Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?

-Hey Brother by Avicii

DELILAH

No.

Yes.

Whatever you want.

Sure.

Yup.

Nope. 

Shrugs.

Apparently, Liam now firmly believed in a single word communication system, one that I had not been aware would be implemented. The only thing worse than someone ignoring you, is that person practically being forced into talking to you. That's exactly what communicating with Liam felt like. 

Two weeks had gone by since his father's death and we were back in South Carolina trying to go back to our normal lives. Except there was no normal anymore, and it didn't look like we would go back to it any time soon. 

Liam's appetite was nonexistent as was mine, and Adrian tried not to notice that anything was going on but he knew, he was a smart kid. Too smart to not notice the differences in his father's behavior. 

No more happy bedtime stories with him, no more happy helping with homework. Liam was just... there. Went to work, came back, played around with the food on the dinner table and went to bed. He didn't really sleep, we didn't have sex, barely even talked... he didn't hold me and when I hugged him, it was as if I was hugging a wall. I didn't blame him, but I knew things would blow over soon and I didn't know if I'd be ready for it. 

Small traces of the regular, sweet and thoughtful Liam were still there, though. He'd picked me up for lunch, and we went over to the small restaurant at the pier to eat. We'd eaten in silence for the most part, other than a few questions about how our day had been going. Other than that, everything was tense. 

Once in the car, I turned on the radio, unable to bear the silence anymore. Liam raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, instead looking through his phone as if I wasn't even there.

"You know I'm here, right?" I asked, placing a hand over his arm. 

Liam snorted, shaking his head. "I suppose you are now."

"Okay, then." I mumbled. "I'm only trying to help."

He raised an eyebrow, pulling out and driving me to the salon. Not knowing what else to say or how to help him, I remained silent. I ached to hug him, offer him some comfort but it was clear he didn't want it.

"I'll see you at home?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

I leaned in for a kiss, he didn't turn his face towards me. "Liam," I murmured. "Please." 

He didn't budge. I sighed, defeated. "Take care, then. I love you."

I didn't expect him to say it back, but at least I'd said it to him. At least I'd reminded him that I cared about him even when he was angry with the world. 

Things at the salon were pretty hectic and Jo wasn't in the best mood. Woman pains apparently, as well as Chris pains. They'd been talking, or rather arguing much more now, and considering the fact that he had taken over my lease at the apartment, they spent several nights together.  

I couldn't focus on anything, not with the problems at home or the constant worry that Liam would do something stupid. Not being able to discuss this with anyone was quite frustrating. I felt like I would suffocate if I didn't tell someone who was going on. 

I had thought that talking to his Aunt would help yet it didn't and seemingly made things worse. The woman couldn't have said anything to hurt him, I firmly believed that. Liam and her were the only quality people in that family. Yet their conversation did nothing to make him feel better. 

He was having trouble accepting the fact that nothing would ever repair his relationship with his dad. Maybe he wished he would have done more. 

The events made me realize that I didn't want this to be my story with my mother. You're supposed to learn from your mistakes, supposed to confront them head on. 

Wasn't that the point of life?

Enjoy and take something from its lessons, no matter how hard and heartbreaking? 

My mother and I were still alive, I still had a chance to fix things with her. I refused to let that be us. Maybe we could provide Liam the family that he needed and wanted. Maybe, just maybe, we could show him that we would be there, that no one would abandon him ever again. He needed that security.  

I picked up Adrian from school, only to arrive to a familiar car parked in the driveway. The man leaning on the hood of the car smiled at us, a monster truck in his hands and a large bucket of ice cream in the other.

"Why detective Jameson, it's nice to see you," I said, closing the car door. "You really don't have to bring stuff every time you visit."

"I know," he smiled. Brian gave the monster truck to Adrian and he rushed to unlock the door. "You're going to need the ice cream for what I'm here to say, though."

He saw my worry immediately and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It'll be fine. It's just something I needed to talk to you about in person."

I made a quick mac-n-cheese for Adrian, something I really wasn't fond of. Brian was more than happy to accept a plate for himself.

"You're not hungry?" Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

I wrinkled my nose. "Just the smell of it kind of disgusts me."

Brian chuckled, "You are a strange one, Delilah."

They finished eating and afterwards, Adrian went to his bedroom to add his new toy to his collection while Brian and I sat on the sofa. I dreaded the conversation that awaited me, but I was thankful that he'd be the one I'd be having it with. I was sure the other detective wouldn't have bothered showing up, or even calling me.

"Does this seem familiar to you?" the detective asked, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket. It took me a moment to recognize it, but the crack on the front of the screen along with the chipping in the corner gave it away. Caleb's phone. "Thought so. Look through it. It's unlocked, as if the bastard wanted us to find it."

"Where did you find it?" I asked, scrolling through the phone. Nothing caught my attention at first, until I went to the pictures. Pictures of the past few weeks of Adrian and I were there, from us at the park, from us out eating with Liam... from everywhere. The latest one was from a day before we left for Washington. 

"There was a lead, out to a motel in a rural area. We got it while you were out of the state, followed through and well... The phone was left behind. Looks like Caleb is still around, and he's still keeping track of your movements."

Why the hell wouldn't he leave me alone? 

He was free to do as he pleased and instead he was keeping track of us, of Adrian. I buried my face in my hands and let out a long breath. This would break Liam and I, we wouldn't be able to handle if something happened to Adrian. I felt Brian's hand on my back, soothing me.

"Do you think he'll hurt us?" 

"I can't say, Delilah. But all I know is that if he's keeping track of you, he's not done."

"What do we do?" I asked him. "We can't... This would break Liam, and I wouldn't be able to handle it. And Liam... he's already not okay and-"

"How is he coping?" Brian asked.

"Not well. He's not talking much... He spends most of his day at the shop, like now," I said, looking at the time, "He's usually home by now and instead he's burying himself in work. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to help him... I'm sorry, I don't mean to dump this all on you but-"

"Hey, no," he comforted, taking my hand in his. "It's okay, I know it must be a lot to handle. Have you tried talking  to him?"

"Yeah, nothing helps... He's just so angry."

"It's normal. I lost my dad a couple of years ago, it's never easy. All you can do is give him time, be there for him when he decides he is ready to talk."

I took a peak at him and found his compassionate face looking at me. "Thanks," I whispered. 

"No problem," he said. "This is hard for you too. For whatever it's worth, I'm here if you need to talk to someone as well. Life is hard, throws shit at you that you don't expect. You gotta learn from it, and you're a strong woman, with you by his side sooner or later he'll be fine."

"Do the motivational speeches come with your line of work?" I asked him.

Brian chuckled. "They don't but I'm pretty good at them." He pressed his lips together, stopping himself from saying anything else.

"What is it?"

He debated the situation for a moment, before speaking up again. "I want to hug you because you look like you need it. I don't know if that would be inappropriate or not and I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

I needed it. "Please do," I answered quietly.

Brian placed his arm over my shoulder, bringing me close to him. Being comforted felt... nice. For the past few weeks I'd tried to be a source of comfort for Liam, and not once had I told anyone how I felt or how stressed I was. It was good to let it out.

"It'll be okay," he whispered, leaning his cheek on my head. "You guys will get through it."

"I hope so," I replied.

He held me there for a while, rubbing his hand down my arm. The small gesture was nice, sweet even. And friendly... I realized then that he had no other intentions anymore. He could have taken advantage of the situation, but didn't, respecting the fact that I was in a relationship. It was good to see that there was still men that were truthful to their words, and honorable.

"Thanks for ever-"

"Well... Isn't this cozy." 

The voice made me pull away from Brian, who stood up calmly. 

"Liam, it's good to see you," he said, extending his hand.

"Bet it is," Liam muttered. His hair was disheveled, as if he'd been running his hands through it. But he looked different, less pissed and more stressed... anxious. 

"How's work treating you?" Brian asked, making an attempt at small talk. 

Liam wasn't having it. "You two can finish talking, I'll be in the bedroom."

Without further word, Liam walked away. Chaos was ensuing, and I knew it was just a matter of time. He was going to explode and I'd be the only one in his path, the one that he would unleash on. 

"Fucking Christ," Brian muttered. "Let me go talk to him."

"No, it's fine. I will," I said. "Thank you, okay? For everything. But I think it's best that you leave now."

"Of course. Good luck, let me know if you need me to talk to him, okay?" I nodded, and he gave me one last hug before leaving. 

I put Adrian to bed, letting him know that his dad was exhausted and he was sleeping already, even though that was a lie. He didn't need to know that he were more than likely going to argue. 

As much as I dreaded it, I finally went to the bedroom, where Liam was sitting on the bed, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. 

"Liam, the detective just came over to talk to us about-"

"Carissa went to the shop."

I stopped dead on my tracks, letting my hands fall to my sides.

"Okay. What happened?"

He lifted his head up, his brown eyes meeting mine. My chest tightened. My heart raced. He didn't need to say a single word, his expression said everything. I felt my lip quiver as sorrow filled me. 

"Did you have sex with her?"

*****

A/N: Eh. Sorry? 

What do you think about the friendship between Delilah and Brian?

 Disheveled hair, stressed and anxious. Doesn't look too good, does it?

  Thoughts/Comments?  

Don't hate me.

Next chapter?

-Luz<3