Chapter 19 A Distraction
Liam's POV
The morning sun streamed gently through the glass windows of the yacht's dining area. The scent of fresh coffee and sea salt mixed in the air, but I barely noticed.
I kept looking at Mia. She sat at the far end of the table in a light beach dress that showed a softness she usually hid under her school uniform. Her hair was still a little wet, tied up in a messy knot. The morning light made her skin glow, and the cardigan around her shoulders looked like protection, as if she already knew how much attention she would draw just by being there.
And she had not looked at me. Not once. I tried not to care. I tried to eat and smile at whatever half-joke my cousin was telling. But it was useless. All I could think about was last night. And the six months. And the ache I could not reason away.
"Did I miss breakfast already?" A familiar voice cut in casually. My stomach tightened when I saw Josh's sister, Celine.
She came down the steps from the upper deck with ease, her white sundress moving softly around her. Her hair looked perfect, her eyes sharp. She looked polished and confident. The table paused. Even Mia's hand stilled halfway to her glass.
Celine's eyes immediately found me. "Still the only gentleman on this boat who stands when a lady enters." I stood. Instinct, not desire.
"Morning," I said with a polite nod. Before I could say more, she crossed the room and linked her arm through mine like she had the right. She leaned in and kissed my cheek.
"Still handsome," she murmured, like it was an inside joke between us. "And still not calling me."
I gave a tight, careful smile, the one I used when I did not want to offend but also did not want to encourage.
Across the table, Mia stayed quiet. But her eyes, those wide, dark eyes, followed every movement. Josh rose slowly from his chair beside her, his tone light.
"Celine, you made it."
She beamed. "Barely. The driver practically left me on the pier. But do not worry, I have arrived to cause a little chaos."
Josh chuckled. "Celine, meet Mia, my girlfriend."
Celine finally looked at Mia, studying her like she had walked into a boutique and spotted something rare she had not expected to find.
"Oh," she said, eyes narrowing just slightly. "This is Mia."
Mia gave a small nod. And something shifted in my chest. Not jealousy. Not yet. Just the quiet, aching urge to reach for her before she disappeared again.
Celine lifted her brow and looked back at me with a knowing smile. I could tell she felt threatened by Mia's presence, and she was grateful Mia was with Josh and not with me.
"Well," she said, "I suppose I will have to catch up with everyone over coffee. Liam, will you walk with me?"
Before I could answer, I glanced across the table. Mia was not looking at Celine anymore. She was staring at her plate.
But her shoulders were too still. Her lips pressed just a little too tightly. And her fingers gripped her glass like it had betrayed her.
I gently unhooked Celine's arm from mine and gestured toward the bar. "Everything is still warm."
Celine pouted but did not insist. "Later then, handsome." She walked away confidently, and I sat back down.
Mia finally looked up, just for a second. Our eyes met, and for a brief moment, everything else faded. I saw the softness in her face as she looked back at me, unguarded and quiet, and I was completely lost.
Then Josh ruined it. And the worst part was that I had no right to be angry. He was her real boyfriend. He was the one allowed to stand beside her, to touch her, to belong in her space. I was just the boy foolish enough to want her attention, desperate enough to hope for something that was never mine to begin with.
I hated the way he draped his arm around her shoulders, leaning in to whisper something that made her blush. The sight twisted something ugly in my chest. I could not watch it. I stood up and left the dining area, retreating to my cabin where I stayed for the rest of the morning, staring at the ceiling and trying to quiet the storm in my head.
When lunchtime came, I did not have a choice. I had to join them again. That was when Celine became my escape.
Her presence was a distraction I had not asked for but welcomed anyway. Celine had always been loud about her feelings for me, bold and unapologetic. I had thought she outgrew her crush years ago, but the way she hovered beside me, laughing too brightly and touching my arm too often, told me otherwise. She was still the same girl who tried everything to catch my attention.
I had never led her on. Never once. I always made it clear she was like a sister to me. But now, I let her stay close. Not because I wanted her to think I felt something more, but because I needed the distraction.
I did not want Mia to think I was still watching her. I needed to stop myself from looking at her, from wanting her, from forgetting that she belonged to Josh.
"Do you want to swim with me after lunch, Liam?" Celine asked sweetly.
"Of course," I answered without thinking.
She squealed in excitement, earning a sharp reminder from her mother to behave like a lady. I laughed, unable to stop myself. And when I lifted my head, I caught Mia staring at me. Her expression was unreadable.
For a moment, I wanted to believe she was jealous. I knew how pathetic that was. What I did not expect was Josh bringing Mia to the pool.
What made it worse was how stunning Mia looked in her swimsuit. I had always known she was beautiful, but seeing her like that for the first time caught me off guard. The swimsuit fit her perfectly, and all I could think about was wanting to protect her from every pair of eyes watching her.
All I had wanted was to stay as far away from Mia as possible. Instead, there they were, side by side, laughing softly, moving together with an ease that made my chest ache. They looked good together, comfortable and real.
I could not do the same with Celine. I could not flirt with Josh's sister, not when I knew she would take one wrong move as permission to never leave me alone. I had learned that lesson the hard way years ago, the one time I let her kiss me. It had ended badly, with drama I never wanted to repeat.
Celine was spoiled, dramatic, and relentless when she thought she had a chance. And I didn't want to get involved with her at all. So I made an excuse.
I left the pool, claiming I had something urgent to discuss with my father. It was a lie, but an easy one. Anything was better than staying there, watching Mia laugh with someone else, knowing I had no right to feel the way I did.