Say Yes (Nostalgic Summer Romance)

I heard his chuckle on my heels before he caught up to me easily, sliding his hands in his pockets as he fell in step beside me. “Hey, it was just a joke.”

“Hilarious.”

He smirked, hooking me by the elbow with a gentle hand before he leaned in to whisper. “Oh, is someone jealous? Don’t worry, I’d take you over Flora any day.”

I knew he meant it as a joke. I knew the jerk who’d avoided eye contact and any and all conversation with me all week was gone now, and charming Liam Benson was back in full.

But I couldn’t help it.

I snapped.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked, ripping my arm from his grip. “Or did you just come here to make an already bad day worse?”

He frowned. “Hey, I was just messing around,” he said softly, moving in closer. He tried to touch me, but I pulled away. “What’s going on?”

I sighed, folding my arms over my chest. “Nothing. It’s busy. I should probably get back to work.”

“Okay…” he said warily. “I actually came to see if you want to hang out tonight.”

“Oh, because suddenly you’re in the mood to acknowledge my existence again?”

His lips flattened, and he looked away from me and across the museum, sniffing before his eyes found me again. “I deserved that.”

“You’re damn right you did.”

He narrowed his eyes, then. “Hey, I told you I was like this. I told you what you were getting into, and you said you understood.”

“You said you had good days and bad days, not that you were going to be fucking other girls.”

His head snapped back. “Fucking other… what are you talking about?”

“I saw you earlier, after class.”

“Saw me what exactly?”

I clamped my mouth shut, shaking my head at both him and myself because I knew I wasn’t making sense.

Liam sighed, looking around before he grabbed my elbow again and pulled me into the less-crowded gallery one door over. When we were tucked into the corner, he dipped his head to try to get me to look at him, but I refused.

“I’m sorry, okay?” he started. “I’ve had a bad week, and I haven’t felt like talking to or seeing anyone. Alright? It was all I could do to come to class. I’m sorry if I was an asshole to you.”

“You can’t be an asshole if you don’t even talk to me.”

“I’m not fucking anyone else.”

He paused, waiting until I lifted my gaze to his.

“And that’s part of what had me messed up this week.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Liam looked across the room, biting his bottom lip for a long moment like he didn’t know how to explain. When he looked at me again, it was with a thick line between his brows, his jaw tight. “Because we agreed to keep this casual, and usually I’m good at that. Usually, I can be with someone one night and be fine never seeing them again. Usually, I can fuck other people and not even think twice about it. But with you…” He swallowed, his dark eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “I’m having a really fucking hard time staying away from you, Harley Chambers,” he whispered. “Even when I know I should.”

My heart thumped loud in my chest — once, twice, a third time. And I really didn’t have a single hold on my emotions, because once again, my nose stung, tears flooding my vision.

“That girl you saw me with was asking me about Thomas,” he explained. “My roommate.”

I nodded, rolling my lips together and looking down at the ground between us. My gut was so twisted up, I couldn’t make sense of anything I was feeling. I wanted to tell him not to stay away from me, that I didn’t want to stay away from him either, but Angela’s warning rang loud in my ears.

And I knew what he could give me, which meant I also understood what he couldn’t.

“My mom is pregnant,” I whispered after a long while. I wasn’t sure why those were the words I chose to speak into existence, but as soon as they were out, a mixture of fear and relief filtered through me.

I waited for the excitement, for his surprised gasp and congratulations! When it didn’t come, I frowned, looking up from the floor to find him shaking his head. He reached for me, framing my arms in his hands.

He didn’t say a word.

He just nodded, his brows bending together.

And in that moment, I knew.

He understood.

Without me saying anything, he understood.

And it broke me.

I was yanked into his chest before the first tear could fall, and I held onto him as I let go of every emotion I’d been holding in all day. He ran his hand over my hair, quietly shushing me as he held me tight.

I couldn’t be sure how long we stood there like that, me clinging to his shirt, and him holding me just as tight, as if to tell me without speaking a single word that he was there, that it was okay, that I wasn’t alone.