Chapter Twenty-Two

 

Grayness descended upon the treetops the next morning, slowly soaking the earth with its steady drizzle. Despite the weather, I headed into town early, eager to meet up with Liam at Lipoa’s, regardless of Pele’s reservations about prioritizing him over my training. I can’t return to Pele until after I meet Hina and the Fire Essence, so why not enjoy my freedom in the meantime? I shoved the threat of Hydros’s Essence and the new Water Elemental to the back of my mind.

Only when I reached Lipoa’s, Gerard told me Liam had asked for the day off because he said he had some things to take care of. That’s odd, I thought, certain he would’ve swung by Lulu’s house to see me if he wasn’t at work. By late afternoon the drizzle had ceased, though my mind had grown muddled with conflicting thoughts. I decided to walk across the street to the beach, just for a break from the monotony of the house. Surprisingly, I found Liam sitting alone on top of one of the vacant wooden picnic tables.

Was he purposefully avoiding me? Had I done something wrong? I walked up to the table, unable to voice either of those thoughts. Instead, I simply said, “Hey, Liam. Mind if I join you?”

Liam shrugged. His gaze never left the sea.

“Is everything okay?” I gauged him with caution and scooted up the picnic table, careful to leave a fair distance between us.

I suddenly felt the need to apologize. “About the other day,” I began. My throat went dry. I struggled to find the right words, but sufficed with a simple, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Instead of responding, he buried his face in his hands, making me feel worse than ever.

I sat there, waiting for him to say something to contradict me and explain how I misunderstood his intentions. After all, he had volunteered to spend time with me working on Lulu’s endless list of chores. He had invited me to the beach. Didn’t that count for something?

Instead, he said in a low voice, “It’s not you, Jordan. I mean it is, but it isn’t.”

My eyes stung. I blinked away the tears. Somehow, that obscure explanation was supposed to make me feel better? I pulled my shirt tightly around my waist, the chill seeping in. But he made no gesture to explain his behavior. In fact, he did nothing at all but stare into the distance.

Overhead, the clouds began to open, coating the ground with another sprinkle. For several long minutes, I sat in silence next to him, more confused than ever. Finally, I muttered a last, “Sorry,” and slid off the table, my head slumping forward. I plodded across the beach toward Lulu’s house. Soon, a thin layer of fine black sand caked my wet feet. I made it about halfway down the beach when I heard Liam call my name. I looked up expectantly, hoping he’d say something to clarify the confusion I felt. Instead, he remained seated, only offering a vague reply, “Jordan, this wasn’t what I expected. I…I just need some time to figure things out.”

My gaze left his face, grateful the rain masked my conflicted emotions. Disheartened, my shoulders slumped forward. I hurried for home through the intensifying rain.

Things were so much less complicated with Sully who spoke his mind, but I couldn’t turn back the clock and make him like me again. Especially not when my time with Sully had lacked the magic I felt when I was with Liam…a magic I’d thought we shared. Somehow, I managed to ruin even that. Worse, I had no idea what I did to mess things up. Confused and hurt by Liam’s reaction, I bolted up Lulu’s slippery steps two at a time and slammed her front door with more force than necessary.

“Is everything all right?” she asked, intercepting me on the way to my room, drying her hands on a dish towel, leaving her work unfinished in the kitchen.

“Never better,” I said, bitingly sarcastic. My wet clothes clung to my skin and my damp hair stuck to my cheeks.

Lulu’s deep brown eyes narrowed with concern. “Is there anything I can do? Anything you’d like to talk about?”

I sadly shook my head, not trusting my voice to words.

“Jordan…” Lulu began and placed a gentle hand upon my forearm.

I glanced up, my moistening eyes belying my true emotions, and slipped from her grasp. I flew down the hall to my room, slammed its door behind me, and flopped on the bed in my clammy clothes, unable to contain the tears any longer.

Wasn’t he the one who’d led me on? After all, I hadn’t liked him one bit when I’d first met him, but he persisted, conveniently placing himself in different parts of my life until I could no longer resist his real personality. I’d given him an out the other day on the beach, hadn’t I? I had started to walk away, but he pulled me into that kiss. And judging by its duration, I could tell he had enjoyed it. So why the sudden change? What had I done to make him so mad that he wouldn’t even speak to me?

Lucky for me, Lulu let me cry myself dry without interruption, pondering those questions in hopes of reaching a justifiable conclusion. But not as lucky, soon after my tears had reduced to soft sobs, I heard a knock on the door. I peeked out my window and spotted a drenched Liam waiting on the front stoop. I made sure to duck out of sight before he noticed.

When no one answered, he knocked again, more urgently this time. As far as I was concerned, he could stand out there all night, but Lulu took pity on him and opened the door.

I expected the exchange to be brief, telling him to try another time after my heart had a chance to heal. Instead, they spoke in rapid, hushed tones for a considerable length of time. Puzzled, I craned my head to peer out the bottom of my window without notice, straining to hear their conversation. Eventually, their pitches rose, as if escalating into an argument. Still I couldn’t distinguish a coherent word.

I knitted my brow and sunk to the floor, more bewildered than ever. I knew Liam had described Lulu as an old family friend, but I’d never seen him question her authority or stand his ground in front of her before. In fact, all the times I’d seen them together their conversations had been short and pleasant. Deep inside, I felt guilty for instigating this conflict between them, all because I hadn’t bothered to answer the door myself.

Finally, Lulu heaved an exasperated sigh. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said, just loud enough for me to hear.

I inched closer to the window, desperate to catch a piece of Liam’s response.

“I’ve got this,” Liam replied in a confident and controlled voice. “I can handle it.”

Lulu sighed again. “If you say so.” But judging from her tone, she didn’t seem convinced.

I blinked, wondering what he meant when I heard Lulu’s footsteps coming down the hall. I quickly scrambled onto my bed, pretending I’d been there the entire time and hadn’t overheard a single word.

She knocked softly upon my closed door, her hand bearing a despondent air.

“Come in,” I conceded, curious to unravel the subject of their conversation.

The door handle spun slowly. “Liam’s here,” Lulu said, like I hadn’t noticed.

“I don’t want to see him,” I declared, hoping my obstinate behavior might result in her divulging important details.

Lulu crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes appeared weighted with sorrow. Or frustration. Or perhaps both. “I thought you might say that, so I asked him to give you a few minutes.”

“You can give him a few hours, if you want. I’m not going out there.”

“Stubborn child,” Lulu muttered as she closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples, like playing the role of mediator had given her a migraine. “Wait in here if you wish. I’ll simply invite him inside instead.”

“Fine,” I grumbled in a tone that sounded anything but fine. I pried myself from the bed and lumbered down the hall with irritation that I hadn’t uncovered a thing.

Under Lulu’s watchful gaze, I opened the front door and snapped at Liam, “Yeah?”

“About earlier,” he began, undeterred by the hostility in my tone.

I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest and waited, impatient.

His shoulders slumped slightly as his face softened. “I…I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. His damp hair plastered against his head, concurring with his regretful mood.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lulu’s mouth relax into a sympathetic smile. She returned to her work in the kitchen. I turned my attention back to Liam, waiting for him to explain.

He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry…for everything. I just needed some time to figure things out.”

“Like what?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

He shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

A faint smile traced across my lips. “Hey, that’s my line,” I said, remembering I had used those exact words when I couldn’t actually explain why I bothered with Lulu’s chores and why I needed her help.

My gaze left his as questions packed my mind. Did I really want to be with someone who withheld secrets from me? Or with someone whose moods could swing that dramatically? Could our relationship ever progress to another level if he couldn’t trust me with the truth?

Then again, I hadn’t shared my most dangerous of secrets with him. Not even a single word about my actual identity or my frequent visits to the volcano. How could I tell him that I was an Elemental and Lulu provided my link to Pele, the sole reason I came to Hilo in the first place? How could I expect Liam to reveal everything to me if I wouldn’t share the same courtesy with him?

I looked back at Liam, trying to decipher his intentions.

He flashed me a knowing grin, watching me ponder those thoughts, like he’d carefully chosen those precise words to guarantee I’d accept his apology.

“But it’s okay now,” Liam reassured me. “Everything’s okay.”

“And how am I supposed to know that?” I asked. I held his stare, wishing his words were true—though skepticism still reigned over my heart.

“Here’s how.” Without another word, he cupped my cheeks in his palms and pressed his lips delicately upon mine.

Surprised, I stood there in the doorway, not caring if Lulu or anyone else saw. Softly, he continued to kiss me until my anger dissolved and my defiant arms dropped limply to my sides.