Chapter 5 My Boyfriend

• •~ Maya•~
• “Coffee? Breakfast?” he asked, following me into the sitting room.
• I groaned mentally.
• “I don’t need anything from you,” I said, and he stepped in front of me, pasting a wide smile on his face—it made him look a little cute, unfortunately.
• “You just saved my life. I should at least—”
• “Look, just stop, okay? I’m not interested in whatever you have to give or what you want to do,” I said, and his expression dropped a little.
• It should have made me feel bad, but I was too exhausted to feel anything anymore. It was time I stopped prioritizing others’ feelings over mine.
• It was fucking time I did so.
• I gave a small nod and took a step back, running my fingers through my hair.
• “Thank you for letting me stay the night. I’ll just freshen up and be out of your space,” I muttered before I turned around, grabbed the bag where I’d put my toiletries earlier, and walked toward the staircase.
• I stopped dead in my tracks and muttered a curse under my breath before I turned back to face him.
• He raised a brow.
• “Where’s the bathroom?” I asked, and he huffed, dropping his head before he stared at me.
• “Upstairs. In my bedroom,” he said, and I pressed my lips together. Of course, this place had just one room and bathroom.
• I was told that when I thought I was getting a place. It sounded romantic at the time.
• “Cool. Can I make use of it?” I asked, and he chuckled.
• “Well, you were going to get out of my space,” he said, and I rolled my eyes before walking up the staircase.
• I got to the bathroom and stopped myself from ogling the view his bedroom got—a clear view of the ocean glittering under the sun.
• A pang of jealousy went through my heart.
• I did my stuff, changed into fresh clothes, and tied my hair into a bun before stepping out of the room and moving downstairs.
• He was seated on the couch, legs crossed, watching a show. Really? All he did was watch TV?
• I clutched my bag.
• “I’m done,” I announced, and his eyes snapped to me. They roamed my face curiously, with some other emotion I couldn’t pinpoint.
• It made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t the finest of them all, and being the object of spectacle of my high school bully didn’t exactly sit right with me.
• “I see,” his voice was low, and a cloudy expression crossed his face before he stood up and switched off the TV.
• “Great. Let’s go,” he muttered, and I frowned.
• “What?”
• He raised a brow, glancing around.
• “I’ll help you find a place to stay,” he said, and my frown only deepened. Something wasn’t right.
• “No, I don’t… you shouldn’t,” I said and took another step back. He shrugged, grabbed my luggage, and walked toward the door, glancing at me from over his shoulder.
• “I’m not leaving you with a choice, pookie. Let’s get going,” he said, winked at me, and walked out of the room, leaving the door open.
• I blinked.
• Was this his new tactic? Act sickeningly sweet just to show his monster side?
• I walked out of the door—because he was with my suitcase, obviously.
• He was already down the hill, waving down a cab. Goddamn it.
• Doesn’t he know when to take a cue and back the fuck off?
• A cab stopped in front of him, and he glanced up at me.
• “Come on,” he yelled, loud enough for me to hear him
• I scoffed before walking down the hill and climbing into the cab.
• This journey was going to be awkward, no doubt, but it wouldn’t hurt having company, even if that’s my nemesis.
• High school bully.
• And just as I expected, it was awkward, with Liam trying to make talks every now and then, which I either ignored or gave a one-word reply.
• “Sorry. We’re fully booked,” the receptionist said and gave me a small, warm smile. The last hope I had of getting a room in Tuscany vanished.
• Liam stepped up.
• “Do let us know when there’s a space available,” he said, and she nodded, batting her lashes at him. Either he didn’t notice or he pretended not to care.
• He scribbled his number on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
• “Call me,” he said, flashing her a smile. I rolled my eyes as he grabbed my suitcase and walked out of the hotel. I followed behind him.
• “Did you not notice she was flirting with you?” I asked, and he glanced at me as people walked past us.
• Obviously, this was some kind of busy environment.
• “So you’re going to talk to me now because of a woman?” he asked, and I huffed, looking away and tucking my hair behind my ear.
• “Forget it,” I muttered, my eyes scanning the faces and taking in their dress styles. I didn’t have a place to crash again tonight, and I knew I was left with two options.
• Either return to America—which I didn’t want to right now—or ask Liam to let me stay with him. Both options sucked, by the way.
• If I went back, I’d be giving them the satisfaction. If I asked Liam, I’d owe him.
• “If she’s interested in me, we could very much hit it off. She doesn’t look bad and, by the way, what would you do about—”
• He was saying, but my body froze. A familiar face—if not faces—appeared in my line of sight.
• Please tell me I was just dreaming and my mind was playing some kind of tricks on me.
• Because right there was Jenny, and next to her was—Tom. And oh, she said something to him, smiled, and started walking up to me.
• I glanced at Liam.
• “Let’s go,” I started, walking away but not quick enough to catch the frown that appeared on his face.
• “Hey, what? I called a ride… we have to wait,” he muttered, falling in step beside me.
• “Wait if you must, I need to leave,” I said, and he stepped in front of me so abruptly I almost ran into him.
• I scowled and glared at him.
• “What’s going on? I mean…”
• “Hi, there,” her mocking voice came through, and my scowl deepened despite how fast my heart was racing in my chest.
• Trust her to rub salt in my wound. She knew I’d be here. I’d asked her for suggestions and told her my plans.
• So yeah, she dragged him here with hopes of finding me—and she did.
• Liam’s eyes darted behind me, and he raised a brow. Of course, he recognized her. Queen Jenny.
• I turned around to stare at the both of them, and my eyes met Tom’s. He kinda had a somber expression on his face.
• My chest tightened, and I looked away, making sure my expression gave nothing out.
• Jenny narrowed her eyes at Liam, probably trying to figure out where she’d known him from.
• Liam said nothing, and Jenny gasped.
• “Liam Carter? Oh my God, it’s been so long,” she muttered, taking a step closer and then stopped, remembering I was there.
• She stared at me and sneered.
• “You came to Italy after all,” she huffed, and I didn’t miss the mockery in her tone. She gave me a once-over and scrunched her nose up before her eyes darted to Liam.
• “What are you doing with—her? It’s been so long, we should catch up sometime,” she said, and Tom shifted uncomfortably.
• Liam was way more handsome than him, and I know he was worried she might just leave him—absolutely something she could do.
• Liam remained silent. Oh, I forgot… he and Jenny always butted heads back then in school. Safe to say, he wasn’t a huge fan of her. Not like I care anyway.
• She gave a fake smile once she realized he wasn’t going to respond before turning to me.
• “We’re engaged. Mum would like to see you when you’re back,” she said, and her grin widened while I felt irritated? Angry? Hurt?
• I couldn’t place it.
• She took a couple of steps closer to me.
• “He won’t like you. Pathetic that you’re trying to hook up with a guy that showed just how much he hates you in high school,” she whispered, and I felt something at that moment.
• That she couldn’t see past my looks? Belittled me? Thinks every good thing is for her?
• That led to me blurting out the first thing that came to my mind.
• “He’s my date, actually,” I said, and the surprise on her face was so worth it. I lifted my chin and straightened my shoulders, very much aware of how both Tom and Liam were staring at me.
• One was shocked, and the other confused.
• “Yeah. Liam Carter is my boyfriend.”