When romancing Liam in the game, it felt a bit rushed and like it was missing some depth. This is an attempt to insert some of the missing depth. Please note, there are spoilers related to Kadara. So far, this is to be a 3 chapter exploration into their relationship.
Sara Ryder sighed as the warm water hit her back, thankful for a warm, relaxing shower after a long mission. While waiting for her turn to clean up, she had spoken to Addison via the vidcom and solidified the plans for the outpost at Kadara. It had certainly taken some convincing, of which Sara was doubtful Addison had been entirely won over. As Sara washed the soap out of her short, layered, dark-brown hair she made the decision to view her actions as an accomplishment instead of a political statement. Anderson might not see it the way she did, but she knew her crew did; especially Liam.
Sara felt her lips involuntarily curl up in a small smile and didn't try to hide it as there was no one else around to see it. Shortly after having had the role of Pathfinder bestowed upon her, she'd made the decision to not play favorites when it came to her crew members. She wanted amicable relationships with them all, in addition to the professional, but she didn't want there to be an inadvertent undertone of "playing favorites". As much as she hated it, she did have a favorite. Not in the sense that she like everyone else less, but in the sense that there was someone she found the most relatable and engaging – someone she enjoyed the company of more than the others.
He didn't stand out at first, but then she began to see his heart, his passion for others. The rest of them were so focused on pushing forward, dealing with the politics of it all, that they tended to step on others just to get where they were going. But Liam, he was most worried about the "others", especially those who being inadvertently "stepped on". After they had discovered what the Kett were doing to the Angarans, what Liam had said, if she was being honest with herself, had really changed her whole perspective on what they were doing. His words had shifted her focus to be more mindful of the needs and sensibilities of others. Sara was familar with working with aliens, but he had reminded her that in this galaxy, she was the alien intruding on a galaxy not her own.
Sara still felt conflicting emotions when she reflected on how she had reacted this epiphany Liam had provided her. They had both seemed to enjoy it, a lot, but she'd even surprised herself with her forwardness that night, even feeling a bit of shame about it. There had been previous relationships, and she was sure he'd had others too, but she had always waited for the guy to make the first move. Sara was fairly certain that had she acted first with her exes, they would have left running or taken it as an insult. The fact the Liam hadn't even mentioned her perceived forwardness captured her attention even more.
After rinsing the soap off of her caramel-colored skin, she asked SAM to lock the doors to the bathroom. Her body might be clean but she missed long, cleansing showers; the kind that cleaned the inside as well as the out. Once SAM confirmed that she was locked in alone, she rested her head against the patrician and let the stream massage her back. Establishing the outpost on Karada had been an accomplishment, as she was telling herself, but she also couldn't help wondering if she had messed things up with Liam.
When Sara first met Reyes, she had certainly found him attractive and intriguing, but had flirted out of what she thought was necessity to get him to work with her. Liam hadn't been there for the first meeting, but he was there when they had gone to the hideout to meet up with Reyes while investigating the murders. When they discovered that he wasn't there and Sara commented on it, Liam had misinterpreted her intention. His words were still very fresh from the previous day: "Why don't you keep it in your pants… or out of your pants, or whatever." Sara wasn't even sure how he knew about the occasional flirting. When she had attempted to defend herself, they were ambushed. She still hadn't gotten a chance to explain.
Today, after having made Reyes "leader" of Kadara, she had been firm with him that she had no intention whatsoever of a relationship. Liam had been on that mission and she'd hoped, though he hadn't been in the same area during the conversation, that he'd somehow overheard her. Sara knew that she and Liam hadn't committed to anything yet, but she was sticking to her word that she was going to leave the door open. To her, that meant focusing her romantic attentions on Liam, and him only, to see where it would lead. Though, if she was again honest with herself, some of the flirting may have subconsciously been to make him jealous, or at least regain his attention. She knew it was childish, but since that night on the couch, she was fairly certain she wanted more than just an open door. It was a difficult line to walk – wanting to continue to show him attention and have it reciprocated and, at the same time, not be too clingy.
Sara let out a final sigh and shut the water off. What was done was done, and she could only move forward. After towel drying, Sara wrapped the towel around her hair and put on her robe. Upon returning to her room, she noticed the light on her computer blinking, signaling that she had new messages. She decided to put her clothes on first, preferring casual over formal, tended to her hair, and then sat down to attend to work.
While glancing through the dozen or so new e-mails, one in particular caught her eye. The title was simply "Meet me on the Nexus", the body was "I have something I want to show you. Call it date 4", and the sender was Liam. She read it a few times, her breath catching in her throat. It could be a good or bad sign, but Sara was again forcing herself to choose to think that it was the positive of those two options. After reading through a few more e-mails and confirming that she had other business on the Nexus to tend to, she contacted Suvi. "Let's leave Kadara's orbit and head back to the Nexus."
"Yes, Pathfinder. It will take a bit, so get some rest," Suvi said kindly.
Sara certainly planned on it and hoped that her anticipation for what awaited her on the Nexus wouldn't keep her awake.
Sara wasn't sure where Liam has wanted to meet her on the Nexus and she was too nervous to ask or even face him until they arrived, so she planned on just wandering around completing other tasks while keeping an eye out for him. Once they landed, she made sure everything on the ship was settled prior to exiting. As always, she was the last off the ship. She hadn't gone far when she saw Liam out of the corner of her eye, on the second-level platform overlooking the courtyard area. He waved and she waved back in acknowledgement.
Taking a deep breath, Sara ascended the stairs and joined him in leaning on the railing and looking out over the people below. He didn't look her direction or say anything for a long while. She was beginning to doubt this date was a good sign when he finally spoke up. "My Mum and I used to do this for hours," he said quietly, still looking forward.
It took Sara a moment to figure out what he meant. "People watch, you mean?"
"Mmhmm," he hummed in affirmation. "Sometimes we would make up stories about them. Like what they were thinking about, what their future would be like, stuff like that. But other times we would just watch. Sometimes the best way to say something is to not say anything at all."
"That's pretty deep, Kosta." There was sincerity in her voice; she didn't mean for it to detract from the deep impact of his words, or the intimacy of the moment.
"I think it's what really helped me to understand and care for people, you know? I mean, I think some of it comes naturally, my compassion for others, but Mum really helped me foster it."
Sara was afraid to break the moment, so she continued to remain in silence. It was interesting, watching different species mill around and interact with each other. She began to wonder what some of them were thinking, feeling, and what their history was when Liam again broke the silence.
"So, speaking of interesting people, that Reyes sure fits that description." There wasn't contempt in his voice, but certainly curiosity at minimum.
Sara thought about reminding him that he was a "big boy", but also knew that this was what she had hoped for. This potential jealousy signaled that maybe his affection for her was deepening as much as hers was for him. "Definitely didn't peg him as the Charlatan. I think he will do well for Kandara, though."
"Will we be making frequent trips back to, you know, check up on him?" This time a hint of bitterness tainted his words.
Sara let out a short laugh. "Of course not. I was a bit 'friendly' with him in the beginning, but that was only to get him to work with me. I made it clear with him on our last day there that I have no feelings for him. He took it in stride and, thankfully, still agreed to run Kadara." Sara looked over at Liam, but he still avoided her gaze. She waited until finally he locked eyes. "This is where I want to be and who I want to share my time with."
Liam smiled. "You know, with each date being better and better, it makes it that much harder to plan the next one."
Sara mirrored his smile. It was an enormous relief to know that there would be a "next one".