RAVENS #1: THE DARKNESS

Chapter 56 - Rogue

Alyssa Takada

I screamed my lungs out when the ghost came out. I hugged Liam tightly, and he laughed.

"Turn it off..." I said, and he immediately turned it off. He pulled me to sit on his lap, then wrapped his arms around my waist.

"That was scary," I whispered.

"Do you think you can sleep alone tonight?" I pulled away from him, and he smirked, knowing damn well I won't be able to sleep.

"Yes," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes?" Tonight's date was our 41st, and it's been so fun going on dates and spending time with Liam. Last week, we went to Disneyland and the USS in California. It was fun, even though Liam got sick the next day. He hates rides, but he wanted to make me happy.

So far, we only held hands, and he respected my decision to take everything slow. He got grumpy sometimes, but I told him to be patient.

"Do you mind staying the night?" I asked, and he nodded. I hugged him and buried my face to his neck.

"Are you sure that you want to marry me again?" I sat up straight and looked into his eyes. He held my waist tightly.

"Yes."

"What if you regret it?"

"I won't."

"What if I don't want to get married again?"

"Then I'll convince you until you agree."

"Even though it'll take years?"

"Yes." I pouted as tears filled my eyes. Liam chuckled and kissed my cheek.

"When we got married a few months ago, I had no clue that you would be the best thing that has ever happened to me. I had zero expectations and have no idea how relationships work." He held both of my hands.

"Then you asked me to be a good husband for sixty days. I was skeptical at first because I thought nothing would change my decision to want a divorce, but I was wrong. Ever since that day, I questioned myself whether I wanted a divorce or not. I was enjoying myself too much."

"Then I woke up greeted by your lawyer, and I signed it, thinking that my feelings were just a phase. I was so stupid to think that it was only a phase because I regretted it right away." I cupped his face and leaned my forehead with his.

"I'm sorry, Aeri. I realized my feelings too late. I was eleven years too late." I kissed his cheek, and I shook my head.

"Do you love me, Liam?"

"Yes. I love you so much." I kissed him slowly, and he kissed me back right away.

"How about you? Do you still love me?" He asked as I caressed his cheek slowly. I found myself nodding my head, and he smiled.

"I've always wanted to move on because I thought you would never love me back."

"I'm sorry."

"Why do you want to marry me again? We will be fine if we don't tie the knot." He looked into my eyes and shook my head.

"I want you to be mine again. I want you to have my last name; that way, the whole world will know that you're mine. And yes, we will be fine even though we don't tie the knot, but I want our future to be more than just a relationship. I want to have a family with you."

"A family?"

"Yes. I won't force you if you don't have kids, we—"

"Of course, I want kids." I cut him.

"Really?"

"Yes. I've always wanted one, even though I don't know if I can be a good mom."

"We can learn as we go." He assured me, and I nodded.

"This time will be different. I promise." He kissed the back of my hand.

"I know."

Liam Hastington

"She's not going anywhere." Luke hissed, and I ignored his complaints because I wasn't listening to what he was saying.

"She's talking to Sophia, not some dude." Vincent pointed out.

"You should recheck your brain," Kaleb suggested, and I turned to my friends, who were being so annoying.

We were invited to a charity event, and Alyssa attended because it was for a good cause. As soon as we got here, she was greeted by her friends.

"Love looks ugly on you." I turned to Dean, who joined us with two glasses of champagne. Luke took one from him.

"Do you want me to buy you a mirror?" I hissed as I turned my attention back to Alyssa. Instead of waiting for her to come back, I walked towards her.

"Fuck off, Adler," I said to Sophia and grabbed Alyssa's hand, dragging her away from the crowd.

"Liam, what are you doing?"

"You've been spending too much time with your friends."

"It's been so long since I saw them." Alyssa chuckled, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, giving her a peck on her lips.

"Just stay with me here."

"It's a charity event, Mr.Hastington." She gestured to the crowd.

"I know, but I can't be away from you."

"You're clingy." She poked my chest.

"Yes, I am."

"Get a room." Blake walked past us, and Alyssa turned to him.

"Blake!"

"What are you doing?" I asked, and Blake walked back to us.

"Yes, Alyssa?" Suddenly, she grabbed Blake's hand and mine, forcing us to hold hands.

"You two need a lot of catching up to do." With that, she slipped away, and I turned to Blake, who was already looking at me disgusted.

"Say cheese!" We both turned to Dean, who took a picture of us holding hands. I threw his hand away and planned to grab Dean's collar, but he got away. I followed him, and he returned to Kaleb and Luke, showing them his masterpiece.

"Print it and put it on A's wall," Luke laughed.

Suddenly Vincent came to us and his face showed something serious had happened. We all turned to him, waiting for him to say something.

"We need to go to the headquarters and the rogue team went missing." Shit.

"We have to go now!"

"What happened?" Blake joined, and I left to get Alyssa. I called Saul, Dean's assistant, to ensure Alyssa was guarded.

My phone rang, and it was A.

"Hello."

"You better come to the headquarters, Hastington."

"Roger."