15. Liam
Chapter fifteen
Liam
The sun is warm, but there’s a cool breeze off the ocean, ruffling the leaves of the nearby trees.
Nate’s boy Max is running ahead of us, practically bouncing with excitement.
The amusement park is small but lively, filled with families and tourists, laughter and music.
There’s something about it that feels simple, innocent.
I glance sideways at Lucy. She’s watching Max with a smile that tugs at something in my chest.
I know she’s nervous about today — about being out in the open, with people watching us, the way they always do when you’re seen with someone like me. But right now, she looks relaxed, happy even, and I’m grateful for that.
Max pauses by a mini aquarium exhibit, his face pressed up against the glass. A school of colorful fish glides by, and his eyes widen with wonder.
"Look, look!" he exclaims, grabbing Lucy’s hand and pulling her closer.
She laughs softly, following him. I watch them both — her hand in his, the easy way they interact, the way she lights up when Max grins at her. It’s natural. It’s beautiful.
And it makes something inside me ache.
Max turns to me, grinning. "Liam, do you think the fish are watching us?"
I smirk, crouching down beside him. "I think they’re too busy swimming to care about us."
Max scrunches his nose, clearly not satisfied with my answer. "I bet they’re watching. They’re just too shy to say anything."
Lucy chuckles, shaking her head as she glances at me. "He’s got quite the imagination, doesn’t he?"
"Just like his uncle," I reply, the words slipping out before I can stop them.
She looks at me, surprised, but I can’t take it back now. "He’s a good kid," I add quickly.
Lucy’s smile softens, but she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to.
We move on to the next exhibit, and as we walk, I hear the familiar whispers.
Some of them are quiet, but not all of them.
I can feel the eyes on us, the way people are looking at Lucy and me.
They’re sizing us up, trying to figure out if we’re a couple, or if we’re just a passing moment in the sea of tourists.
Lucy notices it too. She stiffens just a little, her pace slowing.
I catch up to her and lower my voice. "Don’t mind them," I say softly. "It’s just gossip."
She looks up at me, a hint of discomfort in her eyes. "How do you deal with it?"
"How do I deal with gossip?" I repeat. "Simple. I just act like I don’t hear it."
She raises an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "You really don’t care?"
I give her a small smile. "Most of the time, no. People are going to talk. It’s just part of life here."
"But you don’t mind?"
I shrug. "No. It doesn’t change anything. And if people talk, let them. I’m not going to let it stop me from doing what I want."
She looks at me for a moment, her eyes searching my face. I can tell she’s trying to figure out if I’m being serious.
Eventually, she sighs. "I guess that's where we are different, I don't know how to just pretend it's not there."
"I get it," I say quietly. "But you’re doing fine. You don’t have to let anyone’s opinion change who you are."
I stare at her, hoping she will open up more to me. Max runs up to us, his face lit up with excitement. "There’s ice cream over there! Can we get some, pleeeeze?"
We follow him to the stand, and I buy us all cones. Max eagerly digs into his chocolate swirl, making a mess of his face. Lucy hesitates, then smiles at me.
I smirk, handing her her cone. She laughs, taking a careful bite, but the sweetness of the moment isn’t lost on me. There’s a lightness in her now, something that wasn’t there before.
We move to a bench by the water, and I watch as she’s pulled into Max’s energy, her tension easing as she talks to him about the ice cream flavors. But as the conversation shifts, I find myself staring at her — at the way she smiles, the way her eyes light up when she’s with him.
I can’t remember the last time I wanted something this badly.
She glances over at me, and for a moment, our eyes lock. I feel the pull again. It’s like nothing else matters, just her and me, this moment between us.
But then Max giggles and distracts her, and the spell breaks.
Once we finish our ice cream, we start walking again, heading toward the beach. The sand is warm underfoot, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore fills the air. I take a deep breath, letting the salty air clear my head.
Lucy stops at the water’s edge, watching the ocean with a soft expression. Max runs ahead, chasing the ferrets who are having the time of their lives darting in and out of the water.
It’s quite amazing that Nibbs and Pip stay near her and never run off. I wonder what her secret is. Probably just plain devotion.
I stand beside Lucy, the silence between us comfortable but thick with unspoken words.
"What does home mean to you?" I ask, surprising myself with the question.
She looks at me, the answer is slow to form. "I don’t know," she says softly. "I guess… it’s this. Feeling like you belong somewhere."
She pauses, looking out at the horizon. "I never had that growing up."
I want to ask more — want to know why, but I respect the silence.
"You belong here," I say quietly, looking at her. "In Ocean Bay. You’re a part of this now."
Her gaze flickers to me, and for a moment, she almost looks like she’s going to say something else. But then Max calls out, his voice filled with excitement.
"Hey, Liam! Come look at this!"
He’s holding the ferrets in his arms, showing them to us with a grin. I laugh and walk over, but my mind is still on Lucy. The way she looked at me. The way she almost opened up.
Max runs off with the ferrets again, and I find myself standing alone with Lucy, the world slowing around us.
I want to lean in. I want to close the gap between us, but I hold back. I remind myself to respect her pace.
She looks at me again, her eyes softer now. "Do you ever wonder if you’ll ever really feel like you belong somewhere?"
Her question catches me off guard. I blink, unsure of how to answer.
"Maybe," I say slowly, my voice low. "But I think… I think sometimes belonging isn’t about a place. It’s about the people who make you feel at home."
She’s quiet for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, she takes my hand. The simple gesture sends a shock through me, a quiet jolt of electricity that I can’t ignore.
And before I can think better of it, I pull her toward me, my lips finding hers in a slow, tentative kiss.
The moment lingers. Just like that, with the ocean crashing behind us, the world fades away. It’s just us.
But then Max giggles, holding a ferret up high. "Look, look! The ferret’s gonna fly!"
We break apart quickly, laughing awkwardly as the moment slips away. Lucy blushes, glancing down at the sand.
"Well," I say, smiling despite myself, "I guess that’s one way to interrupt a kiss."
She laughs, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "Sorry," she says teasingly. "I didn’t mean to ruin it."
I shake my head, still smiling. "You didn’t ruin anything. I think we just need to work on our timing."
Max comes running back over, dragging the ferrets behind him. "Liam, can we go to the hidden beach now?"
I look at Lucy, my heart still racing from the kiss. "Yeah. Let’s go."
We walk down to the hidden beach, a quiet place I come to when I need to think. The sun is setting, casting a warm golden light over everything. The air is peaceful here, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks is soothing.
We sit together on the sand, the three of us, laughing, talking, the ferrets playing around us. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I really belong.
Like we belong.
The day winds down, the sky turning a deep purple as the stars begin to emerge. I glance at Lucy, her face soft in the twilight, her expression relaxed.
And in that moment, I promise myself — I’ll be patient. I’ll wait.
Because this is worth it.