LIAM'S POV
The Bracelet I Thought She'd Never Take Off
The bracelet was small. Just some woven threads and metal. But in Levi's hand, it felt heavier than anything I'd ever held.
"What's that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the familiar green and black twist of fabric.
Levi stood there, cool as ever, like he hadn't just walked into my room with a loaded weapon disguised as jewelry.
"She asked me to give it to you," he said simply, holding it out.
My chest tightened before he even finished the sentence. "Zara?"
He nodded once.
I stared at the bracelet, heart pounding, throat dry. I didn't take it from him. Not yet. I couldn't.
"She took it off?" I asked. The question sounded pathetic even to me. "Just like that?"
Levi shrugged. "Not just like that. She looked like it was killing her."
I swallowed hard. The air in my lungs felt thick, like it didn't want to stay in.
"Why were you even with her?" I demanded. "What were you doing there?"
That smirk of his flickered. Just a flicker. Then he leaned casually against the edge of my desk like this wasn't a conversation that could shatter me.
"I ran into her," he said. "Bike trouble. She looked like she was ready to throw it into traffic. So, I helped."
I frowned, my mind reeling.
"She didn't want help from me at first," he added, and there was a glint in his eyes now—something smug, something calculated. "She thought I was just like you."
I flinched at the words. I didn't mean to, but I did.
Levi saw it. Of course he did.
He continued, voice quieter now, digging the knife in. "But then we talked. She opened up a little. She smiled, Liam. A real one. Not the kind she used to fake around you to keep the peace."
"That's not true," I muttered, though the words felt weak.
"Isn't it?" he said, arching an eyebrow. "She told me about how much she loved you. She told her feelings for you were real. How she defended you even when her friend told her you were planning on hurting her. That girl… she's stronger than we gave her credit for."
I couldn't speak.
Not when the bracelet was still in his hand. Not when the truth—or his version of it—was cutting deeper than I was prepared for.
"Anyway," Levi said, finally placing the bracelet on my desk, "she doesn't want it anymore. I told her it was a cool bracelet. She didn't even realize she still had it on."
That made it worse.
She'd forgotten it? The thing we swore would mean something forever?
"She told me to give it back to you," Levi added with a pointed look. "And she told me to stay away from her. Guess I didn't make that great of an impression after all."
The lie was so smooth I almost didn't notice the twist at the end. Almost.
"You're lying," I said slowly.
"About what?" he asked innocently. "The bracelet? Or the fact that you ruined the best thing that's ever happened to you?"
I didn't answer.
Because deep down, I knew he was right—even if every word wasn't true.
As soon as he left, I sat on my bed, holding the bracelet in my palm, my thumb tracing the L+Z carved into the tiny metal charm.
This was supposed to mean something.
This was supposed to be real—at least, it became real, somewhere along the way.
And now it was just another casualty in the war I started with a dare.
She gave it back.
She gave me back.
And I wasn't sure I'd ever get her again