7. CHAPTER SEVEN - EMBERS OF DOUBT
“Aren’t military personnel not supposed to drink coffee?” I said, as Cole led me to my coffee machine in the kitchen.
“Ha-ha, very funny, Jake,” Cole said sarcastically.
“Thanks, man, I knew you would get it,” I laughed, teasing him further.
I handed Cole a cup of coffee, the warmth seeping through the ceramic and into my hands as we leaned against the familiar kitchen counter. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, serving as a comforting presence for such an intense morning.
Cole sighed, then looked at me, his eyes reflecting his concern. “How is she, really?”
“Who, Lily?” I asked, as though I didn’t know who he was obviously talking about.
“Yeah, she must have been shaken up about the fire.” I looked down and noticed his hands shake as he tried to hold on to his cup. “I can’t stop thinking about her being unconscious in that burning building.”
I took a sip of my coffee, gathering my thoughts before responding. “She’s okay, Cole. It was a close call, but she survived and you’ve seen her. She’s fine, man.”
I met his gaze, wanting to reassure him as much as he needed. “She just had some minor bruises here and there, nothing serious. The doctor said she’ll make a full recovery.”
Cole let out a sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders visibly easing. “Thank you, Jake. I don’t know what we’d do without you and your team,” he laughed.
“For God”s sake, man. I told you that you don’t need to thank me. I did what I had to do.” I smiled.
“And Liam’s here so he’ll definitely cheer her up,” Cole said, taking another sip of his coffee.
“I wanted to ask, who is Liam?”
“Oh him?” Cole chuckled, “He’s my buddy in the army and apparently he has a thing for Lily.”
“How long has that been going on?” I found myself asking, but quickly took a sip of my coffee to avoid Cole’s eye contact.
“Honestly, I can’t say.” Cole let out a puff of air. “They don’t really talk much when Liam’s away. Only when he comes back.”
“Right.” I gazed out toward the backyard but couldn’t see much, except for Liam standing up, and what looked like a heated argument with Lily.
“Hey, what’s going on out there?” I asked, moving closer to the window to have a better look.
Cole glanced up. “What is it?”
“Seems like they’re having some sort of argument.”
“And what do you care, man?” Cole said with a small laugh.
“How aren’t you concerned? That’s your sister out there,” I almost yelled.
“Relax man, why are you getting so worked up?” Cole stood up straight and looked at me. “It’s probably some silly lover’s squabble.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I said, and hurriedly rushed out the door into the backyard.
As soon as I stepped out, I watched Lily get up and yell at Liam, the fury in her eyes clearly visible.
Seeing her angry, I quickened my pace, wanting to find out what Liam had said or done to piss her off so much.
“So how about you just get the hell out of here!” That was all I heard, but that was all I needed to hear to know she didn’t want Liam around.
“Or what?” Liam said.
Anger surged up inside of me as I heard him threaten Lily, and it took everything I had not to flare up and punch him right then and there. “Or I’ll have to throw you off my property.”
Liam turned to me, looking me dead in my eyes, and had the audacity to keep talking. “You can’t do shit.”
I smirked, knowing fully well that if I wanted to, I could knock him the fuck out. I clenched my jaw to suppress my anger and folded my fist. “How about you wait while I count to five and you find out.”
I secretly wished that Liam wouldn’t move so I would have an excuse to wipe that smug grin off his face. “One. Two. Three.”
My eyes narrowed as I neared five, and I clenched my fist even tighter, but unfortunately, I could see his resolve weaken, and just as I expected, he backed down.
“Fuck this,” he scoffed.
He walked past me, but not before bumping his shoulder into mine to make some sort of statement. But that wasn’t his biggest mistake. His biggest mistake was when he opened his mouth again.
“You can have the fucking bitch.”
I felt something inside of me snap, and my eyes blazed red. I grabbed Liam and pulled him back until he was facing me. Without even a second thought, I swung my fist at him and heard a sickening crunch as my fist connected with his nose, causing him to fall to the ground.
“Don’t you ever disrespect her like that ever again. Now, get the fuck out of my house.”
I waited for him to slowly get back up, his eyes staring daggers at me, but I was never one to back down. I moved closer to him, ready for whatever it was that was about to happen, when we both heard Cole’s voice.
“That’s enough!” Cole yelled from the open door.
He approached Liam, grabbed him by his uniform, and shoved him toward the front. “Get to the fucking truck, private. I’ll meet you there.”
He then turned to look at me, a look of remorse on his face. “I’m sorry about that Jake. I’ll be sure to discipline his ass when we get back to base.”
“It’s quite alright.” I sighed, glancing at Lily, who refused to meet my eyes. “I just couldn’t let that asshole talk to Lily like that.”
Cole turned to Lily and smiled. “You okay?”
“I’ll survive,” she said, with a smile of her own.
“I’m going to my hotel, but first I have to drop Liam off at his grandmother’s place. I’ll be sure to drop by for dinner tomorrow before I leave.”
“Of course man. If you want you could even come over for dinner tonight as well,” I said.
“Nah,” Cole laughed. “I’m giving you enough time to prepare a meal fit for a king. You know how much I love to eat.” Cole grinned.
“How could I fucking forget? We literally called you the bottomless pit.” I laughed as well.
Cole pulled me into a hug. “Take care of yourself and Lily man. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure thing, man,” I answered, patting him on his back before he released me from the hug.
“You still know how to throw a punch, huh?” Cole smirked.
I raised my fist and grinned. “Been knocking people out since grade school man.”
As Cole left, I turned to Lily. There were so many questions in my head, but at this point, I wanted to know if she was really okay with what had just happened.
What actually did just happen?
“Are you okay?” I asked, searching her eyes.
She forced a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... tired, I guess.”
I could tell she was putting on a brave front, but I knew better than to let it slide. “You sure?” I pressed, concern creeping into my voice. “You seemed pretty shaken up back there.”
Lily hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering away before returning to meet mine. “It”s nothing, really. Just... Liam being Liam, you know?”
I frowned, not entirely convinced by her dismissive tone. “Liam being Liam? What does that mean?”
She let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly as she realized she couldn”t keep up the charade any longer. “We... we broke up, Jake. And things got a little... heated.”
My heart clenched at her words. I remembered when Liam had threatened her. The thought made my blood boil, but I pushed down my anger, focusing instead on Lily. “I”m sorry, Lily. I had no idea.”
She offered me a weak smile. “It”s okay, Jake. It”s not your problem.”
“But it is,” I insisted, my voice firm. “I don”t want to see you hurt.”
Lily smiled, a small but genuine one this time. “Thanks, Jake, but I didn’t mean to burden you with my problems. You’ve already done so much for me today.”
I shook my head, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Lily, you are definitely not a burden. You’re sweet, and kind, and so fucking amazing it’s crazy.”
A small giggle escaped her lips, and I was suddenly filled with a warm fuzzy feeling from hearing her laughter. I looked straight into her eyes, taking her hand in mine. “And best of all, you’re important to me Lily. I care about you more than you know.”
Lily”s smile grew a little warmer at my words, and she squeezed my hand a bit tighter. “Thank you.”
I felt a wave of realization crash over me, leaving me no choice but to confront the depth of my feelings for her. I thought I just really liked Lily and enjoyed her company, but as I looked into her misty green eyes, the truth echoed louder than ever before.
Maybe, just maybe, what I felt for Lily ran deeper than what I thought possible. I have fallen in love with her.