Nonverbal - Aria Grace Page 0,8

in the back of my mind told me I needed to ask more questions. I needed to understand why I was really there. But I didn’t say a word. It was still my first day on the job and I didn’t want to butt my nose in where it didn’t belong.

If I was being perfectly honest with myself, I was afraid to know the answer.

The next morning, Liam was standing at his easel when I walked in.

“Good morning, Liam. How are you today?” I didn’t expect a verbal answer, but when he looked up at me and tilted his head slightly, I was pleased.

He didn’t need to use words to communicate. He was opening up to me.

“Cool.” I took a few steps closer to him. “Can I take a look at your painting?”

He quickly glanced at me but kept his brush on the paper. Without any other indication he’d heard me, he scooted over just a few inches, making room for me to get closer to his side.

Liam was using watercolors but he had a full collection of various mediums to work with. His painting was…abstract but oddly beautiful. Blobs of orange and pink filled the top half of the canvas while blues and greens were scattered along the bottom. A brown square was the only discernible shape on the space. It was in the lower corner, not quite fitting in, but not taking away from the beauty of his creation.

Seven

For the next week, not much changed between Liam and me. He watched me closely but rarely got physically close to me. That was what I’d expected because he wasn’t particularly affectionate with anyone, not even his parents. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon, when Tyler came over to watch the game with me, that things started to change.

Tyler and I ordered a pizza and had a few beers up in my apartment above the garage. It was just like old times. We laughed and caught up, and when I finally walked Tyler out to his car to say goodbye, I noticed Liam was looking out the window from his studio.

I waved, and Tyler did too, but Liam just stood there, staring at us both. As usual, I didn’t take it personally. When the time was right, Liam would come around. And if he didn’t, at least I’d done all I could.

After a few minutes of chatting with Tyler by his car, I gave him a hug and sent him on his way.

I had some time before my next shift started, but I didn’t have anything else to do, so I decided to go inside and see what Liam was doing. Since I knew Liam was watching, I didn’t want to just ignore him.

As soon as I entered his room, Liam walked right up to my chest and gave me a hug, tightly embracing me for the first time ever. At first, I was surprised by his touch and wasn’t sure how to react. But I quickly recovered and held him too, relieved to finally have broken through at least one of his barriers.

“Hey, Liam. I missed you too.” I chuckled and patted his back a few times until he finally released me and took a step back. “Everything okay?”

He looked toward the window then back at me, just staring at me like he’d asked a question. Then I realized he had. In his own way.

“That was my friend Tyler. He came over to watch TV with me.” I noticed the city Liam had been building was disassembled and a new project was getting started. “Is that a truck you’re building?”

Liam turned to his bricks and picked up a handful. He stared at the pile in his hand for several long seconds before putting them on the table in front of me and going back to his own pile. The hug was the first major breakthrough but being invited to build with him felt almost as intimate.

“Are these for me?” I held a few pieces in my hand before stepping to his side. “Thank you, Liam.”

His breathing picked up, and I wondered if he was having some kind of panic attack, but then he handed me a clear piece and pointed to the front of the truck where lights needed to be installed.

“You want me to put in the lights?” I glanced at him and waited for him to make eye contact. When he did, I nodded and got straight to work on it.

Liam seemed more comfortable with me when I