the heart of the orient.
She looked at Liam as he sipped his coffee and thought that he must have fit in there perfectly . H is serene face and veiled eyes were careful not to give away any of his secrets ; he would blend into a landscape where silence and self - containment were a virtue since the Kingdom of the Middle rose to its fame and power.
‘But what about you?’ H e snapped out of his reverie , as his eyebrows r ose questioningly once more. ‘I heard from Laura that congratulations are in order . That you ’ re getting married real soon . I s that true?’
She wished to be able to say yes — desperately so — if only to make him see that she had moved on with her life just as he probably was expecting her to do. Instead she had to find a way to admit she had been dumped by her fiancé and keep the reason for the split out of the conversation.
‘Not really.’ She shrugged, aiming to appear nonchalant and totally at ease with the change of her circumstances. ‘ We … we decided, that it wasn’t really something we wanted, after all.’
So far , so good . She was almost relieved, pleased with the way her voice sounded , c onfident and just a bit blasé, just as it should .
‘Oh, I ’ m sorry to hear it.’ He was serious about his regrets , and she felt absurdly disappointed to find him being so sympathetic about it. What was she thinking? That he would look happy and relieved to find her still single and available? She silently scolded herself as she bit into her wrap with an almost vicious force. It was absolutely high time to snap out of this fantasy.
‘ It’s fine, really.’ She shrugged again, surprised at how true it really was. She was fine, she realized, the sadness over the collapse of her carefully prepared plans for the future not even remotely close to the desperation she felt long ago when he had told her to go find someone else. ‘I think it was lucky, to be honest.’ She smiled for good measure, feeling as calm as the sea on a windless day. ‘I don’t think I ’ m that much into getting married after all. And Brian seems to be very happy with his new girlfriend, so everyone is just fine.’
‘ He left you for someone else?’ Liam’s eyes were incredulous, his honest surprise visible in his face. ‘ Is he crazy?’
‘Well, no.’ S he smiled, taken aback by his reaction. ‘ Veronica is very beautiful and smart. They share the same interests , and she makes him happy . I ’ m positive she completes him much more than I ever could. It hurt, that’s true, but it’s better this way . ’
‘I still think that he drew the short er stick on this one.’ Liam shook his head and watched her with an intense stare that made her shift uncomfortably in her chair. ‘I would really like to meet him sometime and have a talk with him.’
There it was again, she thought as her heart tightened painfully in her chest. She was Laura’s friend , and as such he treated her almost like his sister, his protectiveness and sense of loyalty absolutely devoid of any romantic feelings. He would go and beat up the man who had hurt her , not because he was jealous of the relationship they had shared , but to defend her in a purely brotherly fashion.
‘What about you?’ E ager to shift the conversation away from her mishaps, she eyed him almost challengingly. ‘ Any wedding bells ringing soon, Liam?’
She regretted it instantly, for his eyes darken ed as the light was replaced with bleak resignation.
‘I don’t think I would make a great husband.’ His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and she noticed the slight shaking of his fingers as he put the cup down on the table. ‘I was almost engaged a year ago, though . ’
A voice of reason in her head whispered insistently that she should leave it, only to be suppressed by her desperate need to catch a glimpse of his private life.
‘ What happened?’ she asked quietly, bracing herself for something serious.
She wasn’t ready for
She looked at Liam as he sipped his coffee and thought that he must have fit in there perfectly . H is serene face and veiled eyes were careful not to give away any of his secrets ; he would blend into a landscape where silence and self - containment were a virtue since the Kingdom of the Middle rose to its fame and power.
‘But what about you?’ H e snapped out of his reverie , as his eyebrows r ose questioningly once more. ‘I heard from Laura that congratulations are in order . That you ’ re getting married real soon . I s that true?’
She wished to be able to say yes — desperately so — if only to make him see that she had moved on with her life just as he probably was expecting her to do. Instead she had to find a way to admit she had been dumped by her fiancé and keep the reason for the split out of the conversation.
‘Not really.’ She shrugged, aiming to appear nonchalant and totally at ease with the change of her circumstances. ‘ We … we decided, that it wasn’t really something we wanted, after all.’
So far , so good . She was almost relieved, pleased with the way her voice sounded , c onfident and just a bit blasé, just as it should .
‘Oh, I ’ m sorry to hear it.’ He was serious about his regrets , and she felt absurdly disappointed to find him being so sympathetic about it. What was she thinking? That he would look happy and relieved to find her still single and available? She silently scolded herself as she bit into her wrap with an almost vicious force. It was absolutely high time to snap out of this fantasy.
‘ It’s fine, really.’ She shrugged again, surprised at how true it really was. She was fine, she realized, the sadness over the collapse of her carefully prepared plans for the future not even remotely close to the desperation she felt long ago when he had told her to go find someone else. ‘I think it was lucky, to be honest.’ She smiled for good measure, feeling as calm as the sea on a windless day. ‘I don’t think I ’ m that much into getting married after all. And Brian seems to be very happy with his new girlfriend, so everyone is just fine.’
‘ He left you for someone else?’ Liam’s eyes were incredulous, his honest surprise visible in his face. ‘ Is he crazy?’
‘Well, no.’ S he smiled, taken aback by his reaction. ‘ Veronica is very beautiful and smart. They share the same interests , and she makes him happy . I ’ m positive she completes him much more than I ever could. It hurt, that’s true, but it’s better this way . ’
‘I still think that he drew the short er stick on this one.’ Liam shook his head and watched her with an intense stare that made her shift uncomfortably in her chair. ‘I would really like to meet him sometime and have a talk with him.’
There it was again, she thought as her heart tightened painfully in her chest. She was Laura’s friend , and as such he treated her almost like his sister, his protectiveness and sense of loyalty absolutely devoid of any romantic feelings. He would go and beat up the man who had hurt her , not because he was jealous of the relationship they had shared , but to defend her in a purely brotherly fashion.
‘What about you?’ E ager to shift the conversation away from her mishaps, she eyed him almost challengingly. ‘ Any wedding bells ringing soon, Liam?’
She regretted it instantly, for his eyes darken ed as the light was replaced with bleak resignation.
‘I don’t think I would make a great husband.’ His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and she noticed the slight shaking of his fingers as he put the cup down on the table. ‘I was almost engaged a year ago, though . ’
A voice of reason in her head whispered insistently that she should leave it, only to be suppressed by her desperate need to catch a glimpse of his private life.
‘ What happened?’ she asked quietly, bracing herself for something serious.
She wasn’t ready for
Similar Books
