The 90-Day Experiment (The Expiry Date Diaries #1)

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Emerson

I forced my legs to move faster down the hallway. The sound echoed off the walls, matching the chaotic pounding in my chest. My world was crumbling, and I needed to escape before?—

"Running away again, Doc?" Liam's voice carried down the corridor, sharp with anger. “Are you just going to keep doing that forever?”

I stumbled, caught off guard by the edge in his tone. This wasn't the gentle, easy-going Liam I was used to. I spun around, ready to defend myself, but the sight of him knocked the air from my lungs.

He stood there, shoulders squared, jaw set—every inch of him radiating a quiet intensity that made my skin prickle.

"I'm not running," I said, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me. "I'm being rational. This has gone too far, and you know it."

He let out a harsh laugh that bounced off the walls. "Rational? Is that what you call it? Because from where I'm standing, it looks a lot like fear."

"You don't understand?—"

"No, I understand perfectly." He took a step closer, and I had to fight the urge to back away. "You're terrified because this isn't going according to your precious protocol. Because I'm not just sitting quietly in my assigned box anymore, playing the role of your young, uncomplicated test subject."

My chest constricted. "That's not fair?—"

"It's about control," he cut in, his voice low and intense. "You're losing it, and it terrifies you. Because I'm not just some data point anymore, am I? I'm real. This is real."

"Stop it," I whispered, but he was right. God, he was right, and it terrified me. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold everything in. "The ninety days?—"

"Fuck the ninety days." The raw emotion in his voice made me flinch. "You think putting an expiration date on this makes it safer? Makes it hurt less? Because I've got news for you, Doc—we passed that point a long time ago."

My heart stuttered. "I can't?—"

"Can't what? Feel something real? Take a risk?" He moved closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne, could see the thousand shades of blue in those eyes.

"Or are you just too scared to admit that maybe, just maybe, the great Dr. Grant miscalculated? That you didn't factor in actually falling for your test subject?"

I opened my mouth to argue, to defend myself, but nothing came out. Because he was right. I had miscalculated. Badly.

And now I was terrified of the results.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block everything out, but his scent—that goddamn summer rain bullshit. It clouded my thoughts, making it hard to think.

My mind spun with memories, the heat of his touch, the way his eyes saw right through me. I swallowed hard, gathering the courage to say what I knew would break us both. “Look, we gave the ninety days a good try. I think we should end this, whatever this is between us, like we said we would. It’s better this way, for both of us.”

Liam’s expression almost broke me. Disbelief and pain were all over his face like it was a physical blow.

“You don’t mean that. You can’t just throw away what we have.” His voice cracked.

“I do mean it, Liam. I can’t be with someone who keeps secrets from me, who doesn’t trust me enough to come to me when they need help.” I fought the hurricane raging through me, trying to keep it together. “And right now, I need to focus on my work, the research.”

Liam’s eyes, filled with anger and hurt, locked onto mine.

“So I’m nothing to you?” His jaw worked, his muscles tense. God, he was so young, so full of life. It made me feel ancient in comparison. “I thought we were building something real, something that could last.”

“I’m sorry, but the age difference, everything… it’s just too much.”

Liam’s jaw clenched. “Is that what this is really about? Our age?” His voice was laced with frustration and a hint of insecurity. “So I’m a little younger—that doesn’t mean what I feel for you isn’t real.”

I sighed, feeling the weight of our differences more than ever. “It’s not just about age, Liam. Look at where we are in life. I have an established career, financial stability. You’re... you’re living in the lab, for God’s sake!”

His face flushed with anger… humiliation? Fuck. Nothing was coming out right.

“So what? I’m not good enough for you because I’m struggling financially? Because I haven’t reached your level of success?”

“That’s not what I meant,” I said, but the words rang hollow even to my own ears. “It’s just... we’re at such different stages in life. How can we possibly make this work?”

Liam’s eyes flashed with determination. “We make it work by trying, Doc. By believing in us. So what if I’m not as established yet? I’m working on it. I’m trying to build a future, and I want you to be part of that.”

His words tugged at my heart, but my fear wouldn’t let go. “And what if you wake up one day and realize you’ve wasted your youth? What if you resent me for holding you back?”

Liam stepped closer, his voice softer now. “That’s not going to happen. You inspire me to be better, to push harder. Age is just a number. It’s what we feel for each other that matters.”

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. “But what if... what if I’m just your ‘cougar’ phase? What if this is all a game to you?”

The hurt in Liam’s eyes was palpable. “A game? Emerson, you’re not some ‘cougar’ to me. You’re the woman I’m falling for. The woman I want to build a life with.”

His words threatened to wash away all my careful defenses. But the fear was still there, whispering in my ear.

“I’m sorry, Liam. I just... I can’t. It’s too complicated, too risky. We’re better off ending this now before we get in too deep.”

Liam’s expression almost broke me. “You can’t mean that. You can’t just throw away what we have.” His voice cracked, showing a vulnerability that mirrored my own.

My heart pounded, but I couldn’t let it take over. “I’m sorry. Please let me go.”

I turned to leave, but his voice, softer now, stopped me. “Just wait, please.”

My heart ached to turn back, to fall into his arms, but my mind wouldn’t let me. “Liam, it’s too hard.”

Liam’s frustration boiled over. “Damn it, Doc! Love isn’t some formula you can predict or control. It’s messy and complicated and... real.”

I flinched at his words. “That’s exactly why I can’t do this. I can’t afford to lose control.”

He stepped closer, the heat of his body pulling me in. “Lose control?” he echoed with a bitter laugh. “Well, guess what? Life is full of trouble. You can’t hide from it forever.”

My chest tightened. “You don’t understand,” I whispered. “I have to stay focused. My research is all I have.”

“Your research?” Liam’s voice cracked with pain. “What about us? What about what we have? Doesn’t that mean anything?”

His words hung in the air, heavy with emotion. “Of course it means something,” I said, my voice shaking. “But I can’t?—”

“You can’t what?” he interrupted, his blue eyes intense. “You can’t let yourself be happy? You can’t let someone in? You can’t admit that you’re scared?”

Tears welled up in my eyes. His questions hit way too close to home.

“I can’t risk it,” I choked out, feeling the sting of truth. “I’ve seen what happens when you let someone in too close. It destroys you.”

Liam’s expression softened. He reached out, his fingers brushing against my arm, sending a shiver through me.

“Emerson, I’m not asking you to give up your work. I’m not asking you to change who you are. I’m just asking you to let me in. To let us be something more.”

Fuck .

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the urge to ease into his arms, to let him hold me and tell me everything would be okay. “I can’t,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’ll lose myself.”

“You’re not losing yourself,” he said gently, his hand moving to my cheek, his touch tender and electrifying. “You’re finding a new side of yourself. You’re finding us.”

I shook my head, the desperation of the moment tearing at my heart.

“I’m sorry, Liam. It’s over.”

With those gut-wrenching words, I opened the door and stepped into the stairwell.

Each step felt like a physical manifestation of the emotional distance I was creating between us. I thought he might follow me again, might grab me and pull me back into his arms… but he didn’t, and I just kept walking, my heart hurting more with every step I took.

By the time I reached the ground floor, my hands were shaking as I pushed open the door to the outside.

Wind whipped through my hair and stole my breath as the enormity of what I’d done hit me.

Sliding down the back of the door, I hugged my knees to my chest, and the tears finally broke.

I’d hurt Liam, and that knowledge cut me deeper than I ever thought possible. It felt like I’d ripped out my own heart and stomped on it, all in the name of keeping myself safe.

As I sat there, alone and heartbroken, the logical part of my brain—the scientist in me—tried to rationalize everything. It was better to end things now before I got too attached, before the inevitable heartbreak would hurt even more.

But the rest of me wasn’t buying it. Liam’s warmth, his unwavering support, and the way he challenged me to see beyond my rigid views all swirled in my mind.

My mother had always encouraged me to follow my heart.

“Life isn’t meant to be lived safely,” she’d say, her eyes twinkling with that mischievous sparkle. “It’s meant to be grabbed by the balls and squeezed for all it’s worth.”

Christ, what would she say if she saw me now, huddled on the ground, pushing away the one person who’d managed to chip through a section of my wall?

Probably something involving a swift kick to the ass and a lot of colorful language about not being an idiot.

But it was too late now. I’d made my choice, and I had to live with it.

Even if living with it felt like dragging my soul through broken glass.