Page 28 of Liam

Liam shakes his head. “Why are you asking me this?”

“Because what if we upload it, and?—”

“We’re not uploading shit,” Liam says, adjusting his head on his pillow. “Now fuck off and go to sleep.”

Lincoln sighs. “Fine.” The flash flicks off, but he doesn’t stop recording, and for a long moment, there’s nothing but silence on a black screen.

Until…

“It feels like the only part of me that’s real is my bones. Like, I’m constantly changing my flesh, my appearance—a differentset of skin for different circumstances, different people. But I’m the only one who can see the change. And every time Idochange, a layer of my bones goes with it. One day, I won’t have any bones left, and the remaining parts of me will all be fake. A facade. And I won’t even recognize myself…That’swhat it feels like to be me.”

12

Addie

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a silence so deafening as the one Liam and I are currently drowning in. It’s been five days since I’ve shown up to work. Five days since I last saw him. Five days since I watched my very first Preston Twins video. I’ve watched many more since.

It was clear by his reaction this morning that he didn’t expect me to return.

I smiled when I saw him; he nodded in response, and I spent the morning in the back office trying to drum up the courage to speak to him. I waited until my break, went to the kitchen to pull out my lunch bag, and used it as a prop when I asked him if he’d like to take a walk with me. Part of me expected him to laugh in my face, call me out on my bullshit, especially after the way I was on the boat. All he did was ask one simple question—what did he ever do to me?I couldn’t come up with an answer. So, I sat there, like a brat, with my arms crossed, not speaking, not making eye contact. He waited ten whole minutes before giving up, starting the boat again, and continuing back to the dock.

Now, we’re at the dock again, our feet in the water and my untouched lunch bag sitting between us. Obviously, he didn’t laugh at my invitation to join me. He simply got up and led me here.

A light breeze passes, shifting my dress slightly, and I’m quick to push it back down. A nervous, unintentional groan pours out of me, all while Liam remains silent. I can only imagine what he’s thinking:If this is what she had planned when she asked me to join her, then what was the point? She could’ve done this on her own.

The truth is, I’ve spent the time away back home in Raleigh, preparing for this exact moment. I knew I couldn’t just let his question hang in the air, floating in the abyss, unwilling to fill the void in both our memories. Dayna helped me to see that, and Griffin encouraged me to push forward.

So—

WhydidI make his life hell?

Liam sighs, long and loud, breaking through my thoughts. “Look?—”

“I was in a car accident a few years ago,” I cut in. It’s a selfish move on my part, but if I’m going to bleed my heart out and leave it wounded at his feet, then I have to do it now. If I wait any longer, I’ll lose the courage I spent five days building.

I can feel his eyes on the side of my head, but I keep my gaze forward, focused on my task. “There were six people involved, and three didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and I know he means it.

I push through the fear and uncertainty creating a knot it my chest. “I broke my arm and hit my head pretty badly. I had to spend a few weeks in the hospital so the doctors could monitor any internal bleeding.” I reach up, fingering the hidden scar just beyond my hairline. “They said I had a traumatic brain injury and that I might have some memory loss because of it…”

It takes a moment for Liam to gather the pieces. “So that’s why you couldn’t answer me the other day? Because you don’t remember what happened between us? Or remember where your parents are?”

I empty my lungs, lower my gaze as I shake my head, reminding myself of why I’m here… for redemption, andredemption is realizing I’m imperfect.“I’ve thought about it a lot over the past few days, and honestly, I wanted to use that as an excuse, but you were right. You deserve an explanation. Notjustan explanation, but the truth.” I turn to him now, blinking back my emotions. “My parents left when I was eight.”

Liam’s eyebrows dip. “What do you mean,left?”

“I mean, I got home from school one day and they were gone.” I shrug. “It wasn’t unusual for them not to be there, but… it took me three days to realize they weren’t coming back.”

His brow lowers, as if he’s working through all his thoughts, all at once. “So you were alone for three days?”

I nod. “Roman…” My voice cracks at the mention of my brother, and I drop my gaze again, watching the water ripple and cascade around my bare legs. “Roman stepped up to take care of me from then on. I don’t really know why we didn’t tell anyone. Maybe it was the fear that they’d separate us, or maybe it was our shame.”

“Shame?”

“My parents—they weren’t all that great. They were at one point, I’m sure, but they got involved in drugs, and everything changed. They owed people a lot of money, and Roman…” I trail off.

“He had to pay them back?”

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