Shadows And Secrets
1444 Words
Chapter three: Shadows and secret
The days following Liam's gifts felt different.
Ava woke up with something she had not felt in years, anticipation. She would find herself humming while dressing, catching her reflection in the mirror seeing a woman who looked brighter, softer and more alive.
At the bookstore, Grace noticed. "You're glowing again" she teased leaning against the shelf.
Ava tried to sound casual. "Maybe it is the sunlight".
"Or maybe it is a certain tall, kind-hearted customer who keeps buying motivational books" Grace teased again.
Ava laughed, shaking her head. "Liam is not... She paused. I mean he is just....nice."
Grace smirked. "Sweetheart no one smiles that much around people because they are nice"
Ava sighed pretending not to blush.
That evening Liam stopped by again unannounced, as usual. He did not bring books this time but two cups of coffee and a brown paper bag that smelled heavily.
"I bought dinner, because you look like someone who forgets to eat when busy"
Ava blinked " How would you know that?"
"Because I do it too," he replied .
"It is good to see you happy Ava" Liam said
"I am trying, " she replied.
"Then you are doing better than most".
They sat behind the counter and shared sandwiches and laughter between bites.
As the weeks went by, their connection deepened in quiet, unspoken ways. They began taking short walks after closing hours through quiet streets lined with golden lamplight. Liam always walked a little slower, matching her space.
"You never talk about what you do , what is your job?" She asked as he walked her home.
He hesitated briefly. "Management, it is .... Complicated."
"Tell me how please" she politely requested.
He chuckled, " let us just say I have a lot of people who like to schedule my life for me"
She laughed, "sounds fancy.
"It is exhausting, most days I would rather be here surrounded by books and quiet" he replied honestly.
Ava tilted her head. " So you are rich then?"
Liam smirked. " Define rich".
"Enough to have people schedule your life" she replied
Liam smiled, avoiding her gaze. "Let us just say money does not always buy peace".
The softness in his tone made her heart tighten. There was something lonely about the way he said it, as if wealth was a burden, not a blessing but she did not press further.
A week later, Grace convinced Ava to display some of her paintings in a small art exhibit the community was hosting. It was a modest event, nothing fancy but to Ava, it felt monumental. It was her first time showing her work publicly since her breakup.
Liam offered to drive her there.
“You don’t have to,” she said, embarrassed. “It’s just a small thing.”
“I want to,” he said simply.
At the venue, she nervously arranged her paintings, soft landscapes, faces half-lit in hope, colors blending like prayers. Liam stood quietly behind her, admiring the depth in each stroke.
“These are incredible,” he said. “You paint like someone who’s seen both darkness and light.”
She smiled shyly. “Maybe because I have.”
When people began trickling in, Ava's anxiety grew. She stopped near her display, her hands trembling slightly. Liam noticed and urged her to breathe as she had already done the hardest part which was showing up.
His voice calmed her, every word from him seemed to anchor her to something steady and safe.
Halfway through the evening a group of elegantly dressed guests entered. Ava recognized the logo on their invite badges, Mathew corporations, that was the same company that rejected her internship a few years ago which was the major reason Ethan's mother labelled her "unsuitable."
Her hand shook as she adjusted a frame, Liam noticed and asked if she was okay, she nodded and assured him she was alright, just nervous. He looked like he wanted to say more but did not instead. He excused himself to take a call outside
Minutes later, one of the corporate men stopped to look at her art, "Beautiful piece" he said politely. "You should show these to Mr Liam Mathews, he sponsors emerging artists sometimes" he said further.
Ava froze. Mathews?
Her mind raced, could it be...?
No, Liam can not be that Mathews. It did not make sense, he was too grounded and too humble . Still, the coincidence made her chest tighten.
When Liam returned, she studied him differently, the way his phone never stopped buzzing, how people seemed to greet him with quiet respect whenever they passed. There was an aura about him that did not belong to ordinary men.
"Everything okay" he asked, noticing
her stare.
"Yeah", she said quickly, forcing a smile.
"Just think".
"About what?"
"Perhaps about how people are not always who they seem"
He smiled. "That can be both a warning or a gift".
After the exhibit, they went further for a walk by the riverside, the night was cool and the city lights danced on the water.
"You were amazing today," Liam said softly, "you did not let fear win".
Ava hugged herself, "I almost did but I remember what you said about showing up"
He nodded, "that's half the battle in life."
They stopped, watching the reflection of skyscrapers ripple in the river.
Ava glanced up at him. "Liam, can I ask you something personal please?"
"Of course".
"Why do you care so much about me? I mean, you barely know me."
He took a deep breath, his voice low.
"Maybe because I see too much of myself in you, I know what it's like to be surrounded by people and still feel alone"
Ava's throat tightened. "You seem too....put together to ever feel that way"
He gave a sad smile. "That's the thing about people like me, we learn to look fine because the world expects us to be"
His honesty caught her off guard. There was something in his toilet e. Weariness mixed with warmth, that made her heart ache.
For a long moment they stood in silence, the city humming softly around them.
"I'm glad you came into my life Liam, you've been a light" she whispered.
"I could say the same," he said quietly.
Their eyes lingered, just long enough for something unspoken to bloom between them. Then Liam looked away almost too quickly as if he were afraid of what would happen if he did not.
Over the next few days Ava could not stop thinking about their last conversation or the name Mathew Corporations, she tried searching online but stopped halfway through feeling guilty, if Liam wanted her to know who he really was, he would have told her.
Still small clues kept appearing.
The expensive car that once dropped him off the bookstore.
Grace whispered "that guy dresses like old money".
The time she caught him reading a business journal that has his picture on it.
Each clue added weight and fear to her curiosity.
What if she really was Liam Mathews?
What if she was falling for someone far above her world again?
Someone who's life she could never fit into?
Was history about to repeat itself again?
All these thoughts terrified her to her bones but when she remembered Every time he spoke to her, every time he made her laugh, the fear melted like frost in sunlight.
One rainy evening, Liam showed up at her apartment with two umbrellas and a sheepish grin.
"You're soaked" she laughed letting him in
"Yeah my umbrella lost the fight halfway here." He replied laughing
He looked around her apartment, small, simple but filled with warmth, paintings leaned against the walls. "This place feels like peace," he said.
"It's all I could afford but it's mine" she replied
He smiled, "that's what makes it beautiful " he said.
They talked for hours, sharing childhood stories, fears and half-forgotten dreams. Ava dozed off at a point on the couch, her head resting on his shoulders. Liam did not move. He just sat there watching the rise and fall of her breath, feeling something he had not felt in years, "belonging".
He whispered quietly ”If only you knew..."
Ava stirred slightly but did not wake.
Liam looked at her one last time before leaving. On the small table near the door, he placed an envelope with her name on it, an invite to a private art showcase sponsored by Mathew Corporations.
At the bottom of the invitation, he had written in neat handwriting "it's time the world saw what I already see in you".
- Writer
