He Swore He Hated Seafood, So Why Did His Lips Taste Like Oysters? - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Turns out we'd met when we were little.
He helped his grandpa collect bottles, I helped my grandma collect bottles.
Hot summer afternoons, we were like two little scavengers, eyes glued to people chugging water.
The second someone tossed a bottle toward the trash, we'd bolt.
The skinny little boy twisted his ankle.
Scraped his knee on a rock, blood beading up.
I froze. "Don't worry, I'll let you have it."
I gasped. "That little boy was you?"
"I gave you one empty bottle and you fell for me? You hit puberty way too early."
Liam laughed. "I wasn't that much of a creep."
"But I remembered you—the girl with the red mole by her eye."
Then Liam told me about the second time we met.
"I wasn't the success story everyone thinks. I failed once—lost my grandpa's entire life savings."
"Then Grandpa got diagnosed with cancer. I borrowed from every relative until they'd slam doors in my face."
Christmas Eve, the once-ambitious entrepreneur walked along the river like a beaten dog.
"I stared at that rushing water thinking if Grandpa died, I might as well go too."
I remembered now. It was him.
Scruffy guy, unshaven for days, skinny and dark—nothing like the Liam of today.
"Liam, just because I asked you to take some photos for me, you fell in love?"
Liam looked down, smiling softly.
"But remember how you kept walking farther and farther from the river? Nearly a whole mile away."
"Plus I accidentally saw your camera roll—barely any selfies. You're not the selfie type."
I paused. He really was sharp.
"So our little Savannah is a very kind girl."
"In the darkest time of my life, you were a ray of sunshine."
That night I'd bought him a bowl of soup to thank him for the photos.
"Best soup I ever had."
"A sweet girl sitting across from steaming hot soup, telling me that as long as you're well-fed, everything works out."
I nodded, smiling. "Exactly. Full stomach, all good."
He dried my feet and pulled me into his arms.
Slowly told me the rest of his story.
How he swallowed his pride and borrowed money from professors and classmates.
Paid everyone back double, triple when he made it.
"Luckily, Grandpa's stable now. Doctor says he can live with cancer for years if he takes care of himself."
I turned to him. "Why didn't you come find me? You still owed me noodles."
"I tried."
He'd come to campus under the guise of making a donation, just to watch me from afar.
But I was walking arm-in-arm with Kieran.
"Then later, at the hotel lawn, you were tearing down the wedding setup."
"Savannah, my heart was racing that day. Finally, my chance."
I wrinkled my nose. "So everything after that was your master plan?"
He leaned down, kissed my cheek. "Do you like me?"
"I'll tell you in a few days."