I don't know what holds me back, but all of a sudden, I'm scared. Scared that this is just temporary, that he's just being nice before he throws me away to go back to playing the little werewolf soldier, the righteous vigilante.
"Mara, come on!"
I mentally kick myself in the ass and walk up to him, swallowing whatever was holding me back. Without a word, I sit behind him, but I try not to touch that naked torso, holding the back handle of the bike with one hand. Yet, he doesn't start it and turns to me.
"Mara, hold on to me."
"No."
The answer escaped my lips before I could give it enough thought. Liam stares at me, a bit surprised. With what's going on above our heads, it feels a bit more awkward than it should. He opens his mouth, then closes it, distraught. His eyes fall on my injured hand, and finally, he frowns.
"Mara, hold on to me, otherwise, you'll hurt yourself or fall off."
"I'm good."
He growls, a bit annoyed. I still avoid looking at him, my hands resolutely nowhere near him. I am such an idiot. As if avoiding him now was going to change anything!
Moreover, I should know better than to play with that idiot. All of a sudden, he makes the engine roar and drives off without warning. The start is so sudden I indeed almost fall off, and by reflex, I grab his waist. Damn it. I take a deep breath and swallow my pride, finally holding on properly. I should avoid touching him, but the only way to not touch my injured hand is if I hold on to my wrist, and that leaves very little space between me and Liam's back. I blush a bit more, the heat getting to my head quickly. Damn it, he got the last word this time.
He rides off, and I do my best to focus on something other than his skin, his smell, the movement of his back in front of me. Neither of us has a helmet on this time, but it's a short ride, and Liam is good. He takes the highway, speeding a bit between the cars, and we are soon back to Silver City's high buildings. I'm glad I kept that map with me, it looks like we are not going back to Sylviana's house. The rainy afternoon has the roads crowded, but we slide in between the cars, Liam making the engine roar from time to time so the cars let us through.
I wonder if we are going back to Nora's, but it doesn't look that way. Liam takes us deeper into the busy streets, between fancier buildings. I have flashes of seeing those buildings before, from my hospital bedroom window.
Liam suddenly rides down to an underground parking lot, and I get off his bike almost as soon as he's parked. I feel a bit guilty when I see the leather of his bike, stained by my blood. He sees it too, but doesn't say a word, and gestures for us to walk to the elevator. I hesitate a bit but follow him inside.
He pushes a button to one of the highest floors, and an awkward silence surrounds us. It feels even more cramped than in the convenience store. I realize he still got that plastic bag from his little shopping earlier. Now I'm curious about what he bought. Not bandages, that's for sure.
The elevator stops, and unlike I thought, we arrive directly at the entrance of a very large apartment. Liam walks ahead, but I freeze.
"This is..."
Liam stops and turns around to stare at me, confused at the entrance. He shrugs.
"Yeah, it's my place. Uh..."
He seems to suddenly realize he's bringing a girl into his place, from his expression. Sometimes he's really clueless like this, and it kind of hurts. He doesn't even see me as a woman? Just as my stomach gets knotted from that unhappy thought, I suddenly notice his ears are a bit red. Oh, so he's... blushing? At least, he looks too embarrassed now to look at me. I tilt my head.
"Why not the hospital?"
"I thought you hated hospitals."
"Oh... thanks."
He's not wrong. I'm in no hurry to go back there again. Does that mean he can treat my injury here? I see him walk off to another room, so I carefully step into the living area, a bit curious.
This is somewhat larger than I thought, and a lot cleaner too. I don't know why, I imagined him living in a garage or a little studio, something smaller. He doesn't look the fancy type... but then again, his family is rather rich. Moreover, as I look around, it doesn't really look like anyone lives here. There are family pictures on the walls, of his brothers, their wives and his nephews and nieces, but aside from that, nothing shows Liam actually lives here. The whole place is sparkling clean, and... somewhat cold. Even with his jacket on, I can tell it's cold in here. I look around until I find the lights to turn them on. It's so dark outside, I have to guess we are now in the late afternoon or something. It's hard to tell, the sky is super gray and dark. Strangely, it looks like all of Silver City has turned into its name's color from here. I get closer to the large bay window, curious. There's a balcony, but it's flooded.
"Mara."
I turn around. Liam is back with an impressively big first aid kit. I raise an eyebrow.
"Wow. You dated a nurse too? Or robbed a hospital?"
He rolls his eyes with a smirk, visibly relieved to hear me joke. He puts the box on the table and invites me to come sit next to him on the sofa. I take a deep breath.
"Are you sure inviting a witch over is a good idea?"
That's probably the dumbest question I've ever asked, but I do have an underlying question. Is he fine havingmeover, of all people? Liam sighs.
