You Owe Me

Aria’s POV:

Liam stood there, dressed in casuals and also had glasses on… It made him look smart and soft; his hair was rough, and he looked so tired.

His lips curled to a smile before he leaned against the doorway. “Burgundy,” he muttered in an amused tone.

I cleared my throat; I didn’t come here to bond with him or entertain him.

“You owe me.” I didn’t expect this to be the first word to leave my mouth, but it was a great start. I didn’t want him to have the wrong impression that I had come here for another reason.

Liam chuckled and took off his reading glasses. “Come in.”

“No, once I have my money, then I will be on my way,” I explained. There was no need for me to go in; we had no relationship… We weren’t even friends.

“Come on in, Burgundy.”

I breathed heavily before walking in; he closed the door behind me and returned to the couch… There was an open book on the table.

And I couldn’t believe it; it was my book.

It was the first book I ever published, “My Hero in the Dark.”

A smile crept on my lips; he was reading my book, “Coffee?”

“Burgundy,” he called, pulling me out of my daydream.

I cleared my throat. “What?”

“Do you want coffee?”

“No…just my money.”

Liam nodded, picked up the book, and continued reading like I wasn’t here asking for my money.

Was he seriously going to pretend like he doesn’t owe me?

“Mr. Styles,” I stomped my foot on the ground; he kissed his teeth and dropped the book.

“How much do I owe?”

“Umm…1000…1900…1990,” I stuttered, trying to figure out the math…math wasn’t my favorite subject.

His gaze lingered on my face; it made me wonder if there was something on my face.

Liam stood up, walked to his mini kitchen, and filled a glass with water before walking back to me. “Drink.”

“I don’t want water.”

“But I want you to drink.” He had an amused look. Was I being funny right now?

I snatched the glass from him, almost spilling the water. “Will you send the money or not?”

He took a step closer; my toes curled as I took an equal one backward. “What…why are you coming close?”

Liam straightened out his hand; his finger brushed past my cheek, my chest heaved, and it was hard to look away. 

“Did you miss me?” He asked, his voice low and magnetic, and the cells in my body knew the answer and were screaming yes…yes…yes.

“No,” I muttered; my voice was surprisingly very low.

“But I did; I missed you,” he blurted, and my eyes grew wide.

“You did?”

He held my hand, pulled me closer, and wrapped a hand around my waist. “Did you come here with the excuse of getting your balance?” He had a teasing look; I wriggled out of his hold and took a step backward before dropping the glass on the table.

“Did you think I was worth just $10?”

I realized he must think the worst about me. First, he thought I was fake, and then he assumed I was a slut by saying that night meant nothing to him, and then he sent me such an amount.

“Are you hungry?” He questioned, and I froze for a while. Why was he asking me that?

Without waiting for my response, he walked to his phone. “I will order something for us.” 

“Will you choose to brush this topic under the bus as well because you think it will make me feel uncomfortable? I know what I am, Liam… I know I am not worth a dime,” I sniffed back my tears.

I am not worth

I was ruined years ago; every dignity was snatched from me, so I tend to settle for men who offer me the bare minimum, but somehow I thought Liam understood me. I felt like a book before him, and he could read me so easily.

Maybe he can; maybe it’s because he can read me so well that he chooses to treat me like trash because that’s what I was.

He craned his neck to the side. “Who are you?” he asked, every ounce of smile wiped from his face.

I shook my head in denial and sat on the chair opposite him before picking up the glass of water. I drank the entire content and stared anywhere else but at him.

There was silence; no one uttered a word.

But he didn’t look away; he was still staring at me and didn’t even try to look away.

“You are so pretty,” he muttered, and I bit my lip.

“You are a good liar,” I replied, and he chuckled.

“I have a friend, Nacho,” he started, and this caused me to raise a brow. Why was he telling me about his friend?

“His dad hates him; he hates the fact that Nacho didn’t live up to his expectations…he even threatened to disown his son.” Liam continued, “Nacho came up with a business idea; he told his dad he needed a loan to make his business work…so his dad gave in.”

Liam chuckled. “Nacho donated the money to charity and didn’t start a business; his dad did disown him, but he still calls Nacho every day to ask for his money.”

“Okay, what are you on about?” I chimed in with a confused look. Why was he suddenly telling me about Nacho and his dad?

“You needed an excuse to always show up in my life, so I gave you one,” he said.

Huh? Did he just say that?

What made him believe I wanted to continue showing up in his life? I didn’t.

“So no, I will never pay up. Because I want you to continue showing up for your money.”