Coming Home (Liam Dunbar x Reader - Book 2)

Chapter 15

I woke up this morning to an empty bed and a folded note Liam left on my nightstand that said he went for a run and he'd be back soon. I quickly took a shower and changed into a pair of gym shorts and a tank top I pulled out from my luggage before making my way to the kitchen.

What happened last night was nothing new. Since Isaac's passing, I've dreamt about him more than I ever had before. Some dreams would be the most random yet simplest moments from our lives together. However, last night was the first night I relived our wedding night. As much as I loved our wedding, how beautiful it turned out, and having all our family and friends coming out to celebrate our love, I try to avoid remembering our wedding day. It makes missing Isaac so much harder and last night was proof of it.

I'd always go to Jackson to comfort me when my dreams were too much to handle, which wasn't often. I'd prefer to hold back my feelings and just deal with it myself as I would lock myself in my room until the next afternoon. But sometimes I needed him to calm me down and last night would have been one of those nights. Except, Jackson was hours away, and although it may seem like I had no choice but to use Liam to comfort me, I was glad he was there. He reminded me why he was my best friend in the first place. He was always caring, gentle, and somehow always knew the right words to say.

With a towel in one hand and a cold Gatorade in the other, I made my way to the back patio. I placed the towel on top of the small table next to the chair and sat down, looking out at the beach in front of me. From a good distance, I saw a teenage boy drying his shaggy hair as a teenage girl was sitting on a beach towel, rubbing sunscreen on herself.

The girl looked kind of sad and the boy certainly noticed. There was something about their body language towards each other that made me want to listen in on their conversation.

"I'm such a loser. What if I never end up with someone?" The girl turned away from the boy.

"I don't hang out with losers. If I thought you were one, we wouldn't be friends right now, let alone actually be talking," he joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Shut up!" Her head snapped back at him as she playfully shoved his shoulder.

"Seriously, you're beautiful, intelligent, and creative..." He grabbed the sunscreen bottle and put some on his open palm. "Who wouldn't want to be with you," he said sincerely as he rubbed some lotion on her shoulders.

"You really think so?" Her voice was filled with hope.

"Of course! But tell you what," he turned her chin to face him, and locked his eyes with hers. "If we're both single when we're 35, then I say we get married."

"What? You're joking, right?" Her eyes widened at his sudden proposal.

"No, I'm not. We're best friends, no one will ever know us as well as we know each other, and we love each other... So, why not?" He held out his pinky finger in front of her. "What do you say?"

"You've got a deal," she smiled as she locked her pinky with his, sealing their agreement.

The sound of Liam opening the fence pulled me away from their conversation. I looked at Liam just in time to see him sprinting towards the deep end of the pool. When he jumped, he curled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around his shins midair for a canon ball. Huge waves rippled throughout the pool before Liam came up for air and swam towards the steps on the opposite side of the pool. He climbed the steps and made his way towards me. I grabbed the towel from the table and handed it over to him. He grabbed the hem of his soaked cut off shirt and pulled it over his head before grabbing the towel and drying himself off.

I couldn't help but look at the body in front of me. It was impressive. You could wash your clothes against his six-pack like an old washboard. Without even flexing, you could see the outline of his muscles in his arms. His body was so tight and well structured. I was pretty sure there wasn't an ounce of fat in his body. He didn't look like one of those New Jersey Juice Heads or Gorillas, as they call it. His body looked more natural and not like he was on steroids.