"...You're speaking as if you can... talk to her," says Liam.
I nod.
"Sort of? She actually appeared... a couple of times in mirrors. She takes the place of my reflection. It only happened twice though and she only spoke during the latter. It didn't make much sense either. She just said she was dead and that she had missed me."
Liam remains quiet for a few seconds, looking baffled. I can't blame him, that's a lot... Is he freaked out or something? Maybe I shouldn't have told him so much, it's definitely too creepy...
After a while of me getting nervous and him not saying anything, he finally takes a deep breath, puts the journal down on his bike's seat, and turns to face me. I'm a little bit intimidated by his serious expression all of a sudden and a bit relieved that there's a cat between us. The sky is starting to clear up above us and Liam's eye is turning bluer with it... which intimidates me even more. I'm glad Spark is covering my chest because my heart's trying to thump out of there. Liam glances down at the cat, but he quickly puts his arms on my shoulders.
"Can I hug you?" he suddenly asks.
I'm so surprised by his question, I open my mouth like an idiot and don't know what to say. As if he had understood, Spark jumps on the bike leaving us alone and licking his fur. Traitor... I'm left defenseless and I find myself nodding, a bit unsure. What's wrong with me? Aren't we supposed to be beyond hugging? It's Liam's fault, why does he even ask and put me in that kind of heart-storm situation?
He sighs and steps forward, wrapping me in his arms. Moon Goddess, that feels great... He's all warm under his jacket and soon all my worries disappear as I curl up against his chest. Damn, I should ask Spark how to purr. We stay like this for a little while without moving and I wonder what's going on. Not that I'm complaining...
After a while, Liam steps away, leaving me all hot and confused.
"...What is it?" I ask.
"I just... felt the need to hug you all of a sudden."
"...I'm not Clarissa," I mutter.
"I know. It's not about Clarissa. It's not about that but... when you start talking about speaking to dead girls in mirrors and all that witch stuff, sometimes I feel... helpless. It's like you're going to disappear and leave me alone. The other Mara or Clarissa... I'm scared something is going to happen and the Mara I know is going to disappear in those flames or with some of that magic stuff going on."
Wow, I did not expect that... I glance at the journal. I guess it does come as something a bit heavy for a non-witch... or is it because of what happened to his ex? Is Liam scared he'll lose me too? I just... I'm happy he's still willing to be by my side, I didn't even expect him to have those insecurities. I thought he might grow afraid of me, not... afraid of losing me. I step forward and as brazen as I can be, I gather my courage to grab Liam's shirt. I hold on to it and pull him closer, putting on a little smile.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm not letting you go," I whisper.
After a second, I'm glad to see my cheekiness finally put a smile on his lips. His shoulders relax and soon, he wraps his hands around my waist. Oh, I'm in trouble now... A delicious hot shiver goes up my spine just from that. I had forgotten how large his torso is from up close, or how strong his arms are... Well, I'm definitely not going anywhere now.
Liam tilts his head.
"Oh, really? ...Going to hunt the big bad wolf?" he whispers, leaning a bit closer.
My heart's going for the rollercoaster ride again. I blush seeing his face coming so close.
"I'll put a spell on you," I chuckle.
"Please do..."
Just like that, we finally lose that awkward feeling between us and naturally reach for each other's lips. Liam gently kisses me and holds me a bit closer. It just feels so good to finally be able to properly kiss him again, after all of this. It's much more intense than the little peck from earlier. I missed that taste... I shamelessly let go of his collar to wrap my arms around his neck, holding him closer. Is it bad that I'm going crazy over his slightly wet hair?
His hands caress my lower back, making me blush more and more. The parking lot gets hotter all of a sudden... Thank Moon Goddess there's no one around because this kiss is probably barely legal. Is it because Liam is in his biker outfit? I just can't resist. We keep kissing for a while and that's all I want to think about. His hot breath, our hot skin, and the crazy sparks in my stomach.
"Meow."
We both jump and turn our heads toward Spark. My cat is giving us the death glare, sitting up on Liam's bike. I glare at him but Liam chuckles and kisses my neck.
"Alright, I think we'd better stop there."
"Do we have to?" I sigh, a bit disappointed.
Liam sighs and grabs my chin.
"You little witch," he mutters. "Stop tempting me."
I smile and bite my thumb, a bit excited. Liam clicks his tongue and grabs my hand to take it away from my mouth. Oh, that bad habit... I let out a long sigh.
