Holding On

Chapter Twenty- Trouble in Paradise

*Liam's POV*

"I couldn't really tell you myself but I could definitely show you if you come over to my place sometime." Those are the last words I hear before I push Alexander against the wall of the coffee place we're in. A couple of gasps can be heard from multiple places around the room as a framed picture falls on the ground after his head bounces against the wall. He groans from the pain but I choose to ignore it, "What the fuck did you just say to my girlfriend?"

"Calm down man, I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaims.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, who the hell do you think you are talking to my girl like that?" The waitress from before now walks over with a mad but scared expression on her face. "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she tells me not daring to step too close. "Don't worry I will, as soon as this asshole decides he's going to stop messing with my girlfriend," I answer.

"If you don't leave now I'll be forced to call the police, please take this somewhere else," she tells me no longer looking as scared.

"Liam please let him go, don't do this," Edith speaks up for the first time. I turn to look at her and she has a concerned look on her face. "Please, Liam, they're going to call the cops for goodness' sakes! Let him go!" she tells me once again. I release the tight grip I had on his shirt and he immediately takes in a deep breath. He looks at Edith before putting a few bucks down on the table and leaving not daring to say a word. I do the same thing leaving enough money to pay for both Edith's and my drinks along with money to replace the picture and a very generous tip. Edith runs out of the place forcing me to leave as soon as I've paid. When I go outside I see that she's already waiting by the car. I unlock the car as I walk towards it and she doesn't bother waiting she simply gets in. When I get there she's looking out the window and doesn't bother saying anything. I start the car and begin driving out the parking lot.

"E," I finally say attempting to break the silence.

No answer.

"Edith please,"

Again no answer.

"Edith, you know It's not you I don't trust, its HIM."

"Well it sure doesn't seem like it Liam!"

Well then, that worked. At least she's talking now. I turn to face her and see her eyes are watery, she always cries when she’s mad. She hates it because she never cries but when she gets really mad her eyes seem to have a mind of their own and the tears just start falling. This of course just makes her more mad which doesn’t help things. I pull the car over to a gas station so we can talk without worrying I’ll get distracted as we’re on the road. “What are you talking about Edith? You know I’d never doubt you,” I tell her reaching to wipe a tear away but she flinches away and wipes it off herself. “Then why do you have such a big problem with letting me hang out with Alexander?” she asks. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I roll my eyes. “What Liam, what bothers you so much about him?” she repeats. “You can’t be serious Edith, don’t tell me you don’t see the way he looks at you. With that smirk on his face when I’m with you as if telling me he could take you way from me if he wanted to. You can’t tell me you don’t see it.” “Oh. So it’s this again?” she tells me as if the answer if obvious. “What are you talking about?” I ask. “About you and your jealousy! Don’t you remember how you were before? Because I sure do! Calling me every five minutes when I wasn’t with you to make sure I wasn’t cheating!”

 I do remember. I remember perfectly, I was a complete douchebag back then. Your typical high school jock. I’d always had anger problems but Gaby knew how to control them, that was until we reached high school. Then for some reason they just seemed to get worse, which was one of the reasons of why she wanted me to join the football team in the first place, to take out my anger before it got too much out of hand. The only thing she didn’t count on was the people that I would start hanging around with. They were your typical drinking, smoking, party-going assholes so not surprisingly soon enough I was acting just like them. It didn’t help that I was the only freshman to have made the varsity team. Then I met Edith and everything changed, it didn’t show immediately but something inside me did slowly change. When Gaby introduced us I could feel my heart stop, it was practically love at first sight; unfortunately however I was apparently the only one that felt it because Edith practically despised me. I couldn’t blame her though; I wasn’t necessarily a gentleman when we first met. I tried to act like I would with the type of girls I'd find at those parties I went to, all tough and macho trying to impress her but what I didn’t realize at the time was that she was different. She wasn’t going to fall for any of that crap, her words exactly when I first tried to ask her out.