"You say my name
Like it's been on your lips,
Familiar in ways I can't explain.
It's like it's driving me closer to you.
Every step back pulls me right back to you.
Time stood still, and it's only us.
What we feel started
Way before we ever touched.
Must be from a different life.
Been here before, and it just feels right.
No, this ain't the first time for you and I,
We ain't strangers."
- Jonas Brothers
***
Ira's POV
I struggle to suck in breath, but my lungs feel like they're on fire.
"We have to keep moving!" Liam turns and shouts, his hand gripping mine, pulling me after him as we run.
I push myself even harder to keep pace with him, the muscles in my legs protesting with every step. I look to the left and right, searching for some place to hide, some place to get away from all this, but there's nowhere to go. It's like the walls are closing in on us, and I'm not sure how much longer we can keep going.
Every time I blink, I expect to wake up, to go back to my regular boring life, where things makes sense and I'm safe.
But no matter how many times I try, no matter how many times I open my eyes, my lungs are still burning, Liam's still gripping my hand, and I'm still running.
This is real.
***
Twenty Minutes Earlier
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I glance up at Liam, who walks beside me. I can't help but notice the concern in his eyes, and an emotion I can't identify washes over me, so intense I have to look away.
It's only been about fifteen minutes since we left my apartment. I finished packing, and Leah and I said our goodbyes. Well, I said goodbye. She said see you later.
It wasn't easy to listen to her talk about all the things we'll do once I get back, to hear her make plans for a life I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance to step back into, but I suppose there was a kind of comfort in it. Hearing someone talk about the future like I'm actually going to have one was nice, whether or not it's true.
I haven't really said a word since we left. Not when Liam and I walked back down the road to the car. Not when I hauled my duffle bag into the trunk. Not even when I noticed that despite my entire life being packed in there, it was still so light.
I think a part of me is afraid that if I speak, if I acknowledge that the moment has passed, it'll really be gone.
So I stay silent.
We've only been driving for a couple of minutes when Liam suggested we grab something to eat before heading back to the house. I simply nodded in response, still feeling numb.
We parked the car, and now we're slowly making our way through the bustling streets to a calmer area. The little cafe on the corner looks quieter than normal, but one look at the dreary sky tells me that the promise of imminent rain must've driven most people inside.
Letting out a sigh, I turn back to Liam. "Not really," I answer.
He runs a hand over his hair in that way he does when I've irritated him. "Jesus, Adira, are you going to stay mad at me forever?"
"With any luck."
He stops walking suddenly and takes hold of my arm, pulling me off the main road until we're standing in an alleyway. The second we're out of sight, I wrench my arm out of his grip and glare at him.
He glares back but continues. "Look," he says, "I get that you're pissed at me, but you can't keep pushing me away like this."
"Why not?" I reply. "It's what you've been doing to me from the second we met."
I move to push past him then, and I guess I expected him to let me, but he doesn't. Instead, he grips my wrist, holding me in place and refusing to let me go. His eyes meet mine, his gaze earnest and sincere. "I know that," he says, "but I've been trying to make it right. Why won't you let me?"
A wave of anger surges in my chest.
I shake my head. "You don't get to do that," I say. "You don't get to act like you're being the bigger person here because you I tried to talk to you, Liam. I tried to get you to be honest with me, and you lied to my face."
"I know that."
"Then what?" I demand. "What do you need to talk to me about so badly now??"
"I'm trying to tell you, alright?" he shoots back. "Look, I know I've been pushing you away. I know I lied to you, but I only did it because in case you haven't noticed, you scare the hell out of me."
My whole body freezes up as my retort dies on my tongue. I'm silent as he runs a hand over the back of his neck.
Liam looks at me for a moment, his brown eyes wide, alert, like even now, he's fighting the urge to run from this - from me. "Getting close with you, letting you know me.. it's not easy for me, Ira," he finally admits.
The words manage to find a weak spot in the wall I've built between us, like a flower that insists on forcing it's way through a crack in the pavement to grow.
If anyone knows what it's like to be afraid to get close to someone, to let someone in, it's me. Being vulnerable in that way doesn't come easy to anyone, and blaming him for it doesn't feel right when I've been guilty of the same thing.
Still, a part of me can't let go of this angry feeling in my chest. It's dark and sticky and refuses to release its grip on my lungs. If we're going to move past this, I'm going to need more.
I swallow, hard, but the lump in my throat remains. "What do you mean?" I manage to force out.
Liam lets out a sigh. "Look, if you really want the truth about that night," he continues, "about why I asked you if you remembered the first time we.."
He steps towards me before continuing, his voice low, like what he has to say is for my ears and my ears alone. "I asked if you remembered that night because a part of me was hoping you did. Because it meant something to me, and I needed to know if it meant something to you."
The words send shivers down my spine. "Why?" I ask softly. "Why would you care? I thought you hated me."
He shakes his head, lost. "No, Ira. God, I could never," he breathes out. "I know I've been pushing you away, but I only did it because I wanted you for so long, now that you're here.." He pauses and looks into my eyes in a way that makes my heart ache. "It was hard letting you go, Adira. It was hard accepting that you weren't real. It's been even harder to accept that you are."
His voice is so low now, it's almost like a whisper. He takes a step closer to me, raising a hand to set it against my cheek.
His thumb gently strokes my skin, slowly, deliberately, like he's trying to make sure I'm really here, that after all this time, all the dreams and illusions, he's really touching me.
I can't really believe it either.
Despite everything that's still left unsaid between us, desire builds in my stomach, my body reacting to him instantly. This feeling is so much stronger when it's real.
My skin feels like it's on fire, burning in a way that makes me want to be consumed by it, and my heart hammers against my chest as Liam speaks.
"I guess I just spent so long pretending that I didn't want you," he says, "that it scared the hell out of me to realize that a part of me still did."
Liam presses closer to me until my chest meets his every time I take a breath. His gaze flickers back and forth to my lips, and when he starts to lean in, I swear time stands still.
The tiniest flame of familiarity flickers in my mind as his lips just barely brush mine, like we've done this before. Hundreds of times. Thousands of times.
That's when I hear the distinct sound of another person's shoes scraping against the wet concrete under our feet.
Next thing I know, Liam's being ripped away from me, and I see him get thrown to the ground.
************************
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A/N - Hey guys! Long time, no see! :)
My parents came to visit me, and I decided to take a much-needed break, but I'm back now and ready to start cranking out chapters again on all my stories!
Song at the top is "Strangers" by the Jonas Brothers, partly because I love this song for this story, and second because I wrote part of this chapter while waiting for their concert to start. Let me just say, second row at a Jonas Brothers concert is a life changing experience.
In honor of Halloween, comment a 🎃 if you enjoyed the chapter, and you're ready for the next one!
Besides that, hope everyone has a spooky time this weekend! Stay safe, and as always, Happy Reading! ♡