My Brother's Best Friend Is My Mate

The person's scent is overwhelmingly manly and I think I'm imagining this but sparks are fizzing in my entire being and I feel like the fireworks from the fourth of July are present and erupting right now in my body. I look up at the person who I am currently clinging to like a bear and I see Liam's jade colored eyes staring back at me with sympathy and worry. That's so like me to break down in public and then hug a random stranger. Way to go Emerald. I can almost see my subconscious rolling her eyes at my desperation. Liam pulls away from the hug and I already miss his warm presence. There's something about him that makes me feel like I can trust him. That he will never hurt me, and he'll keep me safe. But my instincts aren't always accurate as I make them out to be. As my bestfriend said, I am naive. Too naive for my own good. "Are you okay?" Liam asks with genuine concern in his voice. I am such a terrible person: I run from person to person for comfort, burdening them with the trash details of what I call life, hoping that I'll feel whole because I feel so lost. Not anymore. I'll just smile through my burns and pretend like I'm okay even if I'm not because I have to go through all of this myself. I'm almost eighteen, an adult at that, so I need to start behaving like one. Liam takes my hand and gently leads me outside but I pull back, making him stop instantly. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just that you looked so unhappy back there and it made me feel broken and sad." Liam says. His eyes are buried deep into my soul, searching and his fixed gazed is too intense so I look away. "I don't want to be a burden to you." I say in a quiet voice, more to myself than him. I need to be more independent, face my struggles by myself and fight my own battles because no one is going to fight them for me. "You aren't a burden to me and you will never be." The words sound true. Too true. "You probably think I'm pathetic but I don't blame you. I just wish I knew who I am so I could know what to do. And try to be a better person. I'm always depending on people, pretending to be someone I'm not. I don't have any friends, my bestfriend probably hates me now and I'm just tired. I need space from everyone and everything." I let everything out. I am stupid for telling Liam all of this but I had to tell someone who would listen before it exploded inside of me like a bomb. "Look at me." Liam tilts my chin so that I can look at him and my knees almost buckle under his touch. "Even though I haven't known you for that long, I can tell you who you are. You're a loyal friend to Spencer, an amazing daughter to your parents and a excellent sister to your brothers. You're always kind to everyone around you and you are one of the most genuine persons I've ever met. You, Emerald, are someone who has the love of the ones who care about you. Everyone loves you for who you are and I never want you to change. You are perfect, if to no one else then to me. A beautiful godess." My heart's leaps at his words and I am truly touched at the painted image of me that he has. "Thank you." I tell him and I lean in to kiss him on his cheek.