That was part of the problem wasn't it? Liam knew he was unsaveable and unlovable, and the two of those might be so intrinsically connected there was no untangling one from the other. He knew it, deep in the core of his bones and the depths of his broken little heart. So why did being near this priest stir small flickers of almost unbearable hope?

He was probably fooling himself, probably torturing himself for no real reason. There was no world in which this was anything but some mad, ridiculous dream. But he couldn't forget the taste of Riley's lips, didn't want to forget it. It made him feel human for the first time in, well, a very long while. His eyes fell shut as those lips left that blessing on his forehead. It felt like goodbye, in a weightier way than the priest likely meant it. liam nodded as Riley spoke. "Goodbye, Father. Thank you, for the picnic." He meant the thanks. It had been nice to step outside his own life for a little while and just exist with someone like this gentle priest.

Liam would not reach out to stop him again, as much as he may have wanted to. Instead his gaze deliberately avoided meeting Riley's again, as if he didn't think he could trust himself not to do something horrifically embarrassing like begging him to stay if he chanced it. Instead he looked out over the water, the way the sunlight played in dancing sparks and flashes on the uneven surface.