Let Me Down Easy

Chapter Five

chapter five: *Always Like This*

            “Look, I don’t care what you say; you’re going to eat that pancake even if I have to shove it down your throat. You like pancakes. I know you had brain trauma, but that doesn’t just magically change your taste in food and-,”

            Liam interrupted her ranting, “Okay, I’ll eat the damn thing if you just stop being so annoying about it.”

            Leslie smiled smugly. So he hadn’t been nice about it and it was just a pancake, but after seven days of being with Liam she was at the point where she would take anything she could get.

            She looked at him expectantly and he groaned before taking a bite of the blueberry pancake. Leslie watched happily as Liam’s face lit up for the briefest of seconds. He liked it. Whatever he said, she knew he liked it. She had gotten pretty good at catching the very short glimpses of emotions he now showed.

            “I hate it.” He replied rather bluntly.

            For a second Leslie wanted to laugh. Sure. He hated it. Sure.

            “Okay. Whatever you say,” She replied as she started to head towards the kitchen exit. She didn’t really have anywhere to go, but she learned that spending short bursts of time with Liam was much more rewarding than trying to be around him for too long.

            “Leslie.” He called after her right before she left.

            She immediately stopped and turned around trying to hide her surprise and elation quickly. She didn’t want to seem desperate. She had to control the amount of power she gave him.

            “Jonah and Leo want to go to the beach for the weekend since it’s summer and all, but they won’t let me go unless I ask you and Sam to come along. So, don’t get all excited  because I’m only asking because I have to.” He emphasized the last part. In fact, he’d said the whole thing through gritted teeth and grudgingly held her gaze.

            Lately, Leslie had learned to ignore his bad temper and mean attitude and most of the time it made her want to laugh-the entire ridiculousness of it.

            “Well, Sam will be happy; she’s been dying to get out of the house.” She replied.

            He simply cocked an eyebrow in response.

            “But you guys can go without me. I need some time for myself,” She added knowing he’d be happy.

            She kind of wanted to go. The beach sounded great, but she also knew that where beaches existed, so did pretty girls in skimpy bikinis and she could not handle them flaunting all over Liam. Despite his accident, Liam was as handsome as ever and only traces of his scars remained. In no time they’d be gone completely and although she was happy he had recuperated so fast she did not want to see him flirting with someone else.

            “Really?” He seemed surprised.

            “I know you think I’m going to fall all over you and stuff, but my life doesn’t revolve around you [okay, so she was lying because it totally did, but…] and I’m here because I genuinely care about you, not because I’m some desperate girl who can’t get anyone else, okay?” She answered and winced a little at how harsh she sounded. But after an entire week of being picked on she felt that he deserved a little bit of his own medicine,

            “Okay,” was all he said.

            She almost groaned in frustration. That’s all he said lately. “Okay.” So fucking passive, it drove her insane. Okay what? Okay, I understand you? Okay, I don’t give a shit about what you’re saying? Okay, okay?