Chapter 48

                                    

                                          
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“Right after he dumped me he started dating this other girl. For all I knew he’d lined her up before he dropped me. He’d only been dating her three weeks before he dumped her. Within two months, he dated three different girls. He didn’t just date them, but exclusively dated them, like ‘you are the one’ kind of crap. You hear things, you know, and he had a pattern. He’d date a girl until he got what he wanted, lose desire, and move on to the next. I could see it so clearly, and I realized it wouldn’t have mattered if I gave in to the pressure. That wouldn’t have kept us together. I would have just been the first one he used. I was just glad to escape him when I did, with my dignity still intact, mostly anyway.”

“What a tool!” 

“Tool’s kind of a strong word.”

“No, I’d say it’s a pretty weak word for what he is!” Liam fumed. 

“I just don’t know what happened to him. He was such a cool guy at first. I remember one time he drove an hour and a half to pick up my mom and me when our car broke down. Then when my dog Bailey died, he was so sweet and helped me bury her. He even bought me a turtle because I’d mentioned I wanted one. Then something happened, and it was like he didn’t see me as a person any more, but more like a means to an end. And all those other girls after me? It’s like they weren’t even human. They were just there to stroke his ego or give him self-gratification or something. It’s so sad to see him change like that. It hasn’t been that long, Liam. It’s still pretty raw. I was hoping this trip would be a fun break without the headache of boys.”

“And then you met me,” Liam finished.

“Yeah.”   

“So where do we go from here?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Are you attracted to me?” Liam asked.

“Of course,” Kami said. “But it’s more complicated than that.”

Liam shifted to face her fully and she did the same. Now both knees were touching. He took her hands in his and stared deeply into her eyes, as if his gaze could touch her soul. His eyes were fathomless pools.

“Kami, this may not be as impossible as you think. My parents have been pushing for me to leave Egypt for a while now. They don’t think it’s safe enough for me. Can’t imagine why.” 

He grinned, and she tried to, but couldn’t quite.

“I didn’t want to leave, so I kept pushing back. Then again, I didn’t have a reason to leave. Guess where they want me to stay?”

“Where?”

“With my cousins! That’s only a twenty minute drive from you. We could finish out our last year of school together.”

The news rocked Kami to the core. She could feel her defenses crumbling around her. The fact that she would be leaving soon had been her strongest deterrent to allowing her feelings for Liam to grow. This way they could be near each other! But even as her heart soared, her brain started reeling her back in. If he did come, and it seemed likely, it presented a whole new set of problems. He would learn the truth about her—about where she lived, about her mother and all her issues. Could he see past all that? And what about her promise to herself to protect her heart? If she opened herself up, if he wound his way into her heart, would he like what he found? Could she shut it down if she needed to? Or would she just be hurt all over again?

“Kami, I know that look. Stop it. Stop thinking of all the reasons we can’t work. Use a little imagination, will you?”

Liam was right. She needed to live in this moment. 

Then suddenly, he was moving, his hands were in her hair as he slowly guided her forehead to rest against his. 

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, stroking her jawline with his thumbs. She shivered under the intensity of his gaze. She couldn’t help it. She felt an overwhelming desire to feel his lips against hers. Her breath thickened. Her eyes closed. She felt his hands gently cradle her face. 

When the kiss came at last, it was a sweet press to the forehead, just like her Baba always used to give her before she fell asleep at night. A holy kiss, he called it. One that said he was always watching over her and that he would always protect her. Somehow in her heart, she knew her Baba would have liked Liam.

She opened her eyes. He took one of her hands and placed it on his heart. 

“Kami, take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to push you into anything you’re not ready for. Let me prove myself. Let me prove I can be the kind of friend you need.”

“Okay,” she whispered. After all the deliberation, deciding was that simple.

He was staring down now, as if awed by something. She followed his gaze. The necklace was glowing, but somehow she instinctively knew it was not to warn her of danger like before. She felt at peace, as if she was being sent a warm message of love from her beloved dead.
                          
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The dedication for this chapter goes out to one of my faithful and awesome readers  @Flame_ofAmarog. She has been a longtime supporter of Team Lami. I'm so happy to have her reading! You can check out her wonderful poetry and writing in the dedication link above.