Page 83 of Seeking Stars
Her eyes opened wide. "Why?!"
"'Cause you trusted him, and I need you to trust me, too."
"I… I do."
"No, listen. I remember what you told me. That you'd trusted Dave and he lied. Told you that he had no other partners though he did. Well, I'm going to ask you to trust me on something. I got an exam done a while ago. Everything's fine, I don't have anything, but the test's old— I didn't get one again since I wasn't having sex. I haven't had time to go to the doctor, so… you're going to have to believe me that nothing has changed since that time. And that I really haven't slept with anyone since then."
"Right." Her breathing changed, her lungs working faster.
"Even if we use condoms, they don't protect against everything."
She pressed her lips together. He was right, it was a lot of trust. If he was lying about that, this could backfire pretty quickly… for either or both of them. She wasn't the only one taking a risk on this.
"Liam… you're trusting me as much. I haven't gotten a recent test either, and I can't prove I have an IUD."
His frown remained. "But I… I'm okay with that. My therapist said— when I talked to her about trust— she said that trust comes from being met where we are with honesty, acceptance, and consistency over time. I've known you for a little less than two months, I know that, but— I'm there, Ana. I trust you— I think I want you this badly because I trust you. I want it all with you because I do. So take your time to get there, I can wait. I know it's different for you. But if we don't want to wait to have sex, you're going to have to trust me in this. I know it's a lot."
Despite the fast pace of her heart, her lips curled up. "Liam, the fact that you're talking about this… that you're thinking about this, for me… I wouldn't have dared getting into this relationship with you if I didn't trust you, too."
His face relaxed. He gave her a soft smile. "Glad to hear that. Means a lot to me."
"I know it's not the most responsible thing, but if the trust is there and there is consistency in our stories and we're having this conversation so openly… maybe it's okay."
"I'm good with this. I've spent a lot of time wondering how I'd know I trust someone. Now that I'm here… it's new, and wonderful… and so clear." He laughed. "I'm going to have to tell that to Dr. Linda."
She smiled. "How far do we want to take this? Because, since I have an IUD…"
She saw the exact moment he got what she meant. He gulped. "We don't need condoms."
Later, when she responded to Diana's email, she made sure to word it in such a way that she appeared appreciative, but made no commitment to listen to her advice.
Chapter 19 - One Weekend
Friday
Ana parked at the airport with a heady mix of anxiety and anticipation gripping her gut, fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. She rushed her steps; she didn't want him to wait for her and end up being recognized by random people. Not to mention how badly she wanted to take him home as fast as possible. There were clothes that needed to be torn away.
She stood within clear sight of the arrivals gate and watched people trickle out. One p.m. came and went and, for a little while, she didn't think much of the fact he hadn't shown up yet. At one-twenty, she lost her cool.
Ana: have you landed yet?
Another five minutes and she hadn't heard from him. She navigated her phone again, double checking the strength of her signal and refreshing notifications. Hyperalert, she lifted her eyes upon hearing the arrivals doors open one more time. After almost half an hour of checking the doors automatically, she hadn't expected him to be there— but there he was, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, carrying a bag. Somehow taller than she remembered, wearing a The Police shirt and faded jeans, and melting all tension from her with his mere presence.
He must have seen her, because he made his way to her without hesitation, smiling in her direction.
She walked to him with slow steps. Once they were within reach of each other, she meant to say hello but didn't get to; he put a hand behind her head and brought her in for a kiss. A really good kiss.
She softened further, taking a step closer to him and leaning against him, letting his very real, very solid body support her. She stayed in place once he broke the kiss, eyes closed and almost dizzy. He kissed the tip of her nose; the gesture made her smile, and she opened her eyes.
"Hey," he said in a breath. "Sorry about the delay. We had to wait around for permission to land and taxi and the pilot had already asked for no phone communications. It happens when itineraries change like this."
"Okay. Nice shirt."
He grinned. "Thank you. I bought it in England. Made me think of you."
The back of her neck tingled. Glancing around them, she found someone in a nearby airport shop that stared at them. "We should go."
She grabbed his hand and they walked out of the building. Once in her car, she took the long road home, including a long stretch of Veterans Parkway. She pointed at the endless mixture of shops and chain restaurants lining it, spanning the entire twin cities area. She told him about the lively night scene of her city, where bars got flooded with college students every night.
