If you ever need someone, to cry to,
If you ever need someone to hold you,
I will be there, standing by your side.
The moment Liam entered your house, he knew that something was wrong. He could smell it, yes, but more than that, he could feel it in his gut. You weren't relaxing on the couch, remote in hand as you groaned at another reality show that was playing on MTV. You would watch the show anyway, invite Liam to join you in your festivities, and he would have to remind himself not to wrap his arm around your waist or kiss you, because you had a boyfriend. But you weren't on the couch, or even in the kitchen, where you should have been rummaging around for chips or something unhealthy.
The house also reeked of anxiety and pure sadness, making Liam grow worried as he walked throughout the empty house. He reached your room, nervously knocking on your door. He knocked again when you didn't answer, knowing you were there because he could hear your heartbeat, smell the anger and misery coming off of you in waves. "Y/N? It's Liam, I'm worried about you. Are you okay? May I come in?" You sniffled in response, so Liam took the liberty of just walking in. He was by your side within seconds, sitting next to on your bed as you furiously wiped at the tears rushing down your face.
"I hate him, I hate me," you were muttering, tearing another photograph of you and your picture-perfect-pretty-boy boyfriend. "God, what the hell is wrong with me, Liam?" You frowned at him, eyes still shining with tears as you let the pieces of the photograph flutter to the ground in shreds. A look of surprise donned your best friend's face.
"Nothing's wrong with you, why would you even say that?" He asked, moving his hand slightly closer to yours, but not as close as he would have liked it to be. "Did he say something to you?" Liam spat out the word 'he,' like it was poison in his mouth, which for Liam, it was as good as. He hated your boyfriend with a fiery passion, and not just because he was sort of kind of definitely in love with you. The guy was an absolute jerk, and he had a tendency of putting you down to build up his own fragile ego. It drove Liam mad, increasing his efforts to force you to break up with the ass even further.
"No, not exactly," you said carefully. You were still on the verge of crying again, and you let a few tears escape. Liam gently brushed them away with a concerned and caring expression. "He - he cheated on me." Saying it out loud like that made it all too real, made it hurt more, like a painful stab in the chest. You wrapped your arms around Liam, molding to his familiar frame easily, breathing in his comforting scent. He was always so warm, and hugging him made everything a bit better, though you still cried on his shoulder and clutched the sides of his sweatshirt desperately, as if he were going to leave.
Liam rubbed your back, his own arm going around your waist, his other hand stroking your hair lightly, soothingly. "Is there something wrong with me? Why am I never the first choice? What the hell did I do?" You cried softly, still holding Liam tightly and not having any plans on letting him go any time soon. He didn't mind much, holding you was a nice distraction from his violent plans of beating your douche of a boyfriend to death in the parking lot. If you asked him to, he would do it, no hesitation.
"Stop saying that," he murmured, fingers still twirling your hair in what he thought was a reassuring manner. "You're not the second choice. There's nothing wrong with you, you didn't do anything wrong. He's the asshole, he's the one who is going to regret ever making you this upset because you're beautiful and you're sweet and you're funny and anybody would be lucky to have you." He said it all in one breath, a mere mumble, but you caught every word, and you lifted your head away from his shoulder to gaze at him in awe.
"You really think all that?" You whispered, eyes shining again, but this time with something different. It might have still been tears, but he could see something else in those wonderful eyes of yours; happiness, amazement, something like that.
"Of course I do," he said, feeling slightly abashed about everything he had blurted out. You might not return his very strong feelings, but he needed to let them out eventually. "Can I tell you something? Something really important?" You nodded, still staring at him like you were seeing him for the first time, though you had known him since fourth grade.
"I'm in love with you." The way he said it was like before, mumbled and fast, words squished together, and it took you a moment before you could actually discern what had just come out of his mouth.
He swallowed, trying to hold your gaze, but his face was too flushed and he was too embarrassed and he wished he had said nothing at all when you looked at him with silent and evident shock. "You don't have to say it back, today, or ever. I wasn't expecting you to say it back, or to say anything at all. I just wanted you to know, that even if you don't return my feelings, I'm still going to be here for you. I'll still stand by your side and support you and care for you. You're not my second choice, any girl I ever date after this is my second choice, as awful as it is to say it. You're my first choice, always." He was being completely sincere.
You didn't say anything, but a watery smile broke out on your face, and you tightened your grip on him. You held him close to you, your face pressed in shoulder and his face buried in your hair. You didn't say it exactly, you didn't even realize you felt it, but you loved him back. How could you not? You had known you hadn't been in love with your boyfriend, and you looking back on that entire relationship, you couldn't understand why you had chosen him over wonderful and sweet and caring Liam; whom had always been there for you, because you were always there for him.
If you ever need someone, to just love you,
If you ever need someone, to simply adore you,
I will be there, standing by your side.
