37

AUDREY
“Liam.” Samuel patted his friend’s shoulder. “From this moment, I have to entrust her to you. You know the situation, right? I cannot ask anyone because there’s no one else in this town I can trust. She’s very young, and anyone can take advantage of her.”
“I’m honored, Sam.” Liam nodded. “I’ll make sure your sister is safe.”
“Here.” Samuel handed Liam a thick-looking envelope. “Those are plane tickets and cash. Since she’s still a minor, someone has to be with her when she boards the plane. You can tell them she’s your sister if anyone asks, and with that money, you can find her a place she can stay. I will follow you to New York in a week. Please, take care of her, Liam.”
“I understand.”
Even though I couldn’t tell how well they got along or how Samuel could entrust me to Liam, I had never had a single conversation before. I trusted my brother more than my father and that he wouldn’t send me to any harm. I watched the two guys exchange another brief conversation until we finally had to say goodbye.
Samuel brought me to his arms once more and squeezed me in his arms. “Call me Audrey, okay? Don’t be scared. I will be there for you, I promise.”
I nodded. “I will wait for you, Sam.”
He gave me a final instruction. “Stick to Liam wherever you go, okay? The train will lead you to Phoenix airport, but the plane tickets are still set for tomorrow morning, so you will have to wait for a few more hours. But it’s better than being sent to Benjamin’s manor today, right? I reserved a room at the Clinton Hotel near the airport. It's a three-star, so you can be comfortable.” Sam looked at Liam. “I had reserved one for you next to Audrey’s. Call me when you get there.”
Liam saluted. “No problem.”
And just a few minutes later, the train came approaching.
“Here you go,” Sam whispered.
“Sam!” I jumped on him for another hug, and I was already crying again. “Thank you. I’m finally going to New York.”
He faintly smiled. “It’s a very big city. You can get lost there, so behave and listen to Liam, okay?”
“I understand.”
Samuel pressed a kiss on my cheek before he let me go and embraced Liam once more, and then he picked up my suitcase.
“Ready?” Liam asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
Liam let me get through the train first and then followed me. In a blink of an eye, Samuel was already out of sight. I couldn’t help but get into tears again. This was the very first time I had run away from home.
“So…” Liam spoke to start a conversation ten minutes later. We were sitting across from each other. “You were supposed to marry a Scott.”
I looked at him. “That’s why I’m running.”
He answered with a nod and a shrug. “I’ve seen him a couple of times. A very fat man.”
I chuckled at his comment. He replied with the same delicious smile.
“Why are you going to New York?”
“Oh, didn’t Sam tell you? I’m going to work there. Dad originally came from Queens, and he has a very close friend—more like brothers, and he knows him from high school, and they said they’re going to give me a job,” he explained.
“How old are you? Are you old enough to take this job?”
“I’m nineteen. I can do some computer stuff, and I draw.”
“As in, you can make drawings?”
He flashed out a grin. “Yeah, but just sketches… graphite artworks. I’m not an expert enough, and I am very captivated by the arts. And if I work hard enough, Dad’s friend will send me to college. He’s very generous.”
“Your father is a good man. Of course, he has good and generous friends. Why did you move to Phoenix, then, if Mr. Cross was from New York? I heard there are many opportunities there.”
“Mom happened.” He grinned. “He met Mom in New York, but her family is from Glendale… so you know what happens next when people fall in love.” He held my eyes, and with those gleams in his gaze, I knew I was already captured.
“She followed him,” I murmured, then smiled.
“How about you?” he asked, his eyes still set on mine.
“Me? I don’t understand.”
“Isn’t this like the same? You running away, chasing the unknown?”
My cheeks flared. “This is better than being stuck in the mansion, or marrying an old fat man, in addition to a greasy face.” I cringed, and goosebumps rose all over my body. “Ugh. I can’t picture myself in that situation.”
“How about this situation?” he teased, smiling. “Can you picture this?”
His smile was certainly infectious. “What do you mean?”
“You are coming with a person you barely know to a place you’ve never been. Aren’t you frightened? What if I’m a serial killer?”
“I’m pretty sure you’re not. I trust my brother, and he trusts you, so I will too. Samuel’s betting his own life on this just to send me away from Dad. Oh—wait, are you?” I joked, my question referring to the serial killer part.
He laughed softly. Damn, he’s really handsome. “I would’ve taken you to the woods a long time ago if that’s the case.”
I frowned. “A long time ago?”
“I always see you—never mind.” He chuckled.
Our trip lasted thirty minutes, and there were no boring times with Liam. We spoke of many interesting topics, like his dream of plucking his family out of poverty in the future and how he loved his mother more than anything else in the world. He told me he was an only child but still wished to have a sibling like Samuel. We talked as if we’d known each other for a long time. It even made me ask myself why I haven’t spoken to him before.
And from that day, even if I barely knew Liam Cross, I first learned how it felt to admire and be attracted to someone.