Liam's shoulders slump forward as he visibly relaxes in his chair. He runs his hand through his hair and looks over at me with round gazing eyes. He wants to tell me something but our minds are closed. He flits his eyes back to his dad and then releases a long sigh before saying, "So you wanted to talk to me. You were unaware that I didn't know of your career change but there was something you wanted to talk about. What was it?"

Topher's eyes dart to me and then back to Liam, "When I'm finished with my assignment, I want you to come back to Virginia with me. I think you should explore your full potential. Reading minds might not be the only thing you are capable of."

Liam freezes in his chair with his eyes locked on Topher. His dad obviously doesn't know Liam can become invisible. He didn't see those parts of my memories because Liam hardly uses that talent around me. I don't know if he knows about Liam's visions then either.

I glance at Liam wondering if he is going to confide in his dad. Topher immediately reads Liam's body language and responds by scooting up closer in his computer chair.

"Or do you already have an idea of what you're capable of?"

I want to know what Liam's thinking so badly. I am suddenly afraid that Topher might corner me again and force Liam's secrets out of me if Liam doesn't tell him. I think back to all the memories Topher saw and I can't remember what I all exposed of Liam and me.

"I may have figured a few things out on my own," Liam finally responds but I can tell that answer doesn't fully satisfy his eager dad.

"What do you mean by that Liam? What else can you do?" Topher asks and he is begging Liam to tell him willingly. He'll ruin any relationship he might have with his son if he uses force to get the answers he wants. Liam is so much better than I am at closing his mind off that I can feel myself start to sweat as I try to seal my thoughts. I panic that Topher will target my weak mind if Liam doesn't cooperate.

"I have visions. Sometimes, I thought maybe...I dunno I thought you already knew I had them. I thought you controlled them to bring me here. To California," Liam reluctantly answers and Topher's eyes widen at this new discovery. He's suddenly amazed and giddy like he just discovered the cure for cancer. He claps his hands together and he looks like he might become unglued with excitement.

"You have visions? Of what? Of the future? Tell me more Liam, tell me about your visions," Topher pleads and my gut jumps to my throat. The way Topher is responding worries me. I am afraid this revelation will make Topher want Liam to come with him to Virginia even more. Become a paranormal spy dream team or something. I hope Liam keeps his invisibility talent to himself. I think Topher might combust if he finds out that his son has another ability.

"They are like dreams," Liam begins, "They come to me while I'm sleeping but they are more vivid than normal dreams. Sometimes I can control certain aspects of them. They show me events that will happen sometime in the future. I don't always know when but they always come true in some form."

Topher's eyes are still wide and the computer chair wheels backward as he leans back into it. I watch an idea form behind Topher's eyes and suddenly he is interested in me. He leans forward again and I nervously glance at him when he says, "What about you Eleanor? Do you have these visions too?" I cringe that he keeps using my full name. The only time I hear it is when I am in deep trouble with my mother. I decide to answer his question directly without giving away anything else.

"No, I don't have visions like Liam."
 
"Is there anything else you can do? Other than read minds?" Topher pries and I get a flashback to when Stephanie asked me that question this past summer. I didn't want her to know what I am capable of and I trust Topher about as much as I trusted her.

"No, I don't have multiple talents like other people have," I respond and something I said has Topher interested.

"Who else have you met with capabilities like your own?" He eagerly asks but I don't know how to respond. There's only one person with talents like us that I will willingly throw under the bus.

"Just this girl named Stephanie. She's friends with Liam's cousin Colin," I reply, and Liam looks at me in shock. I leave out the part where she's Liam's ex-girlfriend as I never find it relevant.

"Colin? Lisa's sister's son?"

Liam decides to reply to his question, even though I can tell that he's hesitant to reveal too much, "Yeah, Colin lives out here now. He can't read minds though. I found Stephanie through one of my visions. I introduced the two." Liam clears up any confusion as Topher sits thoughtfully in his chair. His mind is on overload and I wonder where it will go next.

"So Liam, you're friends with this Stephanie and are dating Ms. Adler here. I had no idea you were already connecting with like minds." I can still see the wheels spinning but I can't tell where Topher's mind is going. He seems overly interested and my gut is still trying to tell me something.

"I think you should seriously consider coming to Virginia, Liam. I think you have so much potential to explore. Really hone your skills. Eleanor, you should consider it too. I don't have a deal in place for you but you might be of some use to us if you find you are able to do more than read minds," Topher says, saying the last part like he's in on my fib. That he knows I am already able to do more, I just haven't released that information yet. I already know by his tone that he won't let me continue with my lie for long.

"I'll think about it. How long is your assignment in California for?" Liam asks Topher.

"There is no timeline. Once the project is over I head straight back to Virginia. It could be tomorrow, it could be a year from now."

Liam nods and then bites the inside of his cheek, back to being deep in thought. He suddenly looks at me and says, "Well I think I have processed all I can process for one evening so Ellie if you're ready, I'm ready to go." He is suddenly standing and Topher and I quickly follow his lead. I grab my bag off the floor and find Liam already at the door. He's never the jittery, nervous one so it's weird to see him clearly so uncomfortable.

It immediately becomes awkward as neither Liam nor Topher knows how to say goodbye. They both divert their eyes to the floor and then Topher extends his right hand to Liam. Liam glances at his dad's hovering hand and then shakes it before walking out the door. I awkwardly wave to Topher but say nothing as the door shuts behind me.

Tension is oozing off Liam and I can't wait to make it down the narrow, suffocating hall and inhale the cool fresh air that awaits us outside.

Liam immediately reaches for my hand as soon as our feet hit the sidewalk and I let his mind wander silently. He's pulling me across campus and I quickly put together that he's leading me to his car. He opens the door for me and seconds later, he's seated next to me, still holding everything together. He hasn't said a word and he remains quiet on the drive to his house. I'm worried he's going to chew a hole through his cheek if he keeps biting it like that. His mind is on overdrive and his body is on autopilot. The sun is still high in the sky and I look over at Liam to see the ocean on my left. We pass the last beach parking lot so I know we are on our way to Liam's house.

He opens my door for me as soon as we are parked in his driveway and then grabs my hand to lead me through the yard and to his door. His strides are long and I have to move quickly to keep up with his fast pace. As soon as we are inside, he surprises me by pushing me up against his front door and he kisses me hard. His hands are in my hair and then they quickly move from my cheeks to slide up my shirt. Even though I'm so thrown off by his silent, explosive passion, I continue to kiss back. I now know where this is going and if this is what Liam needs from me right now, I'll be there for him.

He tugs my jean jacket off first and then swiftly removes my shirt. He's still kissing me when he pulls my maxi skirt above my hips and hoists me onto his waist. He carries me into the living room area and gently drops me down on the bed. I quickly remove his shirt, but he still hasn't said a word since we left his dad's office. He's desperate and I can tell he's upset, so I don't stop his hands as they travel up my skirt. I want to talk and get his emotions out in the open but I know he's not ready. I know this is how Liam deals with stress and anxiety, so I find the top button of his jeans and pull his hips toward me. I grab his face with my eager hands and find his lips with mine. We are quickly wrapped up in each other, but he'll have to talk to me after.