Liam’s POV
“Emily,” my voice was low, trying to remain polite. “We’re working. This isn’t-”
“I know,” Emily cut in quickly. “But we used to be like this. Sitting together. Eating together. You always kept me company.”
I closed my eyes for a moment. The memories surfaced on their own, long buried, and I had no intention of unearthing them again.
“That was before, Emily. That was then. Things are different now.”
Emily leaned back, a faint smile playing on her lips, hard to decipher.
“Different for you. Not for me.”
I clenched my jaw to keep my emotions in check.
“I don’t want to give false hope. I’ve already told you Sienna and I are back together. I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.”
Emily stared at me for a long time.
There was something in her eyes: frustration, anger, hurt, maybe all of it mixed together.
She didn’t answer right away. The waiter returned with menus, placing them on the table with a professional smile before leaving, unaware of the heavy atmosphere hanging between us. I remained standing, not sitting, as if the chair might bind me to something I didn’t want.
“I’m not going to eat,” I said finally, clearly and without hesitation. “And I’m not going to keep you company.”
Emily slowly turned her head, looking up at me from beneath her lashes. “You’re always this hard now.”
“I’m firm,” I replied. “There’s a difference.”
She let out a breath, then opened the menu without really reading it. Her fingers moved slowly, but her mind clearly wasn’t choosing food. I could see the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw tightened every time I had mentioned Sienna earlier.
“You’ve changed,” she said quietly, still staring at the menu. “You weren’t like this before. You would sit. You should listen.” “I’m still listening,” I said. “But I’m no longer sacrificing someone else just to make you comfortable.”
That made her snap the menu shut with a sharp movement. The sound of thick paper hitting the table rang louder than it should have.
“So now I’m a burden?” she asked, her voice rising half an octave.
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