He took my hand, wrapping an arm around me as he led us out. “I’ll assume you can’t see, and guide you, okay?”
“Thank you.”
After a quick cab ride home, Liam unlocked my door and led me straight to the couch before dashing to the blinds and closing them completely.
“Thanks,” I said.
Liam looked around, almost seeming skittish. “Do you need anything? Tea, or a snack?”
“Water, please.”
He brought me a glass, setting it in front of me on the coffee table as he sat on the far end of the couch, checking his phone.
“Gwen says that she can walk well enough to come by tomorrow. She wants to go over the eye exercises with you, and make sure that you have everything in place so that you can ease your way back into the world, and your work.”
His smile was forced. “That’s good news, right?”
“Yeah. It will be good for her to go over all of the doctor’s instructions, just in case.” It didn’t sound like Liam would be coming back. It felt like freezing cold poison was seeping through me. He didn’t want me. He didn’t like me. There was something wrong, and seeing my face changed everything.
I did my best to return his smile. “It’s nice to see you,” I said gently. “It’s like the volume of your personality has been turned up, since I can see your expressions.”
Finally, he released a real chuckle. “That’s a very interesting way of saying it.” Liam turned to me a bit more. “Do you write, Kayla?”
“Only journaling, really.”
“Maybe you should. You have a unique way with words.”
“Thank you.” It was hard not to stare directly at him, but I needed an excuse. “Oh,” I finally said, “May I look at your tat
toos now?”
He hesitated for a second before leaning slightly toward me and rolling up his sleeves, turning one arm, then the other to me. “I sketched out the art roughly, then my artist drew it up properly.”
“Wow. It’s really amazing. The linework is exquisite.”
“Yeah, Rachel does incredible work.”
I wanted to reach out and run my fingers down his arm like I would have yesterday, but I was nervous.
Trying desperately to find something else to say, I blurted, “I really appreciate you coming with me today. And staying with me this week.” I tried to smile at him. “I might have fallen apart without you.”
This time his chuckle was real. “I think you’re a tougher cookie than you realize, Kayla. I’m so proud of you for holding it together so well.”
He was proud of me. He thought I was beautiful. So why was he acting like I had the plague?
“There is a whole sandwich left over from yesterday in your fridge,” Liam said, looking around the room as if searching for something. “And I saw that you have some frozen things, now that you could use the oven again.”
“Actually, I haven’t had pizza in over a week. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Thanks, but I have to go,” he said, jumping up. He patted my shoulder on the way by. “I have to check on Gwen, and I need to catch up on some work. Take good care of yourself.”
“Thank you, but–”
The door clicked. He was already gone.
I thought I was in the dark before, but now I was completely lost.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN