Blaze & Bind (Surrender to Them 10)

Maybe I should have been honest, but it’s not like we’re in love or anything—it was just one kiss.

7

Rachel

I felt relieved that I didn’t let myself go further with Liam when he blamed the kiss on the alcohol, we were drinking the night before. I didn’t feel like either of us had enough to drink that our judgment was utterly clouded, but if that was what he wanted to blame it on, then so be it. Maybe he just wanted to do the same thing Gerard did—take me to bed and then forget I existed. I talked to my Dad for a little bit before I showered, and then I got ready for my shift at work. It was just a retail job, and I didn’t have as many hours as I would have liked, but I planned to talk to my boss and see if that could change. I needed to work as much as possible until I went back to school. That would also help me stay out of the apartment, which meant I wouldn’t see Gerard or Liam very often. That seemed like the best course of action. I also needed the money after spending a chunk of my savings to move in. At least my Dad was having a good trip—he had done so much for me that I was glad I was able to help out for a change.

Is that the door? I hoped I would get out of here before either of them got back…

“Liam, you here?” It was Gerard’s voice.

“No, he’s not back yet.” I walked out of my bedroom.

“Damn.” He took a seat and sighed. “He didn’t respond to my text message, so I hoped he was here.”

“You look troubled.” I sat down across from Gerard. “You didn’t look happy when you left last night, and you didn’t look happy when you came back. What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about.” He smiled, but it looked forced. “Just business stuff with Liam.”

“Are you guys planning to start a fire, so you have something to do when you go to work tomorrow?” I raised an eyebrow.

“No, not that kind of business.” He shook his head back and forth.

Gerard’s troubles should have concerned me, but I didn’t like seeing the look of worry on his face. My natural instinct was to offer to help, mainly because I was the type of person that tried to see the good in everyone—even when they didn’t necessarily deserve it. I wanted to offer him support without prying and told him that I was there if he needed to talk. He seemed more content with his brooding, so I finally gave up and went to finish getting ready for work. When I returned to the living room, he didn’t even look my way—he just had a scowl etched on his face. I told a couple of light jokes, just trying to break the tension—force a smile—anything that would get him to snap out of his gloom. It didn’t work, and my time was limited. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door after saying goodbye—which didn’t garner much of a response outside of a grunt.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” He exhaled sharply.

“I don’t know.” I walked back into the living room and shrugged. “It’s easier than being angry, I guess. I try not to dwell on the past too much.”

“I wish I could do the same. I truly am sorry about what happened…” He sighed and shook his head.

“Yeah, me too.” I shrugged and walked towards the door.

Two years ago

“So, I met this guy…” I grinned and looked across the table at my best

friend, Annie. “Well, I knew him from high school.”

“Ooh.” She lifted her head and smiled. “Someone, I know?”

“Maybe. He was in my brother’s class—do you remember Gerard Clark?” I tilted my head to the side.

“Vaguely…” Her eyebrows came together in contemplation. “He was a football player, right?”

“He was.” I nodded quickly. “I mainly knew him through my brother.”

“I just remember Liam, mostly.” Her eyes spaced out for a second. “Hot, beautiful, Liam.”

“Yeah…” I chuckled under my breath. “The worst part about having my brother move out was not having Liam randomly stop by my house.”

“So this guy—Gerard. Is he hot?” Annie bit down on her bottom lip and batted her eyelids.

“Oh yeah—super hot. You should look him up in the yearbook when you get home, then add like a lot more hotness.” I nodded quickly. “Plus, he’s a firefighter.”

“Does he have a brother? Or a friend?” She leaned forward against the table.

“Well, he’s friends with my brother…” My words trailed off.