Page 133 of Liam

“We talked,” she says, all nonchalant. “We basically just caught up on our lives, but…” she trails off.

I glance up, then right back down. Click, click, click goes the stupid baseball. “But what?”

“Once I brought up the accident and what he did for me, he said he wanted to talk about it in person.”

Oh, great.Because a phone call isn’t enough, he wants toseeher in the flesh. I can’t really blame him. I’d want to see her, too. “Where is he?”

“He lives in Charlotte now.”

I go to Charlotte all the time. I mean, I drive to Charlotte to pick up Lincoln from the airport, but I never get out of the van. “Tell him you’ll meet him tomorrow. I’ll drive you.”

“Tomorrow?”

I finally look up, and she’s already watching me, just like I knew she would be. “I don’t know, Addie. Maybe you should just—” I try to come up with the right words, but nothing seems to fit. I drop my gaze again, mumble, “Just get it over and done with.”

What am I even suggesting right now?

“Or not,” I quickly add. “Probably not. You should work on you, you know? You’re healing journey or whatever. I mean, you should just focus on…” I trail off, because I’m an idiot who can’t think straight.

But Iloveher.

And I’m so fucking scared toloseher.

Addie’s quiet for so long, the silence intensifies the sound of plastic clicking.

The van rocks when she moves, sitting opposite me to match my position. My legs are too long to stretch out like hers do, and it takes everything in me not to reach out and touch her. It doesn’t feel like the right time.

In fact, it never does when it comes to us.

Our timing is way, way off.

So is Pierson’s.

The motherfucker.

The clicking issoloud now, or maybe it’s just in my head, tapping away at my skull, drilling into my sanity.

I see her hand before I feel her touch, her fingers warm,soothing, as she covers my hand in hers. Carefully, she spreads my fingers, removing the fidget clicker from my grasp. “Talk to me, Liam.”

I puff out a breath, my hands trembling. I don’t like this feeling—this out-of-control spiral my mind has taken me on. I square my shoulders, gathering what little courage I have, and finally face her. She looks as scared as I feel. “Look,” I start. “I’m not going to lie. This whole Pierson thing has messed with my head—and not justnow, since he called, but… since you told me about it.”

A beat of silence passes before she speaks, her tone soft, gentle. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“What am I supposed to say, Addie?”

She taps her foot against my leg. “You say exactly what’s on your mind. The Addie Effect, remember?”

I want to smile, but I can’t. Instead, I shake my head, murmur, “I can’t.”

“Why not?” she asks. “If you can’t talk to me about it, then how am I supposed to help you?”

“That’s the thing. I don’twantyou to help me. I want you to do what’s right for you. And I don’t want anything I say or do to affect whatever choice you make here.”

“Choice?” she asks, her eyebrows pinched. “There is nochoicehere, Liam. I?—”

“There has to be,” I cut in, my tone even, calm. “And not just for you, but for me, too. Obviously, I love you, and I’d give anything to beall inwith you, but we can’t just skate over the facts as if they don’t matter.”

“What are the facts?” she retorts.

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