7
Once we were inside, I turned to him.
“Liam… thanks for what you did. You can just drop me at the corner.”
He shook his head, smiling.
“Eve, that wasn’t me doing you a favor. I meant every word I said back there.”
“…What?”
He laughed softly, like he knew I had no clue.
“I was serious, Eve. I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Wait–why?”
From what I remembered, Liam always treated me just like anyone else–distant and polite.
“I liked you back in high school,” he said quietly.
“But I was young. I kept it all to myself.”
“Even when I moved overseas, I never stopped thinking about you.”
“And when I came back and saw you with Christian… I thought I’d missed my chance.”
“So I kept my distance.”
“I figured we just weren’t meant to be.”
“But when I saw you downstairs that day… I knew I had to try.”
“I didn’t want to scare you off, so I waited.”
“But I can’t wait anymore, Eve.”
“I’m scared someone else is gonna take you from me again.”
His voice cracked at the end.
My chest tightened.
I never imagined Liam had feelings for me.
Back in high school, he was the guy every girl was into.
And yeah… I wasn’t immune.
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Chapter 7
But it was just a harmless little crush. We barely even spoke.
“Liam… can I think about it?”
His eyes–soft, hopeful–made it impossible to say no outright.
“I’ll wait,” he said.
“Just… don’t go back to him. Please.”
“I won’t,” I told him.
“The second I left Christian, I knew I wasn’t going back.”
“Then let me take you to dinner. Let me try.”
The way he looked at me–I couldn’t help it.
I nodded.
And just like that, Liam started officially pursuing me.
Over the next two weeks, he showed up after work every single day to pick me up.
Being with him felt… easy.
He was calm, thoughtful, respectful–just like I remembered.
And yeah, he was the guy I crushed on back then.
But now?
Now he was showing up for real.
Every time our eyes met, or our hands brushed by accident, it made my heart race a little.
Maybe this time, it could actually be something real.
Christian still tried to reach out a few times.
But every time, he’d see me with Liam–and eventually, he just stopped showing up.
Then one day, my dance coach called me over.
“Evelyn, there’s an opportunity for you to study abroad.”
“It’s a two–year program, and when you come back, you’d be certified to perform on the international stage.”
“It’s a long time–but it’s big. Can you handle it?”
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Chapter 7
I was quiet for a long moment. Then I nodded.
“I’m in.”
I knew what this was–my coach was giving me a lifeline.
I’d already wasted too many years on Christian.
If I didn’t take this, my dance career might be done for good.
But that also meant things with Liam had to end.
Two years. Long–distance. Different countries. Too many unknowns.
And honestly?
I was just done with emotional chaos.
Better to cut it off now–before we got too deep. Before it hurt too much to walk away.
That evening, Liam showed up after work like always.
But I couldn’t hide the look on my face–he noticed right away.
“Eve, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
I looked at him, heart pounding. And then, carefully, I said it.
“Liam… maybe we should stop this.”
“What? Why?”
He looked blindsided, but tried to stay calm.
“Did I do something wrong? Just tell me, I can fix it–please.”
“No, Liam… you didn’t do anything wrong.”
I shook my head fast, but the words caught in my throat.
He went quiet for a beat, then asked in a hollow voice,
“Is it him? Are you getting back with Christian?”
His face went pale, like the air had been sucked out of him.
I had never seen Liam look so defeated–like the wind had been knocked right out of him.
My chest clenched, and before I could stop myself, the truth spilled out.
“No. It’s not him. I’m… I’m going overseas. I got into a two–year dance program.”
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Chapter 7
“I can’t drag you into that. It wouldn’t be fair.”
His face shifted instantly–hope lighting it back up.
“You’re serious? Eve, I’ll wait for you. I swear, I’ll wait.”
“Liam… don’t. It’s not fair to either of us.”
“Two years is a long time. Too much can change.”
“I already know what it feels like to get betrayed–I can’t go through that again.”
“What you feel for me… maybe it’s just high school nostalgia.”
“A ‘what if fantasy. Now that we’ve had time together, you’ll meet girls way better than me.”
“You deserve someone who’s here.”
“We’d just be wasting each other’s time.”
I didn’t even look back.
I couldn’t.
I just lowered my head and walked away as fast as I could.
ง
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