Too Reserved

Aria’s POV:

Every teenage girl has a fantasy man, the one they fantasize a world with every night they place their head on a pillow and try to sleep.

They want a world where they are treated like a queen, a world where that man will kill demons and break walls just to be with them.

And Ava said, This man before me looks exactly like that man teenage girls fantasize about.

He was so close, his blue eyes burrowing into me; he craned his neck and snapped a finger at my face. “Are you listening to me?” Liam asked, and I cleared my throat embarrassedly and took a step backward.

“Why does it bother you that I showed up?”

“Because you are not ready to be free,” he replied, and I had a confused look. What did he mean by that? I wasn’t a prisoner, so what the fuck did he mean by I wasn’t ready to be free?

“Can you explain that to me like I was 5?” I had a curious look, really curious to know what he meant by I wasn’t free.

“You are too reserved, Burgundy, too careful, and just too polite.”

I nodded in understanding. “And I don’t understand how that’s a bad thing.”

Liam brought his hand close to my face; my breath hitched as I anticipated his touch, but he didn’t, he didn’t touch me.

“Say yes. Say yes, and I will show you what I mean.”

I bit my lip and scanned the place; the streets were noisy, but right now I was focused on the man before me. He was asking for my permission to do whatever was on his mind, and the sin was that I wanted him to show me.

I had nothing to lose, so I nodded. “Go on.”

Liam extended a hand to me. “Come.”

I stared at his hand and chose to do as he says. Since I had given him the go-ahead, I accepted his hand as we walked back to the garage.

“Hey everyone, listen up,” Liam said out loud, gaining everyone’s attention… Now everyone was looking at us, which made my toes curl as I hid behind him.

“This is Aria, and she is here to have fun, no hostility, okay?”

“Okay,” they all screamed in unison before a boy hurried to us with a bottle and two glasses.

“Try this; there is no fun without this,” he laughed and handed me a glass. I hesitantly took it as he poured a white content in it.

“It’s made with corn,” Liam explained and drank the entire content in his glass. “Try it.” He kept staring at me, and I really didn’t want to.

“Aria…Aria…Aria,” Julian kept singing as everyone joined in.

Now that I was placed in the spot, I poured the entire content in my mouth and could still feel the corn chaff on my tongue, but it was soothing.

“One more,” I said excitedly as the guy poured another.

Liam smiled at me before he nudged me to follow him. We walked to the back of the garage, and there were vacant seats; it was more quiet here.

“Liam” Salmon called out excitedly; he stood up and extended his hand to Liam. “You are my blood; do you see this joy? It’s all possible because of you.”

“Stop being emotional; it doesn’t suit you.” Liam scoffed and pointed at the chair before I sat down.

The table was filled with that meat I ate earlier. Liam handed a stick to me, and I quickly began eating.

“Who is this Liam?” Salmon asked, his wife joining while staring at me with a smile.

“I know you,” she muttered and went into deep thoughts, probably trying to figure out where she knows me from.

“She is a fiction writer,” Liam said.

“I have much respect for that profession; it takes a smart mind to build up a world on its own…I mean, you are like a god,” Salmon kept complimenting before Julian joined us.

“Okay, man, we’re done with the fun part. Let’s get down to business.” Julian pulled a chair and joined us; he retracted a sticky note from his pocket and wrote down some numbers.

“That’s the amount; now do a transfer.” He shoved the paper to Salmon, who scoffed.

“You all don’t expect me to pay? Right, Liam?”

Liam swiped his phone and placed it on the table; it displayed his bank details.

“Come on, I was locked up for up to a month. You know I have no money.” Salmon kept pleading, but Liam was busy eating the meat.

“Don’t even start, man. You think I don’t know your men have been handling business while you were locked up? I dropped all my work and focused on this case; I even wasted gas to pick Liam up from the airport,” Julian explained, on the verge of tears.

“Just pay up.” Salmon’s wife said, and he stared at his wife in disbelief.

“Whose side are you on?”

“Come on, you know you can’t even afford Liam, so just pay him the little he asks from you,” she sneered, and now he was left with no choice; he retracted his phone and stared at the paper.

Julian wrote 100,000.

He turned to Liam. “Come on, bro… I am your brother.”

Julian hit the table. “Just pay up so Liam can give my cut already; don’t dare mix money with family.”

“This money is worthless for Liam; didn’t he just win the big case back in Italy? I am sure that mafia lord paid him five times this, so why do you need a poor man’s money?” Salmon feigned tears, and Julian pointed at me.

“There is a guest here, so don’t dare make us look bad; just pay up.”

Finally, he gave in and sent the money to Liam. Liam took his phone and kept it in his pocket.

“I will go cry in my bedroom.” Salmon stood up and left with his wife trailing behind him.

Julian laughed hard before he faced Liam. “You send my share, okay? It’s good to have you back, bro.” He stood up and left.

Now it was left just to us, and I stared at Liam, whose gaze was on me as well.