Page 4 of Falling For Liam
“Fuck you,” I spit. “Be my guest.”
“Nah, I think I’ll bide my time. Make her really want me, you know? How about you go and warm her up for me?” If he wasn’t my best friend, or a fucking tank, I’d take him out, but I’m not stupid; he’d overpower me any day.
Narrowing my eyes at him, he nods towards Liv and encourages me to go over.
I suck in a deep breath before forcing my feet to move. I’m just about to speak when someone calls my name.
“Liam, dude, get over here.” I turn back to see the guys stood over by the karaoke machine with a bottle of tequila.
“Fuck it,” I mutter before turning on my heel. A couple of shots in my belly won’t be a bad thing before I get the chance to look into her eyes.
Chapter Two
Olivia
Allowing myself a few seconds, I grab my glass and swallow down a huge mouthful of wine. I feel Nic’s eyes on me the entire time. I may have told her over and over again that Liam and I were just friends, but she’s not stupid; she can see what was between us.
When my need to see him becomes too much to take, I look over my shoulder. I find him immediately. He’s wearing a dark pair of jeans and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark brown hair is exactly as I remember, a styled mess and curling over his collar; it’s the perfect length to run your fingers through.
He must feel my stare because it’s only two seconds before his head begins to move. It’s like time stands still as he turns my way. Our eyes connect and hold as we stare at each other. The air between us crackles, and if I wasn’t already sitting, I’m pretty sure my knees would have given way.
Everything and everyone around me fades away. The noise disintegrates and it’s as if we’re the only two people in the room. My fingers wrap around the edge of the stool as I fight to stay put. The temptation to walk straight up to him is too much.My reaction to him shouldn’t be this strong. I haven’t seen him for weeks. I barely know him. I’ve got a boyfriend.All these thoughts fly through my head but none of them really register.
I’ve no idea how much time passes but, eventually, someone grasps Liam’s shoulder and he’s forced to break our connection.
Coldness engulfs me when his eyes leave me. Releasing my white-knuckle grip on the stool, I wrap my arms around my middle as I try to pull myself back together.
When I chance a glance up, Nic’s looking at me with her eyebrow raised. “What the hell was that?”
Shaking my head, I grab my wine glass once again and drain it. I think I’m going to need a few more of these if I’m going to make it through tonight.
“What are you doing?” she asks and, for the millionth time in the past few weeks, I try to shrug her off. I thought I knew what I was doing when I left this place. I was determined to give what I have—had—with David another shot, but things are worse than ever in Cardiff, and this place—andhim—are so damn tempting.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, I give the answer that I always fall back on. “I’m doing what’s right. David needs me. He’s going through some shit. I can’t leave him like he is.”
“I understand that, Liv, I really do. But you’re miserable. I get that you want to make things better for him, but really, how much good are you doing?”
“I…uh…I need food,” I say, totally bailing on the conversation. Nicole knows exactly what I’m doing, but she allows me the escape I need. For now, anyway. I know she’s only after what’s best for me, but constantly explaining my decision to go back is exhausting. It also doesn’t help that every time I repeat it, I feel myself drowning even more in my own bullshit.
I keep my eye on Liam on the other side of the room. I expected him to come back over, but the guys he’s with seem to have kept him distracted. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Nicole continues filling me in on all her recent wedding plans while a couple of the guys butcher a Jay Z song up on the stage. I know that Nicole loves to sing, but it’s a shame that everyone else who feels the need to get up on stage doesn’t have even an ounce of her talent.
“It’s just going to be small. I’m not sure I could cope with anything big like Molly and Ryan. I’d love to do it here, on the beach, but Dec’s not sure we’ll be able to—” Nicole continues as the song thankfully comes to an end and a calmness descends around the room.
Something tells me to look over my shoulder, and when I do, my mouth drops open at the sight of Liam stood in front of the microphone, his eyes locked on me.What the fuck is he about to do?
I zone Nicole out as we continue to stare at each other. My grip on my wine glass tightens to the point I think it’s going to shatter under my fingers.
“Hurry up, bro,” BJ shouts as Liam continues to stand, stock still.
Eventually, he moves, but the second he’s started the music, his eyes are back on me. The first beat is like a baseball bat to the chest. I immediately know what song it is, and he couldn’t have picked a worse one. Every single time I hear it, he’s the only thing I see. I know the words he’s about to sing are probably true, but I’m too scared to take the plunge. Too scared to do what I need to do. Too scared to be happy after all this time.
When the first line of ‘Treat You Better’by Shawn Mendes falls from his lips, I’m retreating. I’ve no idea if Nicole is still talking to me because, other than Liam’s voice, the only thing I can hear is white noise as my panic washes through me.
I crash into something or someone behind me. Thankfully, I find my footing before I tumble to the floor. Nic’s warm hand landing on my arm briefly distracts me, but the second I hear more words from Liam, I know I need to get out of here.
“Liv…Liv?” I hear her calling, but it’s like she’s a million miles away. I can’t focus on her. The only thought in my mind is that I need to escape. Away from him. I thought this place was going to give me the peace I needed, but the look in his eyes as he sang those words has me almost as scared as when I’m at home. Only, my fear is for a very different reason.
