How To Play the Player (COMPLETED)

All I Hear Is No

"Sure, if you want to put it that way." I gestured toward the couch with my thumb. "This thing is super uncomfortable. She's cool with Bryan sleeping in there with me, I'm sure under these circumstances she'd give it another free pass."

He stood and made a gesture for me to head up the stairs ahead of him. I took my time, sending him worried looks over my shoulder as he dragged himself up the stairs behind me. As soon as we were in my room, he visibly relaxed and sat on the edge of my bed, running a hand over his shirt. He must have momentarily forgot where he was because he stripped out of his shirt and set it at the foot of my bed before looking up and seeing my surprised expression.

"I. . . I can put it back on if it makes you more comfortable."

"It's fine." I scratched at my arm and turned my light off. "Lights off anyway. No reason to be uncomfortable."

He nodded as I slid under the covers beside him, very much aware of the warmth radiating off his body.

"Can I ask you something?" his breath tickled my cheek.

I rolled on to my side so I was facing him. "Sure."

"Was I the reason you broke up with Jay?"

Any other time I would have cringed or tried to brush the subject off, but it seemed to be distracting him for the time being and I wasn't going to be selfish and change that.

"Partially." I admitted. "It was causing a lot of tension too. Like, with everyone, not just you two."

"Reese, I don't. . . I can't lose you too." He stretched his arm out and brushed my hair out of my eyes. "And if this goes beyond anything outside of friendship I know I'll screw shit up like I always do and lose you."

I hugged my blanket tighter around me, a coldness overtaking my body at the thought of Raya. "My sister and I, we used to go to the park, a few blocks from school. My first day of high school and her first of her senior year, we went. Bryan had run off to go play basketball with friends so I just hung with her at a bench and we gushed about how hot all the high school boys were."

Liam found my hand under the blanket and traced his finger along my palm as I continued.

"I remember that day so clearly because Raya spotted you and Lane on the playground. I knew who you were, but we were far from being friends. She pointed at you and said 'That boy right there, Reese, he's going to be trouble' and I laughed. I laughed because I knew who you were and though you weren't an ass quite yet, you were definitely on your way. And then, she shocked me and added, 'But he's going to be one of those guy's who loves so fiercely that every girl in school is going to want to be with him.'"

Liam fought a half smile but still didn't say anything.

"At that time, I obviously knew nothing about the fact that we knew each other as kids, maybe Raya did though. Maybe she recognized you." I smiled weakly. "Knowing you now, Liam, I do see it. I see what she meant. Sure you were like the biggest jerk in the universe and avoided me like the plague for most of our high school existence, but she saw through all that. She saw your heart. The heart that I've started to fall in love with."

The words made Liam flinch as if I'd slapped him hard across the face, but they seemed to be enough of a distraction from the real pain.

"Its strange, you know." I said. "Bri and Shay said that I was never really with Jay. They said I was using him as a front and was pretty much dating you the entire time but too afraid to admit my feelings to myself."