Fate's Identity

Chapter 26

Ally's POV

I gently press the band-aid against his neck, hoping not to harm him as he rests on the couch. His eyes remain closed for the last couple of minutes.

Everyone was already in their room except me. The entire house was dark except for the lamp that stood beside the couch. After what Liam did, I was forced to go into my room, but I convinced Simon to let me stay and clean up Liam's wound.

I stand up and toss the wrapper of the band-aid away in the trash from the kitchen. I walk back and hear an audible moan coming out of Liam's mouth. I rest on the edge of the couch he was resting on and watch as his eyes wonder about his whereabouts.

I speak up, causing the silence to be disturb, "You're in the living room." His eyes wonder a little bit more until he rests them on me. I explain to him, "You took a hit for me, and you passed out."

He nods his head slowly and props his hands off the couch and lifts himself, but he groans, probably feeling the stinging hit on his neck. "You should rest. I just cover that scar on your neck," I said.

He slowly sinks down to his previous position. After a few more minutes, he finally speaks up, "Ally." His voice was tender and soft. "I'm so sorry. I never expected you to get punished this way."

I shrug slightly. "It's okay. I get used to it," I said. Although from time to time, I could still feel my back twitching.

His eyebrows crease as he breathes in and out, "Ally, today before and after our performance, I couldn't stop noticing that something was bugging you."

I lower my eyes, remembering Jade's words before the show and Liam's words after. I don't exactly believe Jade's words, but I don't trust Liam that much anymore.

He holds my hand, but as much as I wanted to pull my hand back, I wanted him to hold it. Our eyes meet, and he says, "Tell me."

I nod my head slightly. "Jade told me that she was your...first," I struggle to say the last part, feeling myself shiver in disgust once I said it.

"First?" He questions. It takes a moment, but he finally knows what I meant. "Oh, Oh! And you believed her?" I didn't reply. My cheeks burn too much already, too embarrassed to answer him. He clears his throat, lifting himself up as I cautiously watch. "Ally, you have nothing to worry. I will never do that to you."

"I hope so," I said. "I'm not saying it's wrong, but I don't want to be with someone who already belongs to somebody else."

"I get it," he replies with a smile. "You're not like that. But can I ask you a question?" I nod my head, letting him continue. "If I already belong to someone else, would you want to still be with me?"

I froze, thinking. Tongue-tied. I don't want to think of that possibility. It only affects me more and my feelings. I shrug, debating whether I should just state what I wanted to say or rather cover it up. "We haven't gone out, so I can't really say," I reply, choosing the second option.

Disappointed, Liam rests his head in the arm of the chair, sinking his body against the cushions. He relaxes his breath slowly. "Understandable," he replies with a warm smile. I reciprocated a smile back. Our eyes deepens. Chills ran down my spine once more; this time, feeling more compact than random.

Peace. Freedom. I was very well aware of all these feelings.

His hands meets mine, and he holds them tightly. My cheeks redden, seeing his tiring eyes slowly closing. I squeeze his hands tightly before releasing my hands from his. I stand up, grabbing a quilt on the sofa. I toss the quilt over him. I slowly fix his posture, setting his hands to the side. I bent down, fixing the quilt over his shoulders, and I slowly exhale a breath, realizing our noses were close to touch. Less than eight inches away. The sound of my heart pumping interrupted the silence.

I swallow hard, turning away from him. I straighten my posture and walk pass him until my wrist was captured by his immediate hands. I flinch.

I dart my eyes at Liam and hold my heart, releasing a breath of relief. "You're still awake?" I question softly.

"I can't sleep," he responds. "I want you here."

"Liam, you're an adult," I said. "You don't need me to be here."

He shakes his head. "No. But I want you here. Please?" He pops his bottom lip out. I chuckle softly and stoop down to my knees. He slides his gigantic hands down to my tiny ones and locks our fingers together. A smile forms of my lips.

"Go to sleep now," I said.

"You first," he replies.

I shake my head. My eyes glance at his injury on the neck. A small red stain was still visible. My smile fades, remembering the times he has helped me. "Liam, you sleep first. You've done enough to help me, and I can't repay you back."

"Even in different lifetimes, I would never stop helping you," he says, causing me to blush once more. "You don't owe me anything. Whatever I do, I do it for you."

"Liam, you don't have to tell me," I say. "I know very well how you feel. But it's true. You've helped me multiple times. Helped me escape, stepped up for me, and you even took that hit. You've also helped me clean the windows, and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have finish the next morning. What I'm trying to say is that I am grateful for having you in my life. You light up my world like nobody else."

"Ally, I will always. You deserve to be happy and to live in peace," he says. "I want to give that to you one day."

I can feel the sweat coming off my forehead. "Go to sleep," I said, feeling my heart fluttering. "Tomorrow is a less busy day. And we can talk more tomorrow."

He nods his head and waits for me to close my eyes. I fix my position, resting on my head on my arm on the couch while I sat down. Liam's hands squeeze my hand gently, and he whispers, "Good night." My pulse rises.

I close my eyes and soon drift off into another world. I ran through the field of flowers my mother planted. Beautiful flowers they were. Lilies. Sunflowers. Daisies. Not a flower dead. The stems were almost tall enough to reach my knees.

I lean a little bit down, pulling off a couple of daisies to give to my mother. Flowers. You have to be delicate with them to make sure they don't lose their beauty. The thing that makes them exciting.

Having a handful of flowers in my two little hands, my eyes spot my mom walking my way. A big smile ran across my face. "Mommy!" I exclaim. I jog up to her, losing some flowers that were in my hands.

She smiles widely, looking at what I got for her. I jump into her arms, pushing her a little bit back. "Allyson, what are you doing here by yourself? You could get hurt."

I hold out the flowers in one of my hands. "Flowah! Mommy, I got flowah for you," I respond.

A small chuckle escapes her breath. She grabs the flowers in my hand and gives me a peck on the forehead. "Thank you so much, sweetie. If only your dad treats me like before..." I crease my brow, having a hard time to comprehend her last statement.

Ignoring it, I spoke, "Mommy, I hungry."

Her eyes widen as she grins. "You hungry?" She asks in a childish voice. I nodded my head proudly. "Let's go and I'll make you some sandwiches."

"Yay!" I chant. She carries the both of us back to the house and sets me down on the table. Her smile. Her nature. Her kind-heart. What I thought would lasts forever turned into something that was short-lived.

My eyes observe her actions. Grabbing the two toast and a slice of ham, she proceeded to spread the mayonnaise on one side of the bread while the other was accompany by a slice of cheese. She assembled all the ingredients together, forming a delicious sandwich I couldn't wait to devour.

My mom digs underneath the cabinet and takes out a knife. My heart dropped a little, remembering what my dad had told me: Pointy objects are not your friend. I prayed my mother can handle the knife well.

She turns the sandwich a degree so the sandwich would form a diamond shape. Beginning at the top, she slowly slice the sandwich in half. Her hands tremble a little as she cuts the other side. She pauses for a moment and breathes in. Her eyes close for a second, and before I knew, she collapsed on the floor.

"Mommy?" I mumble. I turn away from my sandwich and try to see her face. I got a glimpse before my brother came in and dial something on the phone.