Page 35 of Love in Times of Contempt

"Liam?"

The bed dipped behind him. He twisted in bed as she reached him, a hand on his shoulder.

He dropped his hands to his lap. "Alex quit."

"What?!"

He gave her his phone and she skimmed over Alex's email. He remembered his words clearly.

Liam (and Ana),

I will keep this short. Over the past several days, we've talked at length about this job opportunity you offered me. While I think I gave it a fair chance and, after in-depth consideration, I agreed to join your company, new matters have come to light and I have decided it's best for me to step down.

It's barely appropriate for me to say I quit, as we didn't go as far as signing anything. Still, out of respect, I thought you deserved to hear it from me, rather than come back and realize I had gone back home. That is, if Elena didn't tell you about it first. You deserve to know that it wasn't the job; I have no doubts your company can succeed. I just think I'm not the right person for it.

Good luck. You'll find someone who will fit well with all of you and your vision.

Best,

Alex

"Best? That's what he says?" Ana dropped the phone to her side on the bed, its screen going black.

"Argh!" Liam got out of the bed and stomped to the middle of the room. He held his head in his hands. "He's so— I can't."

"I can't believe he quit."

He closed his eyes, fingertips digging into his scalp. When he didn't reply, she walked to him and hugged him from the back; she rested her temple where his shoulder met his neck. The only warmth in him radiated from that point, but it didn't quite reach the place his brother wounded in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Liam." She squeezed him in her arms.

"When do I stop trying? I'm so tired. I don't know what to do about Alex anymore."

"That's a big question. We can take some time for you to figure it out. I'll support whatever you want to do." She placed a kiss on his back.

He lowered his hands and rested them on top of hers on his stomach. "We still need to find a COO. We can't wait for that."

"We will find someone. I have no doubt. Perhaps Michael, when we know how to do it without seeming flakey. We'll figure it out."

She kissed between his shoulder blades again and let go. He turned to watch her; she took her phone and connected it to the bluetooth speaker on the bedside table. Soon, Foreigner'sI Don't Want to Live Without Youstarted playing.

He scoffed a reticent chuckle, though his heart melted in gooey love for Ana.

She came to him and wrapped her arms around his naked waist, under his open shirt. Getting as close to him as she could, she put her head on the crook of his neck and started swaying. He wrapped his arms around her, loosely holding hands against her back.

"I can't dance my problems with Alex away—" he started saying but she interrupted.

"We can try."

He shook his head but smiled. "What I was going to say, is that I can't dance those problems away… but that you are here, with me, dancing to Foreigner singing to us about love… this is what I wanted. Exactly this."

She kissed the hollow space between his clavicles. "I want to comfort you when you're hurting, Liam."

He sighed. "We'll get through this. I feel like I can conquer the world, now that I have this at the core."

She lifted her eyes to gaze at him. "We'll conquer it together. But not in a colonizer way."

He chuckled. "Thanks for letting me know you. For listening when I asked you to choose me."