Chapter 322
Liam’s burning gaze remained locked on Suzy, a heavy intensity she could feel with absolute clarity. She looked up, meeting his eyes. Within those dark depths swirled a turbulent storm of emotions, though he was doing everything in his power to keep them under wraps.
"Are you... alright?"
Under such an intense, unblinking stare, Suzy felt a rare touch of self-consciousness.
"I’m fine," Liam replied quietly.
Suzy didn’t understand why he was suddenly looking at her this way. She hadn’t realized just how deeply her casual, offhand words earlier had shaken him.
"Suzy, thank you," Liam said, his voice ringing with pure sincerity.
She had lost count of how many times he had thanked her. Time and again, she had stepped in to help him and Noah, and now she had gone as far as saving Noah’s life. She had saved his only family.
At this moment, Liam’s feelings for her had reached a chaotic, overwhelming peak. The magnetic pull of romantic attraction, the profound gratitude for her endless help—all of these powerful emotions tangled together, threatening to burst past his cold exterior.
His sudden, earnest gratitude took Suzy aback. When she recovered, she could only shake her head with an amused smile. "I’ve told you before, you don’t need to be so polite with me."
Liam fell silent. His lips parted as if he wanted to speak, but perhaps thinking better of it, he swallowed the words back down. He simply stood by her bedside, staring down at her with unwavering focus.
Suzy studied him in return. Before long, she noticed that the rims of his eyes were slightly red. His skin was naturally pale, making the deep flush at the outer corners of his eyes stand out sharply, giving him an incredibly vulnerable, endearing look.
"Why are your eyes so red?" she asked softly.
Liam blinked rapidly, uncomfortably raising a hand to touch the corner of his eye. "They aren’t..."
"Come here."
Suzy reached out and took hold of his forearm. She felt his body stiffen slightly under her touch, clearly unaccustomed to the physical contact. Feeling a bit awkward, she began to retract her hand.
But the moment she started to pull away, Liam’s cool fingers reached out and gently clasped her hand, keeping it there. Feeling how cold her fingertips were, he frowned slightly.
"You’re freezing," he murmured.
"It’s fine, my body is just like this." Suzy patted the empty space beside her on the mattress, signaling for him to sit.
Liam looked at her for a second, then quietly complied. Their hands remained clasped, and Suzy made no move to pull away. She kept her eyes on him, while Liam kept his head slightly lowered, his long eyelashes fluttering softly as he stared down at their joined hands.
Out of nowhere, Suzy remarked, "Your hair has gotten really long."
Liam raised his free hand to touch the ends of his hair. "...I suppose it has."
Ever since Suzy first met him, his hair had been on the longer side, usually pulled back in a loose, casual ponytail. After all this time, it had grown past his shoulders, still tied back loosely with a simple black hairband.
"I’ll cut it when I get back," he said quickly, assuming she disliked the length.
Almost instinctively, Suzy reached up and caught a strand of his hair. The moment she did it, she realized how intimate the gesture was and wondered if she had crossed a line. But then she remembered his affection level was at a full one hundred percent—surely he wouldn’t mind?
With that thought, she paused and waited.
Sure enough, Liam didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned his head slightly closer to her hand, making it easier for her to touch his hair.
The compliant gesture made a small corner of Suzy’s heart melt.
"Don’t cut it," she said. "You look really good with long hair."
She meant every word. She genuinely thought the style suited him perfectly. His face was already flawlessly beautiful, and the long hair only emphasized his melancholic demeanor, giving him a unique, striking charm. He would probably look great with short hair too, given his features, but she liked him just the way he was now.
"Do you like it like this?" Liam asked suddenly.
Suzy smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, I do. It looks beautiful."
Her blunt honesty caught him off guard. Slowly, a faint, rosy blush crept across his cheeks. He opened his mouth, struggling for a moment before forcing out, "Okay. I understand. I won’t cut it then."
Suzy kept her eyes on him, her smile widening. Though neither of them had explicitly defined what they were to each other, both were fully aware of the shift in their dynamic. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out; this silent understanding felt just right.
"Were you crying earlier?" she asked, her attention drifting back to his flushed eyes.
"No, I wasn’t," Liam quickly denied. He hadn’t actually cried; his eyes had just felt incredibly sore. After a brief pause, he fished for an excuse. "Something just... got in my eye earlier."
Suzy gave him a knowing, teasing look but decided not to press the issue. She sighed dramatically. "Ah, what a shame. I thought you were so worried about me that you cried."
Liam went completely silent. After a long pause, he murmured, "I was very worried about you."
His sheer, earnest honesty made Suzy burst into a delighted laugh. "Alright, I know."
"Know what?" he asked.
"That you worry about me," she replied.
Liam pressed his lips together, looking slightly self-conscious. "Yeah."
Suzy then tried to slip her hand out of his grasp. He had a surprisingly tight grip on her, and it took her a few gentle tugs before he finally let go, looking thoroughly reluctant to part. She watched him with quiet amusement; seeing the usually stoic Liam show such a clingy side was incredibly refreshing.
Having such a beautiful man look at her like that put Suzy in an exceptionally good mood. Even when he was doing absolutely nothing, just sitting there was a treat for the eyes.
"I want to give you something," she explained, realizing he had probably thought she was pulling away because she didn’t want him holding her hand.
Learning she was reaching for a gift, Liam’s posture relaxed, his mood instantly lifting. "What is it?"
Suzy slipped her hand under her pillow, using the cover to pull a sandalwood beaded bracelet out of her spatial storage. The size was just right, neither too bulky nor too small. She took his hand and slipped it directly over his wrist.
By the time he registered what was happening, the bracelet was already secured. He stared down at it, dazed. "What is this?"
Suzy thought about it for a moment, deciding on a fitting explanation. "You can think of it as a protective amulet. When things get dangerous, it might just save your life."
She had gone ahead and split the Protective Shield she received from the system. With the system’s help, she had divided the invincibility barrier into five separate portions and bound them to five different wearable accessories.
She planned to distribute these among her inner circle: Liam, Thomas, Leonard, Derek, and Noah. Exactly five pieces for the five of them.