Page 44 of Ashes of Us
Liam.
He stood there like he'd been frozen mid-step, one hand still on the door, his eyes locked on mine. I watched recognition flash across his face—shock, then something like pain… then something worse.
He'd seen Daniel.
"Piper?" Daniel's voice was quiet, concerned. "What's wrong?"
I couldn't answer. Couldn't even move. My sandwich was still in my hand, suspended halfway to my mouth like I'd been paused mid-frame.
Liam took a step inside and the door swung shut behind him with a soft click.
"Piper." Just my name. But the way he said it—like it hurt to push the word out—made my chest crack open.
I flinched.
Daniel's hand found mine on the table. "Hey. You okay?"
I pulled my hand back without meaning to and set down my sandwich. Daniel's expression shifted from confusion to worry, but he stayed quiet.
"What are you doing here?" My voice came out steadier than I felt.
Liam's eyes flicked to Daniel, then back to me. "I needed to talk to you."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"Please," Liam said. "I just need five minutes. That's all."
"No." I pressed my hands flat against the table to keep them from shaking. "You don't get to show up here. You don't get to…" My voice cracked and I hated myself for it. "You need to leave."
Daniel stood up then, still calm but moving to my side of the table. He didn't know who this was, but he knew something was very wrong. "Piper asked you to leave."
Liam's jaw clenched, but his eyes stayed on me. "I know I don't have the right to be here. But I drove two hours and I've been sitting in my truck for twenty minutes trying to figure out if I should come in, and I just—" He stopped. Swallowed hard. "I needed to say I'm sorry. I needed you to hear it from me. In person."
Daniel went very still beside me, and I felt the moment he understood.
"You're Liam," Daniel said.
Liam's eyes flicked to him, then back to me. "Yeah."
The silence stretched. Mrs. Kowalski's newspaper rustled in the corner. The laptop guy's fingers had stopped clicking. Even the espresso machine seemed to quiet.
Daniel's hand touched my shoulder, gentle. "Do you want me to make him leave? I can?—"
"No." I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. My hands were still shaking, but I forced myself to look at him. Older. Broader. Beard shading his jaw, tension in his stance like he was bracing for impact. "Five minutes. Then I want you gone."
Something that might have been relief crossed Liam's face. Or maybe just pain. I couldn't tell anymore.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
I stood up. "Outside. Five minutes."
"Piper—" Daniel started.
"I'm fine." I wasn't fine. But I couldn't do this here, with Daniel's hand on my shoulder and Mrs. Kowalski pretending not to stare and Megan probably watching from the back. "Just... give me five minutes."
Daniel's jaw was tight but he nodded. "I'll be right here."
I walked toward the door and Liam stepped aside to let me pass. I caught a whiff of his cologne—different from what he used to wear, something woodsy and unfamiliar—and my stomach twisted.
