Grey Thorns

Chapter 17- Inside

I enjoyed helping him around campus. He hates it but I find it fun. At the moment I was with Kacey, Alex, who wandered over here awkwardly, and Rick.

"Come on! Just admit it already!" Kacey scolds and I glance over at Liam's group. "No!" I whisper back and she smacks my cheek and I look at her shocked. "What was that for!" I ask and Rick giggles. "I think you should do that again." he says childishly.

"I think I should too." she says and I brace myself. "No!" I say and she laughs. "You're a wuss." she sighs and I nod. "Yep. I am. So ha!" I cross my arms.

"How about this then! Miss. Bitchy." he says and giggles as he squeezes my sides. I jump away with a shriek and he catches my arm. "Nope! Come here." he says and tries to settle me but through my struggling he eventually lets go and I bump into something hard and hear a faint groan under his breath. Liam...

He raises an eyebrow as he recoups his balance and looks at me. Rick just smirks. I frown and hurriedly run behind him. "Liam, Rick is torturing me!" I say gripping his shirt. He laughs and looks at Rick who was looking at me peering from underneath Liam's arm. I spit my tongue out at him.

"Aw. Are they being mean to you?" he says in a mushed voice. "Yes." I respond and smirk at Rick. "She was being stupid." Rick says. "Well that isn't anything new." Liam responds. "Hey!" I shout and Rick spits his tongue back at me.

"That's not nice!" I say and I feel him laugh in my hands. I just liked where my hands were and how he felt. I let go of him preparing to argue when he grabs my wrist and yanks me back roughly. I shreik. "Where do you think you're going?" he asks and I frown.

"You guys are mean to me." I say and he smirks. "I know." he says. His face was inches from mine. His hair brushing up against my head. His breath right on my chest. Rick had left by now.

He presses his lips to mine and parts them for a brief second and pulls away. It only made me more mad. I wanted it to be longer. He chuckles at my frown. "I can let you drive if you want." he teases while jingling the keys. I snatch them. "You better kiss me if I do." I mutter and walk. He rolls his eyes and follows behind me. "Yesterday you were scared to kiss me." He comments and I ignore him.

***

"Hey Max! Check this out!" I hear him call and meet him in the kitchen with a bowl of liquid in it. He was leaned over it on his elbows, leaning on one hip.

"What?" I ask and he smiles at the bowl. "I learned something new. Watch." he say amused and moves his hand in the air above the bowl. The liquid parted an swirled as he moved his hand. It didn't frighten me. "Cool." I say and lean in closer see if it was a trick but it wasnt. Liam seemed so laid back as he did so like he'd been doing it for a while but no. He was just playing with the liquid.

I didn't think of Liam as magic but it may very well be magical. "Hey Liam?" I ask after a moment. He stops and looks at me. The water falling still again.

"Hm?" he asks.

I swallow because I knew he hates this subject. "Why do you hate being the King's son so much?" I ask and he stares at me blankly for a moment as if trying to read me but then he blinks and looks away with an inhale of uneasiness. "Why?" he asks flatly.

"Because it seems everyone looks up to you but you don't look to yourself." I admit. He swallows before he speaks. "Just like any president or king, it gets old eventually. 4 year terms or 40 year rulerships get excruciatingly stressful at times, but nearly 300 years of it, it just gets too much. I mean, I don't really have as much authority as my father. I'm mostly just protective of you. That was my task and well... it kind of turned out to be something unexpected but, that's not the point." he says still flat.