and I count my sins

LIAM

It's not that we don't talk

Liam stood with Maea for a time, feeling her fingers grow tighter around his as she seemed to work up the nerve to do what they had come here to do. He waited patiently, silently, giving her the time she needed and knowing that there was nothing he could say or do to make this easier for her. That, he suspected, was the point of the exercise. Besides that, he knew she would be able to complete her task, as sure about it as he was that the sun would rise in the east and set in the west.

He should have anticipated that she would remove her dress, but his cheeks still flared red as he quickly averted his gaze. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to look, but it seemed like an invasion of her privacy, somehow - like he’d be crossing some invisible line that couldn’t be uncrossed. Keeping his gaze on the walls of the cavern, or the light trickling in from above, or, occasionally, flickering to her face, Liam swallowed hard. This might be a harder task than he’d originally thought.

Her half-whispered complaint was the last thing he heard before she plunged into the water, and he hurried to the edge of the pool. He waited until she was far enough ahead that he wouldn’t be crowding her, then jumped in himself, taking a deep breath despite the crystal at his throat and diving under to follow.

It's just no one really listens and honesty fades