Chapter 54 Call
Liam Carter
Mornings in the apartment had a rhythm of their own. The quiet hum of the refrigerator, the faint ticking of the wall clock, the distant city noise bleeding in through the windows like a soft, constant tide. It was the kind of quiet that settled into your bones, heavy but peaceful, the kind that made you want to stay exactly where you were and not move an inch.
I had been awake for a while, half watching some meaningless sports recap on TV, half lost in my own head. My knee ached in that dull, familiar way that never fully went away, a ghost of pain that lingered no matter how much I ignored it. But this morning, even that didn’t bother me much. The air felt lighter today, easier somehow.
Maybe it was because she was here.
I felt her before I saw her. The soft creak of the bedroom door came with the faint shuffle of feet against the floor, and then, the sigh, that deep, soul weary groan of a woman who clearly wasn’t ready to be awake.
I bit back a grin and kept my eyes on the TV, waiting.
Sure enough, she stumbled into the kitchen like a sleep-deprived goblin, hair sticking up in five different directions, my hoodie hanging off one shoulder, and one sock missing.
I watched as she blindly reached for a coffee mug, head tilted slightly down, her eyelids barely open. The zombie routine. Adorable.
There was something disarming about seeing her like this. Not guarded. Not sharp-tongued or composed or trying to keep me at arm’s length. Just Ava, half asleep, existing in the quiet of the morning like she had forgotten the world outside these walls even existed.
I stretched out on the couch, putting my arms over my head, and called out, “Morning, sunshine.”
She grunted, not even a word, just a sound.
“Wow. That enthusiastic, huh?” I smirked.
Nothing.
I propped my ankle up on my knee, turning up the volume on the TV just slightly to mess with her. She had this thing where any loud sound before caffeine made her murderous.
Sure enough
“Liam,” she rasped, voice still thick with sleep. “Turn it down.”
“Did you sleep okay?” I ask, ignoring her request
She made another unintelligible noise and continued her mission to inhale caffeine.
The smell of coffee drifted through the room, rich and warm, filling the air. I watched the way her shoulders slowly relaxed with the first sip, like life was returning to her body one drop at a time.
“Let me guess.” I tapped my chin. “You dreamt of me, didn’t you?”
That made her pause, barely, but I caught it. The smallest hesitation as she brought the mug to her lips.
My grin widened.
“It’s okay, you know,” I went on casually. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I mean, I get it. Happens to the best of us. You wake up all hot and needy, then realize I’m not in bed with you and get cranky. Makes sense.”
“Liam.” She didn’t even look at me.
“Yeah?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“See? Cranky.” I barked out a laugh.
She sighed through her nose, taking another slow sip of coffee, probably debating whether I was worth the effort of a comeback.
I could practically see the gears in her head turning, that sharp mind of hers waking up piece by piece. It was like watching a storm gather slowly on the horizon, quiet at first, then dangerous if you stayed too long in its path.
I decided to push just a little more.
“You gonna punish me?” I teased, standing from the couch. “Gonna bend me over your knee, Snowflakes?”
Her fingers flexed around her mug. “I should throw this coffee at you.”
“That’s one way to get me hot first thing in the morning.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice just enough.
She choked on her sip, making me grin. There it is.
“You’re insufferable,” she muttered, setting her mug down a little too aggressively.
“And yet…” I trailed off, watching her bite back a reluctant smile.
That smile hit me harder than any body check ever had. It was small, fleeting, but real, and it did something strange to my chest every time I saw it, like a knot loosening that I hadn’t realized was there.
She rolled her eyes, finally leaning back against the counter.
I braced my hands against the counter on either side of her, caging her in just a little.
“You working today?”
For a second, everything felt still. Just her and me, the quiet morning, the faint warmth of sunlight starting to creep through the blinds and paint thin gold lines across the floor.
She started to answer, but her phone rang, instantly shifting the mood.
The amusement drained from her face, her body stiffened, and the easy warmth in her expression turned cold.
It was subtle, but I saw it. The way her shoulders went rigid. The way her fingers hovered over the phone instead of grabbing it immediately. Like whatever name was on that screen carried weight.
I frowned as she glanced at the screen.
“Who is it?”
She didn’t answer or even look at me. She just stared at the phone for a beat too long before inhaling sharply and turning away to answer.
Something in my gut twisted. Whoever was on the other end of that call, it wasn’t good.
I stayed where I was, leaning against the counter, watching the way her back straightened, the way her free hand curled slightly at her side. She wasn’t saying much, just short, quiet responses, but the tension in her posture spoke volumes.
Ava was many things. Strong. Stubborn. Sharp as a blade when she needed to be. But right now, there was something else there too, something fragile just beneath the surface, like glass under pressure.
And I didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
Because whatever was happening on the other end of that call… I had a feeling it was about to walk straight into our lives whether we were ready for it or not.