Chapter 26 Liana

Liana was glad she had Tori next to her. The two were clutching so tightly to each other's hands that they were probably cutting off their circulation. Liana thought she would have probably fallen over without Tori to steady her.

"I will not be pressured into some sort of fucked-up arranged marriage." The words reverberated in Liana's brain. With Mary Grace and the four parents at the table, Liana figured she could piece together the gist of what had just happened.

"Victoria?" said Mary Grace meekly to her twin. "What are you doing here?"

James went to Liana and Tori put an arm around each woman's shoulders. "You said this was a family dinner, remember? And Mom, you said you consider the McMahons part of our family. The last time I checked, Tori was part of the McMahon family. The only decent part of the McMahon family, in my opinion. Or did you leave her by the wayside because she wasn't in on your little plan?"

"W-what plan?" Tori stammered.

"I knew it," said James. "I knew Tori wouldn't be a part of this. Tor, your parents and sister took the liberty of conspiring with my parents to offer me a job working for your dad, which apparently also comes with the coveted title of Mary Grace's boyfriend. Obviously, I did not know about this plan, and I want no part of it."

He turned to Mr. McMahon. "Sir, you've always been kind to me, and I'm going to assume you had the best intentions in offering me a job with you. I appreciate your generosity and I am sorry that my parents and Mary Grace put you in the awkward position of thinking this was something I wanted. Mary Grace probably manipulated you and told you there was a chance of us getting back together when there isn't. I can't get back with Mary Grace. I already have a girlfriend."

He laced his hand through Liana's and took a step toward his parents. Liana hesitantly stepped forward. "Mom, Dad, please meet my girlfriend, Liana. Liana, this is my mom, Daniella, and my dad, Peter."

Though her insides were tied in knots, Liana knew that James needed her to be strong for him at this moment. She schooled her features into neutrality and held out her hand first to James' dad and then to his mom. "It's nice to meet you both." Figuring she ought to greet the other parents at the table, she offered a small smile to Tori's parents. "And Mr. McMahon, Mrs. McMahon, it's good to see you again." Even now, Tori's parents had never indicated for her to call them by their first names.

"Hello, Liana," said Mrs. McMahon, looking somewhat dazed. "It's nice to see you, honey. I wasn't aware that you and James were dating."

Mary Grace stood up and reeled on James. "Were you with her when you were with me?"

Liana made to take a step back, but James held her hand firmly. "No," James said decisively. "I would never cheat on any girlfriend of mine. This happened long after you and I broke up."

"It's true," Liana jumped in. "We started talking less than two months ago. Before that, I hadn't seen James since high school. I promise, Mary Grace, none of this was meant to hurt you."

James ran his thumb over the back of Liana's hand. "That's right, Mary Grace. This isn't about you for once, which I know you find hard to believe. Not that we owe you any sort of explanation, since again, I repeat, you and I are nothing to each other."

Mary Grace spluttered, and as much as Liana tried never to wish ill on anyone, she couldn't help but find the situation slightly amusing. She glanced at Tori to find a look of utter delight on her best friend's face. Tori loved one-upping Mary Grace.

Peter attempted to step in, placing what Liana assumed was supposed to be a calming hand on his son's shoulder. "Now, James, let's not let our emotions get the better of us. Let's take a moment to calm down and think about what we want to do, and then we can all talk about this like grown-ups while we eat our dinner."

James barked out a laugh. "Dad, you're the one who needs to think about what you did. And you all can have dinner without me. Liana and I are going home. I am going home with my girlfriend and her best friend." He inclined his head to those still seated at the table. "I would say it's been nice seeing all of you, but I don't like lying. Mom, please consider this my two weeks' notice. I quit the foundation. I'll run the event next weekend, since we've already planned it and I know how important saving face is to you, but then I'm done. I resign."

Liana tried not to feel sorry for James' mom, whose cheeks were marred by silent tears. She elegantly dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her napkin.

"Mrs. Alonso, obviously this wasn't the way I wanted to meet you," said Liana, feeling like she owed her some sort of explanation. "I didn't know — I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"Yes, Mom," said James, "Liana lives her life in an honest and straightforward way, with little drama. It's one of the many things I love about her." Liana's heart leapt into her throat at the word "love." Surely word choice wasn't at the forefront of James' mind right now, and he probably spoke without thinking. But maybe he'd secretly revealed how he actually felt. Would he say it to her another time, when emotions weren't running high? If he did, she realized, she was ready to say it back.

"Liana," James continued, "you didn't cause any trouble. You and Tori are the only two people here who didn't cause any trouble. And that's why I'll be leaving right now with the two of you. Ready to go, Tor?"

Tori nodded and James waved jauntily, suddenly looking lighter than Liana had ever seen him. "Bye, fam. Let's not do this again." Still clutching Liana's hand tightly, he strode out of the restaurant. He paused near the door to lean down and kiss Liana. Suspecting he was doing it for the benefit of the audience, Liana tried to look extra happy as she kissed him back.

As soon as they climbed into Liana's car, Tori let out a whoop from the backseat. "That was EPIC, James! I've never seen anyone put my sister in her place like that. God, I wish I had filmed it! Did you see that look on her face? Priceless! And you totally pwned my parents too! If I'd taken a picture, I would have fucking framed that shit and put it on my wall."

"Pwned?" Liana laughed. "Is it 2014 again?"

She glanced over at James, who was looking ahead stoically. He still held her hand in his lap. "You okay?" she asked quietly.

He nodded tersely. "Thank you."

"Any time."

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I'm sorry for putting you in the middle of that disaster. I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have brought you there."

"No apology necessary," Liana said. "You absolutely should have brought me. That's what I'm here for. I'm yours, remember? I'm not about to run away at the first sign of a little drama."

James' eyes shone. "Have I told you today that you are amazing?"

"Awwww," Tori crooned from the backseat. "You two are so cute! This is the first time I've seen you together as a couple, and I'm telling you, I couldn't picture it before, but now I totally see it."

Liana rolled her eyes. James turned around to face Tori. "I owe you my thanks too. I'm sorry for bringing you there. When my mom said we were having a family dinner and that the McMahons are our family, I just couldn't stop the rage that bubbled up on your behalf."

Tori waved him off. "Oh, please. I've gotten used to their antics by now. I don't let them bother me anymore. It's taken years of therapy but now I'm good. Dude, therapy is amazing. Now I can see them treat me like this and just laugh. I'm so glad I got to be there tonight to watch Mary Grace lose her shit."

Liana felt James' grip tighten on her hand. "Tor," she asked, "can we drop you off at home? I'm sorry to cut our girls' night short, but I think I want to spend some time with James."

"Of course, girl. You take care of your man," said Tori, and Liana's heart warmed at how her best friend always understood what she needed.

When they'd dropped Tori off, Liana drove to James' apartment. When they walked in, James plopped down on the couch, his eyes unfocused, his mind clearly far away. Liana brought him a glass of water and sat down next to him.

"I'm so sorry, Liana," he said. "My family has done some crazy things, but I never thought they'd try to set me up like that."

"Don't apologize," Liana soothed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"The thing is, in many ways, my parents have a point. I should be happy to take a job like the one they offered. I'm not making any money right now. I'm not using my college degree. I'm basically a deadbeat."

Liana felt her heart breaking. "I've said the same thing so many times about myself. But I don't feel that way about you, James. Not at all. Tell me honestly: do you love teaching?"

He looked up at her with sad puppy dog eyes. "You mean teaching pickleball?"

"Yes."

He looked thoughtful. "No one has ever asked me that before."

"Well, I'm asking now. Do you love it?"

He took a deep breath, considering. "You know, I think I do. And, I know this sounds stupid, but I love playing pickleball too. I love having that competitive outlet while also knowing that I don't have the pressure of being on international TV like I was with tennis. With pickleball, I can play for fun without feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. I honestly love sports. Playing them, teaching them."

She nodded. "I can feel that you do. You're lucky, James. Honestly, I know pickleball isn't ‘acceptable' in the eyes of your parents, but I think you're so lucky to have found something that you love. Not everybody finds something they love. I'm broke and without career prospects too, but unlike you, there's nothing I'm really passionate about. I thought I wanted to work in movies, but then I didn't love it when I was doing it. Now, I'm directionless and passionless. I envy you."

He shook his head. "You shouldn't envy me. You've been sidelined by a terrible health condition. You're not directionless; you're recovering. I'm just a failure."

"You're not a failure." She took his hand and stared into his eyes, willing him to see himself as she saw him. But she could see that she wasn't breaking through to him. Maybe another time, but for now, he wasn't ready to accept what she was saying. He'd been conditioned for too long by too many people to see himself as a failure, and a couple of conversations with her weren't going to reverse the years of harmful thoughts.

"I appreciate what you're trying to say, Liana. I really do. I wish I could see things as you do. And I'm so grateful to you for sticking by me. But honestly, when I get in these kinds of moods, I don't like to drag anyone down with me. You're welcome to leave. I won't hold it against you. In fact, it'll be better for you if you go. You don't have to watch me be depressed."

She didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere, James. You don't need to worry about me. We don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I would like to stay right here next to you. We'll watch a movie. We'll cuddle Harry if he lets us. That's all. No expectations. Okay?"

He buried his face in her neck, and she soaked up his scent, his warmth. "Thank you, Liana. No one has ever wanted to be around me when I'm being a downer."

"Someone told you that you were a downer?"

He exhaled. "Yeah, I guess someone used that exact word. She said she didn't like being around me when I was sad." He didn't need to say to whom he was referring.

Liana felt her anger rise. She wasn't normally prone to anger, but she couldn't believe someone had said that to James. "You're not a downer, James. Humans have emotions. Some people have diagnosable mental health conditions, too. But it's okay to have the full range of emotions. And you don't make me sad. You make me happier every time I'm with you."

"Even now?"

"Even now," she confirmed.

James shook his head incredulously but pulled Liana onto his lap. They stayed cuddled on the couch for the rest of the night, watching Parks and Rec reruns in a silence that somehow felt both comfortable and comforting.