Silent Confrontation

The moonlight filtered through the thin curtains, casting a pale glow across Liam's room. He sat at his desk, the soft rustling of paper the only sound in the otherwise silent house. His concentration was unbroken as he wrote out his notes with precise, deliberate movements. But the weight of the night, and his increasingly fragile composure, weighed heavily on him. His thoughts were scattered, yet focused at the same time.

A soft knock broke the silence.

Liam didn't flinch, nor did he look up from his work. He knew who it was.

"Come in." His voice was low, clipped.

Avery stepped inside, the door creaking softly behind her. She didn't hesitate as she walked over and leaned against the chair, her arms crossed in front of her, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him.

"I need to ask you something, Liam." Avery's tone was direct, without preamble.

Liam didn't look up from his notebook, his pen still scratching across the page. "Go ahead."

Avery waited for a moment, watching the tense set of his shoulders before speaking again. "Why are you pretending not to care about Lily and Emily? Everyone can see that you're doing this on purpose. You know they're hurting because of it."

Liam's pen stopped mid-sentence, the tip pressing into the paper as he slowly looked up at her. His eyes were cold, unreadable.

Avery wasn't done. She pushed on. "I've been covering for you—making excuses for everything you've done. You made the cold coffee, Liam. Everyone knows it. The ratio of milk, chocolate syrup, and ice cream—it's your recipe. And the chocolates you bought for Lily? She's suspicious, and she knows you were the one who got them."

Liam took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair, his eyes shifting away from Avery's intense gaze. He closed his notebook and gestured to the chair across from him.

"Sit," he said softly, his tone flat but with an underlying weight that demanded obedience.

Avery hesitated but sat down, her eyes never leaving his. She could feel the tension in the air, but she refused to back down.

"Why are you doing this?" she repeated, voice firm, the frustration evident in her words. "Why are you acting like you don't care when it's so obvious that you do?"

Liam's eyes met hers again, his expression blank as ever. For a moment, it felt like the air had turned colder, the silence stretching between them.

"I do care." His voice was calm, devoid of emotion. "But I can't let them see that."

Avery's brows furrowed. "Why not?"

Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair, a small flash of vulnerability appearing, only to be immediately swallowed by his cold demeanor. "Because right now… I need someone to take my place for them. Someone who won't hurt them like I have."

Avery blinked in confusion. "Take your place? What do you mean?"

Liam's blank stare seemed to pierce through her. "I'm the one who caused this mess, Avery. The one who pushed them away, who made them think I didn't care. The one who… who let them get close. They deserve someone better than me right now. Someone who won't drag them into this… emotional mess. And right now, that's you."

Avery sat back in her chair, stunned by his admission. "You want me to replace you?" she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and frustration.

"I need you to," Liam responded quietly, as if saying it out loud made it more real. "For their sake. Not because I want to, but because I have no other choice."

The silence stretched again, longer this time. Avery's mind raced, torn between the part of her that understood Liam's pain and the part that felt betrayed by his coldness.

Avery leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing. "You're shutting yourself off, Liam. That's what you're doing. You're pretending to be fine and not feel anything, but that's not going to solve anything. You're pushing everyone away, including yourself."

Liam's eyes flicked to her, but he didn't respond.

"Do you even realize how much you're hurting them by acting this way?" Avery continued. "You say you care, but how is ignoring them and pretending not to feel anything going to help? You don't even want to acknowledge it, but you miss them. You miss Lily and Emily. You want them to be around, even though you're pushing them away."

Avery's words hit hard, and she could see the subtle tightening of Liam's jaw. His eyes betrayed no emotion, but his clenched fists spoke volumes.

"I can't fix this," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "I don't know how to fix this."

Avery leaned back in her chair, her eyes softening just slightly. "You can start by being honest. Not just with them, but with yourself. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to fix everything all at once, Liam. But don't do this. Don't keep pretending you don't care when it's so obvious that you do."

For a long while, the two of them sat in silence. Avery could feel the weight of his unresolved emotions pressing on her, the tension thick enough to suffocate. But as the seconds ticked by, she knew he wasn't ready to let go yet. Not completely.

Avery stood, taking a deep breath. "You don't have to answer me right now. But you will have to answer them, eventually."

Liam didn't respond. His gaze was distant again, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Avery walked toward the door, but paused before she left, her voice quiet as she looked over her shoulder. "I'm doing what I can for you, Liam. But don't think for a second that this is easy. Don't think for a second that I'm not hurting, too."

She left without waiting for an answer, and as she closed the door behind her, she glanced at the darkened hallway.

Down the hall, Emily and Lily were sitting in the living room. The house was quiet except for the faint creaking of the floorboards as Avery passed by. They exchanged a glance, both of them noticing Avery's unusual behavior—coming from Liam's room at this hour, without saying a word. Neither of them mentioned it aloud.

"I'm glad she's helping him," Lily said quietly, her voice almost wistful. "But I still don't get why he's doing this. Why does he keep pushing us away like this?"

Emily sighed, her gaze distant. "I don't know. But I think he's more broken than he's letting on."

Lily nodded but said nothing, her thoughts still with Liam. She didn't know what was going on in his mind, but she hoped that one day, he would let her in again.

As Avery lay in her bed, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. She understood Liam more than anyone, and yet, tonight, she felt more distant from him than ever.

He's shutting everyone out.

But the question remained—would he let them back in before it was too late? Or was he too far gone in his own emotional isolation to ever reach out again?