Temptation of the Past [Mature Content]

6. [Genuine encounters]

Liam POV

As the sun shone into the room, Liam woke up with a pounding headache. For a while he had forgotten about Travis and what he had told him and remembering his mother's last words, "Don't make the same mistake I made." Did she mean leaving him or was she talking about something else? His mother made it look like she didn't know Travis and now he is telling him that there is a chance he could be his father. The same man he thought was worthless for leaving his mother when she was pregnant and needed him most. Not knowing exactly what happened was giving Liam a headache.

Two years later...

Slowly he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, where he found Amber dressed in his shirt and nothing else making breakfast. He took a seat at the island and propped open his laptop. With everything that was going on he still had a job to do.

"Good morning babe." Amber whispered in the sweetest voice as she pecked his cheek. "Morning," he replied grumpily.

"Would you rather egg with bacon or eggs and harsh browns with toast." She asked twirling the spatula in her hands while she shakes the eggs in the skillet.

Her current attire teased him, all he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder and pounded into her.

It was tempting.

"Liam! Did you hear me?" She asked again, this time with both hands planted on the counter.

Her lips were moving but he wasn't hearing a word she was saying. His mind was so far gone.

She looked at him. He knew she was talking but it's like nothing was coming out because he was staring right at her and it's like he still couldn't see her. Slowly she closed the gap between them and touched his shoulder gently. "Liam, are you okay? I have been calling you for a while now and got no response. It was like you aren't even here with me." She pouted.

He shook his head.

There was an awkward silence between them.

"Sorry I just.... have a lot on my plate right now. Can you just finish up and then leave." He said without giving her another glance, picked up his laptop and left the kitchen. From an earshot in the corridor, he can hear the knocking of pans and utensils in the kitchen.

As he was about to enter his home office a knock sounded on the front door, without caring who it was, he entered the office and closed the door. He took a seat in his chair around the mahogany desk and rested his head in his hands.

The rays of the morning sun shines brightly through the window, cascading a light throughout the office. Usually the office was the one place he would go and ease his mind but today was no different from the past couple days. It had become harder and harder to calm his roaring nerves.

Suddenly a knock sounded on the door breaking him out of his trance. "Yes, who is it?" He asked huskily. For a moment there was silence. "Who is it?" He repeated yet again and still got no reply. Liam got up from his desk with such rage that when he pulled open the door he almost pulled it off the hinges. "Who the he—?" His sentence was cut midair when he realized who it was.

"Trent you f*****g asshole, didn't you hear me asking who it was?"

He retreated inside the office once again with Trent trailing behind.

Trent plopped down on the couch and threw a foot over the arm of the chair. "Yeah I did but I wanted you to answer politely." He snickered.

If he wasn't my best friend I'd knock his ass out for being such an ass. Liam thought to himself.

"Ha-ha, c'mon man was just playing around. No need for hostility or name calling." He laughed holding his stomach. This man can be so childish at times.

Liam shook his head at his childish friend.

"So wassup man, I just saw Amber outside with tears in her eyes. What did you do this time?" He was now more serious and sitting properly in the chair with both hands behind his head. "Why I always have to be the one at fault? Can't I just be the victim like everybody else?" He practically shout-yelled at him. The last thing Liam needed right now was this. Trent and gimmicks.

"Look man I'm not saying you did anything, it's just that you don't seem like yourself. Everything okay? What's going on?" He replied gently. Trent is a caring soul and Liam knew it. Even though he needed to talk to someone about what was going on, Liam was in no mood for Trent's ranting.

"Anyway, enough with the pity party, I didn't come here for that. I'm actually here to ask you to be my best man." He simply stated.

Best man? As in a wedding.... Best man? As in my best friend is getting married...best man?

Liam had a mini rant going on in his head analyzing his previous statement. "Hold up are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" I asked looking dumbfounded.

He shook his head. Yeah

Liam jumped from the chair which he didn't even realized he had taken a seat and hugged Trent patting him on the back. "Congrats man, I'm happy for you." He genuinely smiled at him, forgetting about their previous debacle and hugged him again. As much as he didn't plan on getting hitched himself, he was happy for him. He deserves happiness. Even if it's being tied down to the same woman for the rest of his life, then sure I'm happy for him.

"Thanks man. So.... Is that a yes to my question." He asked c*****g his head to the side. Can't believe he would ask me such a question. Maybe I should let him sweat it for a minute or two for payback to earlier on. "Sorry man no can do." Was all Liam said.

Immediately the smile on Trent's face dropped. And just when he was about to reply Liam burst into a fit of laughter tumbling over on the chair. The look on Trent's face...it was priceless.

"C'mon man you even have to ask? Of course, I'll be your best man."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes at Liam. "Now who's being an ass?"

The laughter in the room returned.

For the rest of the time they talked about his fiancé's already mini tantrums about wedding details, hence the reason for his visit. As well to tell him, he is getting married.

Liam was genuinely happy for him.

They talked, joked and laughed for some time. Then Trent said he was meeting Aurora for tea so they said their good byes. Liam gave him a hard pat on the back out of excitement as he exited the door.

Liam returned to his desk to try and get some work done but Trent's news was keeping his mind occupied. Not the wedding news but the news of Amara, his long-lost love was returning to Merristwood for the wedding. Amara and Liam dated back in high school. She was everything Liam could want in a woman; loyal, compassionate, loving, beautiful, charismatic and so much more.

So, after graduation they started making plans for their future together. Not knowing she had plans of her own. Amara had always wanted to be a journalist and him an architecture so when the opportunity for her came to travel and study in a prestigious university, she asked Liam to go with her but he turned it down. Realizing now what he had turned down, then following the death of his mother, also the news of his alleged father he was feeling even more overwhelmed.

Liam didn't want Amara to leave but she was convinced she would get the best education and chance to become a better journalist if she did leave. Now after ten years she was returning, not to him but to the place where they both once vowed to share a life together.

After she left Liam banged his head for being a coward but now he realized he wasn't being a coward but a man. Letting her go to follow her dreams has pushed him to follow his and to be there for his mother on her death bed. Having a chance to say goodbye to her was the one thing he was happy about.