Chapter 98 CHAPTER 98
They walked for a long time before Lisa realized her chest didn’t feel so tight anymore.
The city unfolded around them in quiet layers - streetlights flickering on one by one, distant traffic humming like a lullaby, the ordinary world moving forward without asking her to solve anything. Liam stayed beside her, his hand warm in hers, guiding her gently without pulling.
After a while, he slowed.
Ahead of them, lights bloomed against the darkening sky - bright wheels turning lazily, music drifting on the evening air, laughter rising and falling in waves. The entrance to a theme park stretched across the road, glowing with color and motion, alive in a way the quiet streets behind them were not
“Come on,” he said lightly. “I want to try something.”
She glanced at him suspiciously. “I don’t like the tone that you’re using…. Normally that means something fishy.”
He smiled, that familiar sideways smile that made her heart soften despite herself. “Just fifteen minutes. If you hate it, we leave. No arguments.”
She hesitated. “Liam, I really don’t feel like…”
“Fifteen minutes,” he repeated, squeezing her hand. “For me.”
She sighed, dramatic and exaggerated. “Fine. But only because you’re… my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” he teased with excitement.
She stopped walking.
“What?”
He turned fully toward her now, eyes bright. “You called me your boyfriend.”
Her face heated instantly. “I did not.”
“You did,” he said calmly, far too pleased with himself.
“I absolutely did not.”
“You said, I’m only agreeing because you’re the best boyfriend ever.”
She stared at him, mortified. “That doesn’t count. I dint mean it like that.”
“It did, and it counts,” he said. “I’m counting it.”
She crossed her arms, looking away shyly. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“I hope you call me that again,” he said softly. “Every day, if possible. I love it when you call me your boyfriend.”
She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re my girlfriend,” he said, still smiling.
She shook her head, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her.
By the time they reached the theme park, lights were blazing against the darkening sky, colors spinning and music floating through the air. Lisa slowed instinctively, the noise and movement overwhelming her senses.
“I don’t think this was a good idea,” she murmured.
Liam leaned closer. “Fifteen minutes,” he reminded her. “Just let yourself exist.”
The first ride was small and silly, spinning them around until Lisa clutched his arm and protested loudly. He laughed so hard he nearly lost his breath, and despite herself, she laughed too.
Then came ice cream, cold and sweet, dripping down their fingers as they shared flavors and argued over which was better. Then games, where Liam pretended to be shockingly terrible at throwing rings and just to see her smile when he failed time and again – and it worked. Lisa was not perfect in the game but she ended up winning a stuffed animal she immediately handed to him.
“For moral support,” she said with a grin.
“Rude, but it’s my first gift from my girlfriend… I love it.” he replied, hugging it anyway.
Little by little, something inside her loosened.
She stopped checking her thoughts.
Stopped bracing for pain.
Stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop.
For the first time in days, she forgot about gods and bonds and consequences. She forgot about Silverpine. Forgot about fear.
She just laughed.
When they reached the tallest ride in the park, Lisa’s eyes lit up.
“Oh,” she said. “That one.”
Liam followed her gaze and immediately shook his head. “No.”
She blinked. “What do you mean, no?”
“That thing goes into the sky,” he said flatly. “I don’t trust rides that think they’re birds.”
She grinned. “You’re scared.” She could not believe the mighty commander Liam was afraid of heights.
“I am cautious.”
“You’re scared.”
She tugged his hand. “I did everything you wanted today. One ride. Please.”
He hesitated, visibly torn. “Lisa…”
She stepped closer and kissed his cheek quickly. “Please.”
That did it.
Minutes later, Liam sat rigid beside her, eyes squeezed shut, gripping her hand like it was the only solid thing in existence. The ride climbed higher, the city spreading beneath them like a sea of lights.
“Liam,” she said gently.
“No,” he muttered. “I’m not opening my eyes.”
She leaned in.
When she kissed him, softly and deliberately, he froze.
Then he opened his eyes - just a little - and forgot entirely where they were.
The kiss was slow, warm, steady, as though both of them had been holding their breath for days and finally allowed themselves to exhale. Liam felt it first in his chest, a steadying calm spreading through him, quieting every doubt that had been circling his mind. Lisa felt it too, the way her heart seemed to align with his, as if they were speaking a language that did not need words. In that kiss, the weight of gods, bonds, fear, and uncertainty softened. They did not need a divine mark to tell them this was real. They chose each other in that moment, freely, deliberately, and it felt like reassurance rather than rebellion. Even if the goddess had not yet blessed them, they knew they had not made a mistake. Together, they felt stronger, steadier, and less alone than they had felt in a long time.
When the ride finally descended and their feet touched ground again, he exhaled shakily and laughed.
“That,” he said, “was worth the near heart attack.”
They left the park hand in hand, the night fully settled around them. As they walked back toward the old apartment building, Liam reached into his pocket and paused.
“I still have the key,” he said.
“We have to take it back before Isabel panics, she left it there for her mother.” Lisa responded.
They climbed the stairs quietly. Near the top, Lisa slowed.
Someone was crouched near the door.
Dressed in black. Hood pulled low. Hands searching under the rug.
“Hey…” Lisa began.
The figure startled, looked up just long enough for them to see it was young, then bolted down the stairs and disappeared into the night.
They stood frozen.
“That wasn’t Isabel’s mom, they seem younger.” Liam said quietly.
“No,” Lisa agreed. “And they were looking for the key.”
They exchanged a glance, unease settling between them.
They didn’t put the key back.
Instead, they went straight to Pauline’s café.
When they reached Pauline’s café, warm light spilled onto the street, and the place was bursting with life. Voices overlapped, cups clinked against saucers, and the air was thick with the smell of coffee and baked bread. Pauline noticed them almost immediately, her eyes widening in surprise as she hurried past with a tray balanced on one arm.
“Lisa?” she called out, barely slowing. “What are you doing in the city this late?”
Lisa stepped closer so she wouldn’t have to shout. “We were nearby,” she said gently. “We went by the apartment first. We thought someone might have been looking for the key.”
Pauline frowned briefly, shaking her head as she set the tray down. “No, I haven’t heard anything. And no one’s come asking me about it either. I’m sorry, I really wish I could talk more, but tonight is madness.” She gestured helplessly around the café, already being called by another customer.
Lisa hesitated, then said quickly, “Let us help.”
Pauline waved her off at once. “No, no, I couldn’t…”
“It’s fine,” Lisa insisted, already reaching for an empty tray. Liam nodded beside her, rolling up his sleeves without hesitation.
Pauline looked at them for a second, then laughed breathlessly. “All right. Just don’t break anything.”
Lisa slipped easily into the rhythm, like she’d never left. As she approached one table, an older woman looked up sharply, eyes narrowing. She was having dinner with a younger couple and two young kids.
“Where did you get that pendant?” the woman asked curiously.
Lisa touched her necklace, confused. “Which one?” Lisa did not understand which pendant the woman was talking about since she was wearing two pendants - the pendant from Celestine and the one her mother had been gifted by her father when Lisa was born.
The woman’s gaze lingered too long but didn’t respond to Lisa’s question. “It’s… pretty,” she said finally.
But her eyes said otherwise.
Something cold settled in Lisa’s stomach.