Madeline's POV.
Days turned into weeks, as I watched the sunrise and set in this quiet villa. Despite how amazing this place was with waves crashing and greenery all around I felt dull.
The world around me was filled with colours but from within I felt dull.
Liam and I stayed together but we barely acknowledged each other, we maintained distance, far too much distance not even speaking with each other, especially me.
Liam wished me goodnight everyday before going to bed but I didn't reply, I didn't want to, if I did he would accuse me of not maintaining distance.
I slept on the couch, I liked it there even though my back hurt sometimes, the couch provided a warm feeling making me feel less lonely. Liam had quietly moved to the bed every night, never asking me if I wanted to switch.
Not that I wanted to.
Tension stayed with us as if it was our third room-mate.
The mornings were the worst, we stuck to making our own breakfast, not even sharing a bite. Unintentionally our hand would brush and we would pull away as if an accidental touch was a sin.
But it wasn't all just miserable because Joyce came to the villa everyday.
He was super chatty and with him there was not a single moment of boredom, he was like a ray of sunshine.
Joyce noticed everything from how we slept separately to the cold war going on between us but he rarely brought it up and never even mentioned it, as if he were here just to have fun.
Today he came over plopping next to me on the couch as he laid out the UNO cards, playing UNO, chess and video games had become an every day thing now, at the beginning he asked Liam to join saying that Liam was a 'genius' in chess but he outright refused.
So it was just us.
Our matches were chaotic.
UNO had us yelling, accusing each other of cheating when someone dropped a draw Four. Chess turned into a battle of intense concentration and trash talk. ''You're going to regret that move, darling,'' Joyce would tease, ''Don't hate me for this,'' he would say before killing my queen.
Liam never joined us but he watched from the side lines, sometimes his eyes narrowing and cursing as I made a wrong move while playing chess.
But I never looked at him or paid attention to him or at least I hope that was what he thought.
As we continued playing Liam left, closing the main door, Joyce paused the game as he asked me, ''There is barely a day left before you guys leave, haven't you both sorted it out yet?''
I sighed and replied sarcastically, ''Isn't it very much sorted? We just stick to our business.''
Joyce groaned in disapproval, ''This isn't how it's supposed to work!''
I shrugged, ''It's him, push and pull, cold and hot,''
Joyce leaned back, his face and tone becoming softer, ''I am two years older than him, and he wasn't always like this, his parents marriage life wasn't ideal.''
Yup, I could sense that from a mile away, with how he had been acting.
I rolled my eyes, ''As much as I understand, he should seek help rather than acting this way, by the way I have never heard about his father,''
I watched as Joyce's face darkened, his jaw tight, ''He was the most despicable man I had ever seen, so worse that Liam adopted his mother's family name as his surname and cut all ties with his father's side.''
I frowned at that as bits and parts of my memory flashed 'Right, he wasn't Liam Fernandes when he was 4 years old, Liam Romano, that was his name!'
I never saw Liam's father even when we were younger, all I knew was that he belonged to a wealthy Italian family and had a large control over the press and media.
My attention turned towards Joyce as he continued, ''The woman in Fernandes family were never lucky in love, our uncle who is the oldest is the only one who is happily married, the rest three of the women in the family had been very unlucky.''
Curious I asked, ''How many uncles and aunts do you have?''
Joyce patiently answered, ''The oldest is uncle Olive followed by aunt Berry, my mother Candy and Liam's mum Cherry,''
I chuckled at all the names, ''All food related?''
Joyce rolled his eyes, ''My grandpa thought it was a good idea since they ran restaurants for generations, he thought it was an amazing choice, Oh and also Liam's mum changed her name to Lilith, she is Lilith Fernandes now, but the Fernandes family still calls her Cherry''
I hummed in response, if I was named Cherry I would change my name too.
Joyce continued, ''Liam is afraid of commitment because he doesn't want to love someone and hurt them like his father did, so he would rather just change people before he caught on feelings, with you it's the same he doesn't want to hurt you but he is exactly doing that, why don't you both talk and let whatever feelings you both have develop?''
My eyes widened at that suggestion, ''I am not making the first move, he would blame me ther.''
I watched as Joyce frowned, ''Does he not talk to you at all?''
I fiddled with my t-shirt before answering, ''He does wish me goodnight, but I don't wish him back.''
Suddenly Joyce clapped, ''Then start with that, wish him back today,''
I looked at him as if asking, was he serious.
He just grinned and I was suddenly tempted to put this idea into action.