Lingering Embers

The restaurant was quiet, save for the gentle hum of conversation and the clinking of utensils. The warmth of the place contrasted sharply with the cold silence between us. Liam sat across from me, elbows on the table, fingers intertwined, watching me as if I were a puzzle he was trying to solve.

I refused to look at him.

A waiter approached, and Liam ordered for both of us—kalguksu, just as he promised. I barely acknowledged it, my fingers curled around the hem of my sleeve. The moment the waiter left, he finally spoke.

"You've been avoiding me."

A simple statement. But it made my entire body stiffen.

I kept my gaze on the table. "Why wouldn't I?"

Liam exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Ava—"

"Don't call me that," I snapped, surprising even myself. My voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was anything but.

His expression hardened. "Surin, then."

I swallowed, forcing my emotions down. "Why am I here, Liam?"

"Because you came," he said simply, eyes locked onto mine. "You could have ignored the call. You could have told me to leave you alone. But you didn't."

My hands clenched into fists under the table. "And what does that prove?"

"That you still care."

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "You really think that's enough? After everything? After you let me walk away—no, after you pushed me away?"

His jaw tightened. "You don't know what I went through after you left."

"I don't care!" My voice rose, anger cracking through my restraint. "You don't get to say that, Liam. You don't get to act like you're the one who suffered most. I was the one who had to leave everything behind! I was the one who had to rebuild my life from nothing while you—while you—"

I cut myself off, my chest rising and falling rapidly. The restaurant wasn't silent, but I could feel the weight of the few lingering glances around us.

Liam's face was unreadable.

Then, quietly, he said, "I never wanted you to go."

I scoffed. "You sure had a funny way of showing it."

"I didn't have a choice."

I froze.

His hands, which had been so steady, curled into tight fists. "I didn't know. About the engagement. About my mother's plans. About everything. I found out too late, and by then, you—" His voice caught for just a second. "You were already gone."

I hated how much my heart clenched at that.

I swallowed, hard. "And now? What do you want from me, Liam?"

He finally looked me in the eyes, something raw and desperate in his gaze. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I can't— I can't just act like you don't exist. I can't pretend that you weren't—aren't—the most important thing that ever happened to me."

I closed my eyes for a moment, willing the sting behind them to disappear. "It's not that simple."

Liam let out a short, humorless laugh. "It never is with us, is it?"

The food arrived then, breaking the intensity between us. But neither of us moved to touch it.

The fight had burned itself out, leaving only the aching, lingering embers.

And for the first time in a long time, we just sat there—together, but still worlds apart.