Chapter 3The Lucky Charm

For convenience, my dad bought me a condo near campus.

He said men were heartless. Afraid that Liam had "impure intentions," he bought the unit across the hall and hired a bodyguard to live in it. If Liam ever came over and didn't leave by 10 PM, the bodyguard was instructed to go over and throw him out.

I thought he was being so childish at the time.

Thanks to him, Liam and I—for all our big talk—had never actually slept together. I was honestly afraid my dad would have an aneurysm.

But Liam and I had planned to get married right after graduation. Once we had the license, my dad couldn't exactly listen at the door anymore.

I could even picture myself, hands on my hips, telling him:

"See, old man? I got lucky. I found someone who loves me, and we're going to be together forever!"

He'd probably huff and puff... but then he'd say, "My baby girl deserves nothing less than that."

I'd imagined that scene a thousand times.

Turns out, I'm not that lucky. And that happiness isn't mine to have.

It was late when I got back to the condo.

Just as I reached my door, an arm grabbed me. I was spun around and pulled into a chilly embrace.

"Claire. Are you still mad at me?"

Liam hugged me tight, resting his chin on my shoulder and nuzzling me like a cat. He always does this. After every fight, he uses the same trick to make me melt.

Only this time, I wasn't going to.

I shoved him. Hard.

He wasn't expecting it and stumbled back, slamming his shoulder into the wall. He winced, grabbing the spot where he'd been hit during the fight.

"Claire!" His voice was sharp. When I just stared at him, his expression softened again.

"Claire, baby, don't be mad. I know I messed up. I shouldn't have lost the bracelet you gave me. Hit me, yell at me, whatever you want. Just don't ignore me, okay?"

He leaned in, his sharp features softening as he tried to look pathetic.

I said nothing. I just lowered my eyes to his wrist. He was wearing a jacket, but as he'd moved, a bit of red string had peeked out from his sleeve.

He followed my gaze and, for a second, his eyes darted away.

"Claire, don't misunderstand," he said quickly, pulling his sleeve up to show me. "This is just... a regular red string."

"I knew you were still mad about the bracelet... and I didn't know what to do... so I went to a shop and bought this one. I know you like red better, so I got this to make you happy. Please don't be mad, okay?"

He sounded so sincere. If I hadn't seen what happened on campus today, I might have actually believed him.

Unfortunately for him, I had.

But I didn't call him on it. I forced a smile. He saw me smiling and immediately tried to pull me into another hug.

"Claire, is your bodyguard still across the hall? We've graduated now. We're supposed to be getting our marriage license in two months. Why don't you come to my place tonight? I miss you so much..."

The implication was obvious.

I suddenly wondered: Is it because I never slept with him? Is that why he's messing around with Sophie?

If that was the reason, then I truly despised him. Even though I used to love him.

I sidestepped his embrace. Then, I grabbed his wrist and made a fake motion to pull off the red string.

"Since I didn't give you this one, I guess I'll just toss... ah!"

"Don't touch it!"

I hadn't even finished my sentence. His reaction was pure reflex. He yanked his arm back, hiding it behind him, and used his other hand to shove me away.

I wasn't steady and fell hard on the floor, my tailbone cracking against the tile.

"Claire! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Liam snapped back to reality, scrambling to help me up.

I slapped his hand away.

My bodyguard across the hall was, as always, extremely diligent. He was out the door in a second, landed another clean punch on Liam's jaw, and then pulled me to my feet.

Liam’s head snapped to the side. He was furious, but he'd just pushed me, and the bodyguard represented my dad, so he didn't fight back. He just glared at the bodyguard.

Finally, he closed his eyes and looked back at me.

"Claire, I didn't mean to do that. I just..."

Before he could finish, his phone buzzed. Not a normal ring. A special ringtone, reserved for one person.

He froze, but didn't answer.

The buzzing stopped.

Three seconds later, it started again, more insistent.

This time, he didn't hesitate.

"Claire, I have to take this, it's really important. I'll come find you tomorrow. I promise, I will never make you angry again."

I opened my mouth. I had so much to say. But he didn't give me the chance. He just turned and sprinted for the elevator.

I sighed.

I really wanted to tell him: Liam, there is no tomorrow for us.