Chapter 10 Unwelcome Guests

• Noah’s P.O.V.
• It was a new day at the office and I could still remember what had made my chest hurt so bad yesterday.
• I had spent the entire morning convincing myself that I didn’t care. That this would pass too, that Liam's expression yesterday wasn’t affecting me, that the touch from last night wasn’t still etched to my skin and burning in my veins.
• I had gotten home last night and got in the shower, hoping to erase his touch for my skin, trying to scrub this illicit feeling away from my body but I couldn’t—scrubbing him away didn’t work.
• I had barely gotten any sleep on the same subject, but the moment I had stepped into the office, I shoved every thought of him into a box and sealed it shut. Or at least, I tried to.
• Because the second I saw him, sitting behind his desk, cold and distant, his head bent over as he flipped through the file, almost snapped the jolt I had on my composure.
• But Liam was nothing to me. Nothing but a sickness I would get rid of.
• I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to focus on the folder in my hands. I wasn’t going to be the first to speak. If he wanted to act like last night meant nothing, then fine. Two could play that game and I was going to beat him at it.
• I got on my feet and gathered the folders in my hands, I was done with the batch and they were ready to be looked over by him.
• I made steady steps to his office, trying to feign ignorance, I pushed his door open and got in, not bothering to knock.
• I dropped the folder onto his desk with a thud.
• “Your schedule for today and the files you had requested for.” My voice was clipped, professional.
• Liam's eyes were on me, the pull of its magnetic force making it a chore to stand on my feet.
• “Good morning to you too Noah.”
• I glanced at him then away. ”Good morning, sir,”
• Silence.
• Then the shuffling of papers. “Are these all the files?”
• “Yes, and I’d suggest you stop making me do other department work. That’s not what I was hired to do.”
• Clipped and precise, just what I wanted it to be. I almost smiled at the surprise on his face before I clamped it down.
• “I am your boss, you will do what I ask you to do.” He smiled.
• He fucking smiled!
• God, he was insufferable and I wished I could kill him. I hated him that much.
• I stood still as he stared at me, not blinking.
• “Your eyes… You didn’t sleep last night?”
• What was this asshole playing at pretending to care?
• His on and off attitude was giving me more whisplash than my mom’s mood and that said a lot considering she suffered depression previously.
• I watched him, waiting for even a flicker of emotion, but there was nothing. Just the same carefully constructed mask he had been wearing ever since he got engaged to Veronica.
• Veronica. That stupid bitch.
• The thought of her left a bitter taste in my mouth.
• I gritted my teeth. “Anything else you need?”
• “Is there a reason why you are acting bratty this morning?”
• Me? Bratty?!
• The audacity of this man!
• Look at him acting like he wasn’t dismissive about me yesterday, like I was nothing more than an inconvenience, and it felt like I could feel the pain all over again.
• The damn jab at my stupid heart.
• Fuck the universe for making me this easy.
• I had spent years building walls around my heart when it came to Liam, but last night, he had cracked them open with his touch, the way he had looked at me like I was the only thing he had ever wanted.
• And now, he was asking me why I was acting bratty when he cast me aside like it cost him nothing?
• God.
• I was so done with this. With him!
• I turned to leave, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
• But then, just as I reached the door, his voice cut through my lungs and I held my breath.
• “Noah.”
• I stilled.
• For a second, I let myself hope. Maybe he was going to acknowledge it. Maybe he was going to say something real instead of hiding behind this bullshit act.
• But when I turned around, his eyes were cold, Detached.
• “Can you stop acting like I owe you anything?”
• A scoff of disbelief left my lips before I could stop it. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
• He didn’t respond, just stared at me and stared through me. He must have seen a mess, the mess he keeps making of me.
• I felt something snap inside of me.
• “That’s it?” I demanded, stepping closer. “After yesterday, that’s all you have to say?”
• His grip on the folder tightened. “There’s nothing to say.”
• Nothing to say.
• I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
• “Noah—”
• “No,” I cut him off, stepping right up to his desk. “You touched me , Liam. You touched me only for you to act like it was a mistake and now what? You’re just going to pretend that I am throwing an act?!”
• He exhaled, rubbing his temple like I was exhausting him. “It was a mistake.”
• There it was. Those goddamn words again.
• I sucked in a breath, my pulse pounding in my ears. “You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to pull me in and then push me away like I mean nothing.”
• He looked at me then, really looked at me, and for the briefest second, I saw guilt, pain, regret but this didn’t cover it anymore.
• I was done walking on a thin line just for him when he wouldn’t lift a finger for me.
• I was done with these forsaken feelings that keep leading me to hell.
• “You need to stay away from me, Liam.” My voice was steel and I clenched my fists.
• I turned, storming toward the door, but before I could reach it, it flew open and Veronica walked in.
• The sound of her heels against the floor was enough for me to roll my eyes.
• She looked different today, her once brown hair was now a light shade of blonde. Her eyes bounced between me and Liam.
• “What’s going on here?” She asked, her voice laced with apprehension.
• I could care less about what she thought but just as I opened my mouth to respond, Liam beat me to it.
• “Nothing,” he said smoothly, like it was the easiest lie in the world. “Noah was just leaving.”
• I turned to him, my blood boiling.
• He couldn’t even look me in the eye.
• Veronica arched a brow, then smiled sweetly at me, her eyes lighting up. “Good. You should be leaving, Noah.”
• “I am glad you got a hair to match your personality. Dumb blondie!”
• She screeched and her face turned a beet red.
• I should have walked away. I should have just left.
• But I was too angry.
• Too hurt.
• So instead, I turned back to Liam one last time, and with every ounce of venom in my voice, I said, “You’re a coward.”
• Liam’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t say a word.
• Didn’t defend himself.
• Didn’t stop me as I walked out and slammed the door behind me.
• And somehow, I could have sworn that he was reaching out for me.
• ❧
• The hours had passed on excruciatingly slow and now it was evening and I couldn’t wait to get home.
• My stomach has been in a knot throughout the day, even as hunger gwanced on my insides.
• I was arranging my files and reaching for my briefcase to clock out when a ping came through.
• I reached for it and looked at it to notice it was a text from an unknown number.
• Anonymous: “Meet me at Lym now.” The text had said.
• What was Liam doing inviting me to a bar and who did he think he was ordering me around?
• Yet I found myself in my car, driving to the location he had ordered me to come to.
• Blame it on curiosity, blame it on my feelings, I really did care.
• I sat in my car and grumbled, I shouldn’t be here, not after knowing he was going to push me away the minute he realized what he was doing but I couldn’t bring myself to ignore him.
• I was a finished man and it seemed there was nothing I could do about it.
• I stepped out of the car and made my way into the bar.
• The bar was dimly lit, with a soft bass sound reverberating through the entire building but I could make out Liam’s build in the little light the disco ball offered.
• He was seated, his back straightened with a glass in front of him.
• I walked to him and took the stool beside him.
• “Is there a reason you called me here?” I spoke, causing him to turn his head to him and he drank me in with his eyes like he was a tasty man.
• I cleared my throat.
• “I heard you have found the letter.”
• I stared at him in confusion. I haven’t had time to look for the letter nor talk of finding it.
• “What? No, I haven’t!” I shook my head, saying a quick thank you to the barista as he dropped a glass of water in front of me.
• “Stop lying, Noah, Veronica said you had found it some days back.”
• What?
• Veronica again? Was this why he was acting weird all these days? The pretense and all?
• Then it hit me. Veronica knew about the letter?
• “Liam” I called, looking back at him. “How did Veronica know about the letter?”
• His eyes widened for a fracture of a second before he spoke again. “It doesn’t matter, it is already late.”
• But I didn’t care. That letter was mine and I was going to have it.
• “Then why did you call me here to ask about it?”
• “Pardon, my mistake.”
• There he went again with that statement.