Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 44 • What?

Once we stepped into Lynch's apartment, he disappeared back to his room to either grab something or set something down. While he was gone, I peeled my shoes off and carried them back to my room. I was almost there and reaching for the handle when I paused. I frowned and scrunched my eyebrows at the thought.

This wasn't my room. I don't live here. It's his guest room and he's been kind enough to let me stay while I get my life back on track. Maybe it was just a lapse in my thought process that I called it my room. Shaking my head, I opened the door and set my shoes down against the wall.

Lynch popped out of his room as I pulled the door shut. He smiled at me and slung his arm over my shoulder. I didn't miss the cautious movement. He was still worried about my shoulder. I didn't mention it but it warmed my heart to know that he cared. He released me when we reached the living room so he could drop down onto the couch.

I circled around the coffee table and took the spot next to him as he propped his feet up. Once I was settled next to him, he slid his arm behind my back and pulled me close to his side. I looked up at him before dropping my head to his shoulder. We sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's presence.

I hadn't realized how much I wanted this until now. There were so many differences between Lynch and Liam and they were good differences. Lynch cared about me just as much as I cared about him. Everything was so fast and different but it felt right. Nothing ever really felt right with Liam. I know I said I needed to leave him in the past but now seeing everything different with Lynch made me realize how much he never cared for me.

All of it summed up to being things I should've seen early on but I disregarded in hopes of finding happiness.

Lynch pulled me from stupor, asking, "How're you feeling?"

"Hm? About what?"

"About seeing your parents. You hadn't seen them in about six years, right? Are you happy you finally got to see them?" He cleared up my confusion.

"Oh, yeah. It felt kinda surreal to be seeing them after so long. I half-expected them to still be angry that I ran off."

"Why would they still be angry?"

I half-smiled but it wasn't happy. "They didn't like Liam when they met him and told me so. After graduating, he wanted to move into an apartment together. Mom and Dad flat-out said no but I didn't listen and we got into a really big arguement over it. It ended with me storming out and moving in with him. I haven't seen them since then so I assumed they'd still be mad."

He was silent for a minute and squeezed my side reassuringly. "I don't think they could ever stay mad at you. I saw just as much as you did that they missed you. Yeah, you may have argued the last time you saw them but I believe they also saw what he was doing to you. They were probably more angry at him than they were at you. I was there to witness firsthand that they didn't blame you."

I chewed on my bottom lip listening to him. He was right. Maybe. I don't know and will probably never know if they were angry at me or at Liam. But he was right about them mising me and I had missed them just as much.

I pulled my feet up and curled into a ball next to him, picking at my thumbs. He pulled my knees over his lap and grabbed my hands, stopping me from picking. I sucked in a breath and slowly released it. He kept our hands together, resting them against my thigh.

"Dad likes you," I blurted. I've been doing that more often.

He hummed. "That's good. I wouldn't want him to hate me if I'm dating you."

I blushed. "I'm glad he likes you, too. I also don't think I've seen him invite someone to go out and grill with him other than friends and family."

"So I'm special?" He teased.

I shrugged. "Maybe. He's very good at seeing if you're a good person or not."

"He did ask a lot of questions about you. Maybe he was testing me," he said offhandedly.

I raised my head to look at him. "Y'all talked about me? Please tell me he didn't tell you any embarrassing stories."

He grinned. "Maybe, maybe not. I think I'll hold onto that secret."

I groaned and dropped my head back to his shoulder. "But he did talk to me about how you're doing now and what I was to you."

"Is that another secret you're gonna tease me with?"

"Nope. He wanted to make sure I'd protect you when necessary. I told him I would without a doubt."

I raised my head again, staring into his eyes. "That's...bold. Especially if you think about how long we've known each other."

"That doesn't stop that fact that I would protect you. Yeah, it's fast, but I'm not letting you jump in harm's way." I nodded slowly, letting the words sink in.

It felt weird, hearing that admission. Nobody had ever told me that. He squeezed my side again and I blinked away the blurry film over my eyes.

"You ok?" He questioned.

"Yeah. It's just different. I'm not used to someone tell me they want to keep me safe," I replied.

He stared at me for a second. "I have a suggestion. You're free to say no and tell me to fuck off but what if you lived here? You can take the guest room as yours and we can split rent. It would give you a new place to stay and you wouldn't have to worry about having to search for a new apartment or even move complexes. Your decision."

I sat, stunned to silence. He was offering me to move in with him? His face remained neutral.

"Um, I don't know? I have to think about it. I don't want to invade on you. And what would I do with my stuff?" My brain felt scattered.

"Take what time you need. You don't have to. It was only a suggestion. And you wouldn't be invading on me if I suggested it. As for your stuff, you can decide when you figure out your decision. You could move some of it here, store it, or sell it."

I nodded and pulled my bottom lip inbetween my teeth. It felt like a lot all at once. I wasn't sure what to do. It sounded reasonable but I still wasn't sure just yet. I dropped my head back to his shoulder. We stayed there for another hour until my stomach rumbled.

"You hungry, sweetheart?" Lynch chuckled while I hid my face in embarrassment. "Go find something to eat."

He released me and I slid away to go find something. It felt weird going through his cabinets. I only glanced in them until I opened one of the last ones. I stopped in surprise and couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out.

"What're you laughing about?" I turned around to find Lynch strolling into the kitchen.

"You have fruit by the foot"

He walked up behind me and grabbed one. "Maybe. Is that an issue?"

I shook my head, holding back more laughter. "No, no, I just wasn't expecting it."

"Mm, I think you're making fun of me." He opened the pack and unrolled the candy.

"Nope." I shook my head again and took a fruit by the foot.

Maybe I would move in with him. I enjoy joking around with him all the time.