I sat against the door sobbing for at least half an hour though it felt the whole day had passed before I stood up and laid on the bed. I was tired, angry, and hurt. I was angry at myself more than ever for crying. I should’ve seen it coming. I shouldn’t have cared about what he said. But I did. And I had to accept that. I was going to have to go back and be put into the military.

Tears formed again thinking of the fact that I’d have to leave after getting so attached to not only Liam but the sense of freedom. I hadn’t seen real nature in so long. For years I had been confined to the metal walls of the facility where everything from nature, to places, were just a simulation. I couldn’t just go back to that even if it was for a bit before they threw me into a job I’d have to do for the rest of my life. 

I sobbed for a while more and I think I fell asleep because when I finally got up it was already 3 in the afternoon. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and left the room without even bothering fixing my appearance in the bathroom.

I hesitantly walked downstairs, but quickly realized that Liam wasn’t even in the house. His scent was very faint compared to usual. Going into the kitchen I saw that he had yet to touch the basket of berries. I started to feel… bad. But he was in the wrong! Maybe my insult was a bit harsh but did he even know how badly I was feeling? “Tch.” I clenched my fist and took a deep breath before I started getting angry for no reason. If that happened that also meant I’d end up crying again. After composing myself, I put the berries into the fridge and looked for something to eat. There were still leftovers from the night before so I pulled the pot out.

As I was getting a bowl of the chowder, I heard the front door open then close. Liam went straight upstairs and I heard his room door slam shut. I shuddered at the noise and continued taking out my food. I warmed it up in the microwave then headed to my room to eat. As I did I started to wonder… was Liam ok? Did I really hurt him that badly? “It was his fault,” I said to myself, trying to reassure myself I wasn’t in the wrong.

I finished eating and laid down on the bed, not really sure of what to do. I didn’t want to leave my room risking running into Liam but at the same time, I didn’t want to just waste the day away. Maybe I could go take a walk. Liam seemed to have done that in the time I was in my room. Then again, I didn’t feel up to it.

After a few more moments, I finally decided to just head downstairs to the living room. I turned on the t.v. and after a few minutes of fiddling by saying different commands, I finally figured out how to switch channels. It flipped through channels and I stopped on a cartoon I thought looked interesting.

It’d been years since I’d last seen one. The humor was worse than I remembered though the target audience didn’t care. Nonetheless, it was entertaining.

“That’s fine as long as it’s after 12 p.m,” I heard as Liam came downstairs. He grabbed his jacket and slipped a small device, supposedly a phone, into his pocket.  I know I’ll figure it out by then,” he said. I couldn't hear the person on the other end and saw that he was wearing rather small earbuds. He caught me looking at him and I pretended that I hadn’t been and switched my gaze back to the television.

He left the house, and a few moments later I heard a car starting. The garage opened, closed, and then Liam was gone. I He wouldn’t return until sometime the next morning.

I woke up rather early. It was only 5 a.m. so after using the restroom and getting a drink of water, I went back to lay in the bed. I found myself not being able to fall asleep, rather I was kept awake by anxiety. Liam still wasn’t back and I had begun to worry a bit. Did he leave because of how upset he was? I also started wondering what exactly he wanted to tell me before I lashed out. The least I could’ve done was listen to him. Not to mention my reaction was more than harsh. It was just….he broke my trust. Or maybe I broke his? I refused to hear him out when he tried to explain and insulted him to the point where he didn’t even want to be in the same room as me for more than two seconds.

And for a whole ass day, I didn’t see the issue with my actions, instead I returned his silent anger with more anger. I mentally slapped myself in the forehead. I had been such a dick to him when all he had ever done was care for me, and make me feel that he cared about me.

What was I thinking? He wasn’t the problem, I was. When that realization hit me I curled into a ball on the bed and tried to sleep away the nauseous feeling at the pit of my stomach only to realize nothing was going to get rid of the feeling besides the forgiveness of Liam.

After about another hour of trying to sleep, I got up from the bed and tiredly went to the kitchen. I thought that maybe another glass of water would help. As I walked downstairs I realized that Liam’s aroma was no longer faint. “Liam?” I whispered, the pit in my stomach growing. I felt my heart race and hands become clammy as I tried to mentally prepare myself to see him.

Entering the kitchen I saw Liam getting a cup of coffee. He had clearly just come from a shower. His hair was wet and some strands covered his eyes. It seemed like he was about to leave being that he wore a trench coat, turtleneck underneath it, and skinny jeans. He was adding sugar to his coffee when I opened my mouth to speak. “U...um, Liam I–” mid-sentence I stopped when I noticed his icy glare on me. 

“What reason should I have to listen to you after you refused to hear me out?” He leaned against the counter and continued to stare at me, waiting for an answer. I swallowed harshly, not able to open my mouth to give a response. I became lightheaded and my body began to slightly shake as panic arose.

My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “No answer?” he said before grabbing his mug of coffee and briskly walking past me. “Won’t be back till tonight,” he said before going down the hall. The door slammed shut and I was finally able to take a deep breath again. I bit my lip out of frustration and tried to think of what I’d say when he came back. No matter what, I needed to apologize the next time I got a chance. 

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