certainly proven to me that you have a rebellious streak, Riley Lawson. You’re certainly a lot more adventurous and fascinating than I remember,” he commented.
“And you’re not,” she mused. “The Liam I knew eight years ago would have dropped everything at the chance for an adventure. He wouldn’t even think about a rough looking boat stop him,” she pointed out.
Liam’s smile and playful demeanor changed suddenly. His back stiffened, and eyes saddened a bit. “I’m afraid that Liam grew up a bit over the years,” he murmured.
The boat began to take a slow u-turn, heading back in the direction they had come from. Riley looked up toward Matt in the captain’s control cabin. “Going back so soon?” she called up to him.
He nodded from the control cabin. “My first tour is at 8 am tomorrow. Don’t want to be out too late so that I sleep through it,” he said. “Don’t worry, next time your friend comes back to New York, I’ll give him the full tour . . . during the waking hours of course,” he laughed.
With Matt’s words, Liam’s shoulders slumped a little.
Riley nodded slowly. “Got it. Thanks for bringing us out here, Matt. Now I feel like I owe you one for waking you up at this hour,” she chuckled lightly. Matt waved her off, before turning his attention back to the wheel.
“Well, I suppose our adventure has come to an end,” Riley sighed. “But at least you got to see her . . . maybe not all up in person, but now you can go back home with a pretty cool story from your bachelor party. It would totally blow to go back home and tell everyone that you sat at a table in a club by yourself all night while your friends partied without you,” she joked.
She turned to face him when he didn’t respond and noticed the forlorn look on his face. “What’s wrong? I was just joking about the whole club thing . . .” she trailed off.
“I just can’t believe its over,” he said quietly. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the boat’s railings. “I always thought I’d have more time.”
“Hey, maybe you can convince your fiancé to come to New York for your honeymoon . . . unless that’s already planned . . . then maybe you guys can plan a vacation or something down the road?” She tried to say cheerily.
“I’m never coming back to New York, Riley. At least not without being on a tight leash,” he raised his voice. There was an underlying sense of anger in his words. It took Riley aback.
She paused, not really understanding the shift. He had been so happy only minutes ago. “Liam, you’re being really cryptic. You sound as if you’re going to be put to death once you return home,” she said concerned. “I mean . . . okay maybe that’s a bit dramatic . . . but still. Do you not want to go back? I know this isn’t my place to say anything, I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but if I were the one getting married, I’d be over the moon with excitement. And it is clear to me that you’re not. I don’t know if it’s cold feet or something else, but it’s not fair to your fiancé if you suddenly don’t want to get married. Tell her. Talk to her about how you’re feeling,” she reasoned.
“If only it were that simple,” he sighed.
Riley’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why isn’t it simple? I feel like I’m missing something major here, and I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on,” she said angrily.
“Do you remember my brother Leo?”
Riley nodded. “He was a thrill seeker, right? Always bouncing from country to country . . . He was always a bit reckless about it though,” she nodded. “Well, so you told me,” she shrugged. “What has he got to do with anything?”
“Well, let’s just say he hasn’t changed and his recklessness has forced me into a bit of a predicament,” he sighed. “His choices inadvertently solidified mine, if that makes any sense,” Liam murmured.
“It doesn’t,” Riley shook her head.
“My family is important to me, Riley. Our legacy . . . the business that we are in . . . all of it . . . it means the world to me. My brother . . . well, he’s never been one to follow the rules. I envy him a bit. One of us had to become the responsible one, especially after . . . well, let’s just say that my family went through a rough patch and needed all of us to step up and help. Leo couldn’t . . . more appropriately, didn’t want to do it. He enjoyed his adventures too much, and being stuck to one place for the rest of his life would have killed him. So . . . my family turned to me.”
“Liam, that still doesn’t make much sense,” she murmured.
“Getting ready to depart,” Matt yelled from up above, interrupting their conversation.
Riley’s looked up and saw that they were pulling in near to where Matt had picked them up from earlier. Her heart suddenly felt very heavy. She didn’t want this night to end. Not when something was clearly bothering Liam. How crazy was it that after all this time, she still felt something for him? A sense of protectiveness . . . a sense of worry. She paused, was she falling for him again? No. She shook her head, trying to make sense of everything that was happening.
“Forget I mentioned anything,” Liam said, clearing his throat. “I got a bit sentimental back there, and my judgment became clouded. I’ve got a lot on my mind, and shouldn’t have burdened you with my problems,” he explained.
“Liam,” she started before Matt blew the boat’s horn.
“Alright, guys. Back to land,” he called out to them.
Riley looked back up and saw that they had docked, and Matt was already situating the plank to let them off. Liam was waiting patiently and stepped hurriedly off the vessel as soon as the plank was down. She headed toward them, and clasped Matt on the shoulder.
“Thank you, for doing this,” Riley said softly. “I know I mentioned this before, but he has wanted to see the Statue of Liberty for ages . . .” she sighed.
“He got his wish,” Matt nodded toward Liam. “But something tells me he’s wishing for something else now,” Matt nudged Riley’s shoulder.
Riley looked at him puzzled. “What?”
“Uh . . . you and he? Aren’t you a thing?” Matt asked.
“Nope, it’s nothing like that. We just knew each other from way back when. It was purely a coincidence to run into him tonight,” she brushed off his hinting with a wave. She didn’t need another person’s thoughts adding to her own jumbled emotional mess.
“Well, I’m thinking he’s seeing you in a whole new light,” he said, pressing on. “That guy has eyes for you, Riley. The way I saw him looking at you . . .and you looking at him . . . could have fooled me,” he shrugged, patting her on the back.
Riley bit her lip, even more confused than before. She trudged toward the plank shaking her head at him. “I’ll see you around, Matt. I better get this guy back to his friends.”
She walked off the plank toward Liam who was gazing at the New York skyline deep in thought. The worry lines on his forehead were prominent, and his eyes looked deep with sadness.
“Hey . . . we were having a pretty deep conversation on that boat . . . then Matt interrupted and you seemed to close yourself off again. I don’t want to forget it, Liam. We were friends once. More than friends,” she sighed, closing her eyes at the memory. “I don’t want to spend another eight years wondering about you . . . wanting closure . . .” she trailed off.
“Why do you care so much?” He asked.
“Huh?” She questioned.
“Several hours ago you were dumping a pitcher of water over my head. After that, I assumed you never wanted to see me again . . . then I saw you at the club . . . and then you took us to the cove,” he trailed off. “You went through all this trouble to make this happen for me tonight . . . then you tell me you’re worried about me . . . about my happiness,” he shakes his head as if in disbelief. “What changed?”
“I – I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I can say the same about you,” she turned it back on him. “Eight years, Liam. Eight years without a single word. I sent to hell and back after you left, then you waltz back into my life and I’m finally ready to tell you off for leaving me back in Germany,” she sighed. “So yeah, at first . . . well I guess my anger got the best of me. Then,” she trailed off. “I guess I wanted closure,” she said softly. “I mean, back at the cove, you talked about your family obligation, but then something changed. You seemed sad and lost and I don’t know . . . I just wanted to do something for you to make you feel better,” she shrugged. “I suppose talking to Drake may have triggered me being a bit more open-minded about things . . . and well, how you saved me back at the club certainly opened my eyes about a few things,” she reasoned. “I guess I built up this terrible image of you in my head, and you’re just . . . you’re not. You’re not terrible, Liam. You weren’t a terrible guy, then either. There was a reason why I cared about you so deeply . . a reason why you leaving without saying goodbye hurt me so terribly . . . I cared for you,”
She loved him then, but she certainly wasn’t going to admit that to him. Not when he had warned her that they could never be together. It was her own fault. He had told her that they could only have the summer together, that realistically anything beyond that summer would lead to something that could never continue. At the time, she was okay with that, but then, he left before the summer had even ended, then her world turned upside down and she just crumbled.
“We should talk,” Liam said lowly, his gaze turning steely. “You deserve to know the truth . . . about everything. Why I left, why I couldn’t stay in touch . . .” he trailed off, his hand suddenly reached for hers, and she felt a tingle as their skin touched. Her body hummed in anticipation and longing.
Riley looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. The emotional whirlwind of the night was finally catching up with her. There were so many emotions that she had pushed away for far too long. Now, they were all bubbling back to the surface, and she didn’t know how to feel? What was she doing? He was engaged. He was going to leave her again. This little reunion was exactly as she had told Matt – a pure coincidence. There would be nothing beyond tonight. She wasn’t the type of girl to cheat and she certainly didn’t want to cause any turmoil between Liam and his fiancé. It didn’t matter if she loved him first. It didn’t matter what happened between them. She just wanted to make him happy, and mission accomplished. He saw the Statue of Liberty. Now it was time to part ways and go back to their lives . . . separately. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, shaking her head.
“I can’t do this. I should go home,” she said hesitantly. Here he was offering her everything she had wanted – an explanation. Not some bullshit about some sort of family obligation, but a genuine, honest to God explanation about why he left her shattered in Germany all those years ago. She finally had her opportunity to confront him about everything that had happened, and here she was chickening out. Perhaps not knowing was better? She’d wanted an explanation for so many years, she was suddenly afraid to have it. Or more appropriately, she was afraid of what was now happening between them. Talking to Liam had always been so easy . . . too easy. She remembered being able to tell him anything. She remembered feeling so comfortable around him. She was feeling it again. This thing between them was dangerous. It would hurt too much to fall for him again. That would be the worst thing to happen . . . considering he was emotionally and physically unavailable to her. He was about to be married for God’s sake. It was time for her leave.
She shook her head quickly. “I have to go,” she murmured, taking a few steps back. “I take it you can find your way back to your friends?” She asked, without really waiting for him to answer.
“Riley,” he said softly.
“I’m glad that we saw each other again . . . but maybe it’s better if we just leave things as they were.” She started to wobble down the path, overwhelmed by the surge of feelings that flooded over her. “I am going to call myself an Uber, go home, sleep this night off, and start fresh in the morning,” she rambled on to herself as she walked away.
“Riley James Lawson,” he called after her, she paused, too afraid to turn back.
“Riley James Lawson,” he called out after her again. “I owe you an explanation . . . I owe you a whole lot more, too . . . It might be eight years too late, but I’d still like you to hear it. If you’d like,” he added.
