'I do,' Liberty answered simply. 'I love you, Alexander.' She was repeating herself, but there was no denying the little thrill it gave her to even say the words. To be open about it, and speak the truth without apprehension.
When he pulled her closer, Liberty draped her arms around Alex, and rested her head against his shoulder, drawing comfort from their closeness. It felt right, she realised. For that moment, it felt as if nothing else mattered, not the complications, not the impossibility of their whole situation. It didn't matter, because it had led her to this.
'Did you not know?' she asked him softly. 'I thought that you would. I thought I wasn't any good at hiding it.' It would have been obvious on Rica, she thought. More than obvious, if she'd put so much effort into work she wasn't even being paid for. It hadn't all been an excuse to spend more time with him; of course what they were doing had its own value – but it was undeniable that Alexander's company had been at least part of the appeal.