arrived at ground level and the doors opened. “So I don’t have to keep sleeping on the couch,” he explained. “It’s fine for a night or two, but the couch is not a good long-term solution.”
“ Hold on.” I stumbled after the pair of them with their long legs as we headed back into the parking garage. “Why do you need a long-term solution?” That would mean he intended for me to be around long term. Which, of course, I knew he thought was for the best since he’d been trying to convince me it would be okay all afternoon. But bringing in a bed and setting up another bedroom turned this into a far more permanent situation than I’d counted on, and I didn’t know how to react.
“ Since you’re going to stay,” Babs said matter-of-factly, as if it had already been discussed and agreed upon, despite the fact that I hadn’t been part of that conversation.
“ I can’t stay,” I said, but neither of them acted as though they’d heard me. “Really, you can’t just turn your lives upside down for me like this.” They didn’t even slow down, let alone acknowledge that I was trying to have an argument with them.
When we got to the car, the two of them loaded their arms up with all of the remaining bags, leaving me standing there empty-handed. I closed the trunk and followed after them back to the condo again. Like he had earlier, Babs dropped his load onto the bed in Liam’s room and left.
Once Liam and I were alone, he set his bags down along the wall near the door and moved closer to me. Not close enough that we could touch but close enough that I could feel the warmth and solidness of his presence. He was somehow very steadying even when he threw me completely off my guard. All of my reactions to him contradicted each other.
“ I can’t,” I said into the chasm between us. “I can’t stay here. I can’t just keep taking and taking from you like this.”
“ You’re not taking from me. I’m giving to you.”
“ That’s the same thing!”
He shook his head. “It’s not even close to the same thing. It’s all about intent.”
He was frustrating me so much I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes and letting out a huff that sent my bangs flying. He made me want to pout, and I hadn’t pouted since I was about twelve years old, at least as far as I could remember.
“ Noelle?”
I tipped my chin up so I could look into his eyes. They looked troubled, and it made me wish I could soothe whatever ailed him. It was a curse I’d always had, this need to make everyone around me feel better any way I could. My frustrations all seemed insignificant when someone else needed help.
“ Yeah?” I said when he didn’t go on.
“ I know it’s crazy. I do.” Liam took another step toward me. He was close enough now that his long arms could reach me even if mine couldn’t reach him. “But you said last night that Liv would be proud of me. But that’s just it. She’s been gone for a year and a half, and I still feel like I need to do whatever I can to make her proud. Taking care of you like this—making sure you have everything you need—that would make her proud.”
I started to shake my head, but he didn’t let me get a word out.
“ I don’t know why you were homeless,” he rushed on. “I don’t know why you don’t have a job right now. I don’t know why your family hasn’t stepped in and done all the things I’m trying to do.” He reached out with one hand and brushed a piece of hair away from my eye, his fingertips trailing over my skin and making me shiver. “But I do know I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let you walk out of here and didn’t know you would be all right.”
“ But you’ve done so much for me that I’ll never be able to repay.”
“ You’re already giving me the only repayment I could ever want or need.”
Now he’d lost me. I hadn’t done anything for him. Nothing at all. I frowned. “What on earth am I giving you?”
“
“ Hold on.” I stumbled after the pair of them with their long legs as we headed back into the parking garage. “Why do you need a long-term solution?” That would mean he intended for me to be around long term. Which, of course, I knew he thought was for the best since he’d been trying to convince me it would be okay all afternoon. But bringing in a bed and setting up another bedroom turned this into a far more permanent situation than I’d counted on, and I didn’t know how to react.
“ Since you’re going to stay,” Babs said matter-of-factly, as if it had already been discussed and agreed upon, despite the fact that I hadn’t been part of that conversation.
“ I can’t stay,” I said, but neither of them acted as though they’d heard me. “Really, you can’t just turn your lives upside down for me like this.” They didn’t even slow down, let alone acknowledge that I was trying to have an argument with them.
When we got to the car, the two of them loaded their arms up with all of the remaining bags, leaving me standing there empty-handed. I closed the trunk and followed after them back to the condo again. Like he had earlier, Babs dropped his load onto the bed in Liam’s room and left.
Once Liam and I were alone, he set his bags down along the wall near the door and moved closer to me. Not close enough that we could touch but close enough that I could feel the warmth and solidness of his presence. He was somehow very steadying even when he threw me completely off my guard. All of my reactions to him contradicted each other.
“ I can’t,” I said into the chasm between us. “I can’t stay here. I can’t just keep taking and taking from you like this.”
“ You’re not taking from me. I’m giving to you.”
“ That’s the same thing!”
He shook his head. “It’s not even close to the same thing. It’s all about intent.”
He was frustrating me so much I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes and letting out a huff that sent my bangs flying. He made me want to pout, and I hadn’t pouted since I was about twelve years old, at least as far as I could remember.
“ Noelle?”
I tipped my chin up so I could look into his eyes. They looked troubled, and it made me wish I could soothe whatever ailed him. It was a curse I’d always had, this need to make everyone around me feel better any way I could. My frustrations all seemed insignificant when someone else needed help.
“ Yeah?” I said when he didn’t go on.
“ I know it’s crazy. I do.” Liam took another step toward me. He was close enough now that his long arms could reach me even if mine couldn’t reach him. “But you said last night that Liv would be proud of me. But that’s just it. She’s been gone for a year and a half, and I still feel like I need to do whatever I can to make her proud. Taking care of you like this—making sure you have everything you need—that would make her proud.”
I started to shake my head, but he didn’t let me get a word out.
“ I don’t know why you were homeless,” he rushed on. “I don’t know why you don’t have a job right now. I don’t know why your family hasn’t stepped in and done all the things I’m trying to do.” He reached out with one hand and brushed a piece of hair away from my eye, his fingertips trailing over my skin and making me shiver. “But I do know I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let you walk out of here and didn’t know you would be all right.”
“ But you’ve done so much for me that I’ll never be able to repay.”
“ You’re already giving me the only repayment I could ever want or need.”
Now he’d lost me. I hadn’t done anything for him. Nothing at all. I frowned. “What on earth am I giving you?”
“
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