Chapter 75


    Chapter 75: Engaged “I was worried about you,” he frowns and says. “You gave me a new address


    without (elling me why you moved, and you rarely answered my calls for the past few days, so I came


    down here to check on you. Are you OK? Whose house is this?”


    I wasn’t intentionally ignoring his calls. I was so busy for the past whole week that I didn’t even have the


    time to check my phone


    As I try to staminer an excuse, a flicker of doubt appears in his eyes. I know what he is thinking this is a


    lancy apartment located in upper east side, somewhere I apparently can’t afford.


    “Are you…” he slowly begins, “…dating someone?” “No!” I quickly begin.


    I can’t have him know that I’m living with Eason right now. He won’t understand. Plus, this is only a


    temporary arrangement anyway, so there’s no need for him to know and I can spare his worries.


    “My lease expired so I’m staying with a friend before I get a new apartment,” I say, and it is partly the


    truth


    “Oh,” he nods, slightly relieved. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”


    There is no good excuse to keep him out, so I can only step aside and let him in.


    But it’s already 9:30.


    “Wow the food smells great,” he notices the dishes on the table. “Though it’s a bit too much if you are


    eating alone are you cooking dinner for someone?”


    Another question I can’t answer. I have no choice but to make up another excuse: “I didn’t make those.


    It’s my roommate. She is cooking for her boyfriend. They will be back


    soon.”


    “Oh. Then we shouldn’t stick around and disturb them. Can I take you out for dinner? You haven’t had


    dinner vet, have you?”


    This is exactly what I want, getting him out of the apartment before Easones back. But this way I


    won’t be able to have dinner with Eason.


    Screw it, I can’t care for so much. The priority is to stop them from meeting each other. “Great,” I force


    out a smile. “Can you wait here a second? I’ll go change.” I let him hang out in the living room and go


    into my room. Carefully closing the door, I take out my phone and call Eason. He picks up on the first


    ring, “Hey Natalia I’m almost”


    “You aren’t home yet, are you?” I blurt out.


    He pauses, and then his voice deepens. “Not yet. What’s up?” “I’m terribly sorry. But something came up


    at school and I need to get down there. I had


    everything ready on the table. Just eat up and don’t wait for me.” “You don’t even have time for dinner?”


    he sounds annoyed. “I fly all the way back home just to have dinner with you. Can’t you go tomorrow?”


    “Wait wait wait…you said ” gulp and then carry on in disbelief, “-you flied home just to have dinner with


    me? But your meeting ends today right? You were nning oning home today anyway, weren’t you?


    Please tell me you didn’te back for-for me.”


    Hepses into silence again.


    I clench the phone as aplicated feeling fills my heart. I’m both terrified and nervous right now.


    Terrified because l’?n afraid of the possibility that he still has any special feelings for me, and nervous


    because there’s a sinall part of me tljat wants him to say yes.


    A short momentter, he sighs and murmurs lowly, “No of course not.”


    “…Oh.”


    I guess I should be relieved.


    Just then, Liam knocks on my door, “Natalia are you ready?”


    1 hastily cover the speaker and whisper, “I gotta go. Talk to youter, Eason.”


    After hanging up, I grab a coat and exit to the living room. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”


    Liam takes me to a small pub, where I order burger and fries and he gets a beer. Wesit there and talk.


    He is fun, sophisticated and easy-to-talk-to as usual. I am willing to share my troubles at school and work


    with him because he can always provide a new perspective for me. I love the quality time we spend


    together During dinner, he asks about the status of my rtionship again. “Mom called a couple days


    ago. She is wondering if you are seeing anyone right now.”


    Iugh, “Does she want to know? Or do you want to know?”


    He shrugs andugh with me, “You got me. I can’t say I’m not at all curious.”


    “Well excuse me for not wanting to share details of my love life with my brother.”


    He slightly raises his eyebrow and gives me a long look, “Your brother? Huli.”


    I lower my head and dig into my burger, avoiding his gaze. I know that he has a thing for me. And over


    the years, there were a few romantic moments between lis. But I have been very careful not to cross the


    boundary, because, clearly, dating your hot stepbrother is a terrible


    idea.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    I’ye learnt my lesson. Swallowing down the bite, I continue, “And honestly, there’s nothing to share. My


    life is totally upied by school and work. Even if I want to date, I have no time.” “I know. All i’m saying


    is that don’t waste out college. Just let me know if you need my help.” He is back to being a big brother


    to ine. I smile at him gratefully. He knows that I’m not ready to respond to him, so he never pushes me.


    He is a very nice person, unlike Eason.


    After dinner, Liam insists on sending me home. When we finally get back to the apartment building, Liam


    stops at the entrance door and says, “so good luck with school, work and apartment hunting. I’ll see you


    at Christmas?” I hesitate a bit, “I haven’t decided yet…but I might need to spend this Christmas in


    Boston. Mom called me a lot recently.”


    “Oh,” he seems disappointed. “But it’s true that you haven’t seen her for a long time. But doesn’t that


    mean that you are going to see…him?”


    He is talking about Eason.


    I shrug and pretend to be casual about it. “It’s ancient history. Me and Eason are still rted. It’s not like


    that I can avoid him forever.”


    What Liam doesn’t know is that Eason is right upstairs and we have already mel again.


    “Well, in that case I’ll see you after Christmas. Or you can visit me sometimes. Let me show you around


    the city,” he opens his arms and smiles, shing his white teeth at me. “Goodbye hug for your big


    brother?”


    Iugh and hug him back. I’m very lucky to have him by my side for these past three years. He helped


    me to manage through my darkest days. “Take care, Liam.”


    Yet before we let go of each other, suddenly a deadly voicees from behind us:


    “Natalia?”


    We both jump and jerk around. My heart drops hearing the voice. Not surprisingly, it’s him, Eason,


    standing by the elevator and staring at us gloomily with his arms crossed.


    What is he doing downstair!


    Liam is totally shocked beyond words. He res at Eason in disbelief, and then snaps his head around


    to me and growls, “What the hell is he doing here? Is he bothering you again Nat?”


    “No! It’s nothing like that! Liam I can exin—”


    “Natalia is staying with me now,” Eason says calmly.


    And that’s thest straw. Liam lets out a furious roar and strides over to Eason. He grabs Eason’s cor


    in one hand and points a finger at him, “I’m warning you, you bastard. Stay away from her! You are lucky


    enough that we didn’t call the police three years ago in the bar, but I don’t mind doing that now if you try


    any dirty shit on her again!”


    I rush forward and try to put a little distance between them, “Stop Liam! It’s nothing like that! He helped


    me after I lost my apartment. We are friends now. He is not doing anything inappropriate”


    Liam’s hand loosens and I finally manage to drag him away. He stares at me, a bint of annoyance and


    disbeliel flickering in his dark eyes, and after a while he finally asks me:


    “You lost your apartment? Why didn’t you say anything to me?”


    I stammer, not knowing what to say. The truth is that I don’t want to take his money anymore. I am not


    attracted to him, so it feels


    wrong to have him keep helping me financially. I know he doesn’t mind, but I don’t want things to be


    complicated between us. A clear disappointment appears on Liam’s face. After a long pause, he sighs,


    raking his fingers through his hair and says, “Never mind. I can’t let you stay here anymore. Let’s go. I’ll


    get you somewhere else to stay tonight.” He grabs my hand to leave, but Eason holds on to my other


    hand. Now I’m like a string, being pulled from both ends.


    Eason stares at Liam coldly. Though there’s no clear hostility on his face, his tone is filled with defiance.


    “Don’t you think we should let Natalia decide?”


    “Fine!” Liam snaps and turns to me. “Nat, don’t forget what he has done. People don’t change.”


    Now they put me in a very difficult situation.


    The truth is that I don’t want to leave. It’s not that I really want to live with Eason, but simply because I


    don’t want Liam to spend any more money on me, I know if I go with him, he will insist on paying for an


    apartment for me, which is simply too much.


    Even though Eason and me have aplicated history, I’m pretty sure that we’ve both moved on now.


    But I also know that if I say I want to stay, Liam will snap.


    Admit silence, Eason suddenly speaks up. “I know you don’t trust me. But Natalia and I are only friends


    now and nothing more. I live in New York, so it’s easier for me to look after her. Nothing weird is going on


    between us. I can promise you that.”


    “Oh yeah?” Liam lets out a sarcastic and cold snart. “How can you promise? Like you said, you don’t


    seem like a trustworthy guy.”


    Eason sighs. He grits his teeth, and after a while, he finally says: “I’m engaged and about to get married


    soon. Now you trust me?”