Chapter 93 Why do you think I do?
Sophie
It took me a while to finally stop crying. When I did, I realized my face was a mess, my eyes all swollen. I felt so stupid for it. I pushed him back a little, just enough to put some space between us.
“Do you have to stare?” I said, my voice low.
“That’s what you’re worried about right now?” There it was, that dry, mocking tone he used so well.
I let out a long breath. “Just warn me when you’re about to start in on me. Let me get ready for it.”
He gave me a look, all sharp edges. It did not scare me. For some rLiam, his annoyed face just made me want to smile.
“Happy to put on a show for you,” he shot back.
“I’m sorry,” I said, pressing my lips together to keep from laughing. “How did you even find me?”
“Your mother phoned me,” he said. “I knew you would not take a cab. There is only one bus route near your house. So I drove it. I checked every stop until I saw you.”
A guilty ache spread through my chest. What I did was so stupid, so childish. He was right. If he had not shown up when he did, something awful could have happened.
“I should probably call my mom,” I mumbled.
I knew I needed to. I had to let her know I was okay. But my thoughts were still a jumbled mess, and the idea of explaining tonight to her made my stomach turn.
Liam saw my hesitation. “I can call her. If you do not want to.”
“Really? You would do that?”
“Of course,” he said, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. “I have already done two big things for you today. Why not make it three?”
I laughed, because he was not wrong.
He walked a few steps away to make the call. When he came back, I felt anxious all over again.
“What did she say?” I asked. “You did not tell her about… about what happened, right?”
“No. She just asked me to keep you safe.”
The relief was immediate. I could handle my mom and whatever she had to say tomorrow. For tonight, I was okay.
“I guess you do not want to go home right now, do you?” he asked, a grin playing on his mouth. “I have an idea. Get in the car.”
He went and opened the passenger door for me.
I had never been in a car like his before. It was built low to the ground, and the space inside felt so small. It pressed me into the seat. This thing was not made for relaxing, that was for sure.
I moved around, trying to get comfortable, my hands searching for the seatbelt.
Liam got in behind the wheel. He put both hands on it and just looked at me, his eyes narrowed.
“What?” I mumbled, feeling embarrassed. I was worried he would laugh at me for not knowing my way around his fancy car.
Then, he moved. He leaned right over toward me, his body boxing me in between him and the seat. I went completely still. He was just so there, filling up the tiny space until it felt like there was no air left. He was close enough that I could see every one of his dark lashes.
“What are you doing?” The words stumbled out of me.
A faint smile touched his mouth. He leaned in even closer, his arm brushing past me. I heard a click from behind my shoulder.
“Nothing,” he said, settling back into his own seat with a quiet laugh. “Just buckling your seatbelt for you.”
I felt like an idiot for letting my mind run wild. But he was just so good-looking that sometimes I forgot he was supposed to be my stepbrother.
We drove in silence at first. Neither of us said a word. But Liam seemed to be in a good mood; his fingers tapped against the steering wheel. Once we were on the open highway, he glanced over at me. “You ready for this?”
I was immediately on alert. His idea of a good time was probably nothing like mine. “Maybe. What is ‘this’?”
His grin was wide and bright. He turned on the music. I clapped my hands over my ears. It was not music. It was just a wall of loud, angry noise!
“Turn it off! Please!” I yelled.
“You will thank me later!” he yelled back over the sound.
Then, he slammed his foot down on the gas.
It felt like a giant hand shoved me forward, then threw me back into the seat. The engine roared, the wind screamed, and that awful music pounded in my ears. It was like being on a rollercoaster that was trying to kill me.
I screamed as loud as I could. “What the fuck are you doing? Stop!”
He let up on the gas a little, but we were still flying. “Loosen up! Just feel it!”
How could anyone feel anything but terror?! This was torture!
But after that first wave of panic… something changed. A strange, buzzing feeling shot through me. My mind went quiet. My body felt light, almost like I was floating. I did not want to admit it, but he was right. It was a rush.
He saw the look on my face and shouted over the wind. “Having fun now?”
“Watch the goddamn road!” I screamed back. He just laughed.
The drive ended sooner than I thought. Before I knew it, we were off the highway and back in the city. My heart was still hammering in my chest as he smiled over at me. “So? You liked it?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “But a little warning next time.”
He laughed. “Already thinking about a next time? I will have to check my calendar.”
I laughed with him, but then it hit me. I could not be the first girl he had done this with. A car like this was built to impress. He had probably done this a hundred times.
The thought made my chest feel heavy. I always knew girls liked Liam, but it never really got to me before.
Maybe it was because he had changed so much, and I was still trying to catch up.
“What is wrong?” he asked. He could be so perceptive.
“Nothing,” I lied, looking out the window. We were pulling up to a tall, nice-looking building. “Where is this?”
“My place,” Liam said, turning off the car. He cleared his throat. “I thought… I do not know. If you do not want to go home, you can sleep here tonight. I have the space.”
He was being kind again. I looked right at him and meant it when I said, “Thank you, Liam.”
He shrugged like it was nothing. But I could tell he was not used to people being genuinely grateful to him. I smiled to myself and followed him inside.
His apartment was on the very top floor. Of course it was. When he opened the door, I actually gasped.
I knew it would be big. But I was not ready for… this.
The main room was huge. One entire wall was glass, showing off the whole city. Lights came on as we walked in, glowing softly over the pale furniture. A dark brown couch sat on a light wood floor. Everything looked perfect, like a photograph from some expensive magazine.
“Wow,” was all I could manage. “Just… wow.”
He laughed and waved me inside. “I will take that.”
I walked in slowly, my fingers brushing over a decorative piece on a table. “This does not look like a place a student lives in.”
“Well, I did not want the townhouse. So this is what I got instead.”
I snorted a laugh. Most students rent a tiny room or live in a dorm. They do not get this.
“I am glad you like it,” he said, opening the fridge. He tossed me a cold beer.
I really should not have been drinking. But after everything that happened today, I figured I had earned it.
Liam opened his own can and sat next to me on the couch. “Do you want to talk about why you ran off earlier?”
I got quiet. The hurt was still there, but I did not mind telling him.
So I did. I told him everything, from planning a birthday surprise for Jordan to my father telling me to leave.
“So… you are staying here?” he asked. His voice sounded strange, like he was holding back something big.
“I guess so,” I said with a groan. “I can not believe it. Miami feels like home now. I do not want to start my last year of school all over again.”
He did not look happy about it. “You were only there for three years. You are from Northwood.”
“I know,” I said, turning to face him. “But you know what? If I stay, I might go to your school. That would not be the worst thing, right?”
He looked at me, and something soft moved behind his eyes. Slowly, his mouth curved into a smile.
“No,” he said, that grin finally spreading fully across his face. “That would not be bad at all.”
That smile was probably the best thing I had ever seen. I knew who he was, I knew what we were supposed to be, but my heart kept forgetting. It sped up just for him.
Without stopping to think, the words were out of my mouth. “Can I ask you something?”
His eyebrows went up. “Go ahead.”
There was no taking it back now. I swallowed hard.
“Why do you hate me?”
He looked at me for what felt like forever, his expression impossible to figure out. I started to feel nervous under his stare. I wanted to talk about something else, anything else.
But then he leaned in. He closed the distance between us until there was almost none. His voice was so reduced, and so quiet.
“Why do you think I do?”