PEACE (A Catherine Peace Novel)

Chapter 5

I felt like I was drowning in responsibilities. Three assignments due in two days, and on top of that, I was helping my mother with one of her cases. The man claimed the knife fell onto his wife (four times), and he had no intentions of harming her. Talk about bizarre. With exams creeping up fast, I was way behind schedule.

Seated at our tiny kitchen table, I was buried under a mountain of textbooks. Jade was in her room, hashing out new dance moves with Alex for her group. "Cathy!" she suddenly hollered from the other room.

I closed my laptop with a resigned sigh and trudged over. Jade stood at the door, blocking Jacob from entering. He seemed determined to talk to me, but Jade was playing bouncer. I asked her to give us a minute, and she reluctantly left. "I'm timing you," she warned on her way out.

I rolled my eyes at Jacob. "What do you want?"

"I just needed to tell you that Elena and I are engaged," he announced.

I blinked at him. "And what am I supposed to do with that information?"

"The wedding will be in a month and I wanted to invite you," Jacob announced, as if expecting applause.

Jade appeared behind me, her expression a mixture of disbelief and disdain. "Did you hit your head or are you naturally this dense?" she retorted, her sarcasm cutting through the tension. She briskly ended her call with Alex and began shutting the door in Jacob's face. "Sure, we'll be there. Who wouldn't want to witness this train wreck?" she added, her voice dripping with irony.

"Can you believe that guy? They're practically made for each other," Jade muttered after closing the door. She pulled me into a tight hug, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her bluntness. Despite the absurdity of the situation, her presence was a comforting reminder that I wasn't alone in dealing with Jacob's antics.

I refused to let Jacob's announcement ruin my day.

Jade bounced onto the bed like a hyperactive puppy. "Guess what I stumbled upon? Liam's off on his European tour!"

The mere mention of his name sent my stomach into a frenzy. "Well, good for him," I mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Come on, Cathy, why not shoot him a DM? Maybe he's been waiting for you to make the first move," Jade teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. He's probably too busy living the rockstar life to even remember my name."

But Jade wasn't buying it. "Oh, please! You're just afraid of your own feelings. Admit it, you still have a soft spot for Liam Henderson."

I scoffed, but deep down, I knew she was right. After all, we spent the entire morning dissecting every little detail of Liam's tour plans, much to my chagrin.

Later that day, after Jade had skipped off to her dance lessons, I found myself on my usual jog, lost in thought. Later that day, after Jade had skipped off to her dance lessons, I found myself on my usual jog, lost in thought. s I waited for my coffee, I couldn't help but overhear the excited chatter around me. Glancing around, I noticed a group of paparazzi outside the coffee shop, their cameras pointed eagerly in one direction. Curious, I followed their gaze and nearly dropped my jaw when I saw Liam Henderson sitting calmly in the corner booth, completely unfazed by the attention.

My heart did a little somersault at the sight of him, but I quickly reminded myself of Jade's advice. "You should dm him," she had said. But I wasn't about to let my emotions get the best of me. Liam had his own life, and I had mine.

As I sipped on my coffee, I couldn't shake the feeling of curiosity. What was Liam doing here? Was he just passing through, or did he have some connection to this place? The questions swirled in my mind, but I pushed them aside, determined not to let myself get caught up in his orbit again.