Page 25 of Falling For Liam
“Whatever.”
“I’m going to cook. There’ll be enough if you want some.”
Turning her head away from me and jutting her jaw out is the only response she gives me. I reluctantly walk away from her. Again.
I seem to spend a lot of time walking away from the one person I want to get closer to.
Chapter Eight
Olivia
The smell of Liam’s cooking eventually draws me out of hiding in my new room. Slowly making my way downstairs, my stomach grumbles as I go. I try to forget about our conversation earlier. While I’ve been worrying about the possibility of living in the same house being a really bad idea, I never considered that he wouldn’t want me here.
Their eyes burn into me as I round the corner into the kitchen. Both Liam and BJ are sitting at the table with forkfuls of food halfway to their mouths. Liam’s eyes flash with something I can’t decipher, whereas BJ’s light up in delight.
“Were you holding out on me, bro? Have we got a new tenant?”
Liam’s mute. Instead of answering, he continues eating as if I’m not there. I can’t lie, after the way he’s been with me, his dismissal hurts. I’m aware it’s nothing less than I deserve after keeping him at arm’s length when all he’s wanted to do is help.
“Yeah…uh,” I stutter, dragging my eyes away from Liam, who’s now looking down at his plate like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. “Dec said I could make use of his room. I hope that’s okay.”
“Okay? Of course it’s okay. I think a chick is just what this place needs.”
“She’s not going to be your fucking slave, dickhead,” Liam mutters.
“I’ll pull my weight. You don’t need to worry about that.” Truth is, when I’m stressed, I clean, and my fingers have been itching to dive into Nic’s cleaning cupboard since I first arrived. I managed to hold it off but now I’m here, I think I’m going to be able to keep myself busy. It’s not dirty, but it’s obvious that guys live here.
After filling a bowl with Liam’s incredible pasta, I sit myself down at the table. Awkwardness surrounds us and, for the first time ever, BJ looks totally out of his depth.
“Sooo…what’s the plan then, Liv?”
“I’ve no idea. Get a job, I guess, and see what happens.”
“What do you do?”
“Well, I want to be a journalist, but since graduating I haven’t found a job, so I’ve been working in a call centre. It was shit. I hated it.”
“Maybe Liam can put in a good word for you at the station,” BJ says, giving Liam’s shoulder a shove to get his attention. It’s not necessary; I can tell from across the table that he’s taking in every word.
He mutters some kind of agreement before grabbing his empty bowl and throwing it in the sink with such a crash, I wouldn’t be surprised to find it in shards.
“Whoa, what crawled up his arse?” BJ asks when Liam’s disappeared from sight and slammed his bedroom door with such force, I felt it.
“I don’t think he’s happy about me being here,” I admit.
“What? Don’t talk shit, girl. He’s wanted you here since the day you left.”
“He told you that?”
“Well, no. We don’t talk about feelings and shit, but I could tell. He moped around like a right sad case for weeks.”
BJ’s words have butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I know that I missed him when I left—even though we’d only just met, I felt something between us. Something that wasn’t easy to put to the back of my mind, but I knew I had to. I hoped that he was equally affected. I believed he was when we were together. I could see the same intensity in his eyes every time I looked into them, but with the miles between us, it was easy to imagine it all.
“It’s probably my fault for not seeing him last week, but I just needed—”
“You don’t have to justify yourself to me. I get it; you needed time and space. Liam knows that too, deep down. He’ll come around. He still wants you.”
I open my mouth to respond but no words form. A welcome warmth rushes through my body, and I fight to keep the blush from spreading to my cheeks.
