Between Us

chapter four

04

"This is pretty amazing," I comment, looking around. We're on a well known bridge just outside of town. It's a popular place here, but not so much when it's eight o'clock at night and dark. The street lamps are reflecting off the lake below us.

"Yeah. I like it better at night," Liam says. We sit with our legs dangling through the railing and over the edge of the bridge.

I grab a makeup wipe from the new package we bought at a convenience store on out way here, along with a six pack of beer and a party size bag of Cheetos. I start to wipe my second face off.

"You were there because Aaron's your step brother, right?" I say, already having to grab another wipe.

"Yup. Why were you there?" He asks, popping open a bottle of beer. Liam takes a sip.

"Whitney is my sister's best friend. I've known her since I was eight, because they became friends when they were eleven. I'm like her little sister, so she wanted me to be her bridesmaid," I explain, rubbing my eyelid with the wipe. It's almost completely covered like the first one.

"I see," he says, loosening his tie so it hangs low. "And don't tell anyone I bought you beer, okay? It's kind of illegal."

I smile. "As far as I'm concerned, you bought yourself beer and I snuck one."

Liam smiles. "Such a bad girl. Stealing beer."

I shrug, playing along. "What can I say?" I say nonchalantly. "I'm a delinquent."

He snorts. "I have a hard time believing that."

I think about it. "Yeah, I'm really not. Drinking on the weekends at parties is as far as my delinquency goes."

Liam laughs. "That's more believable."

I laugh too, and finish taking off my makeup. "Did I get it all?"

His eyes scan my face. "Yeah. Damn, they really caked that on, didn't they?"

I nod. "Yeah, I thought my real face was lost forever," I say. I grab a beer and pop the cap off, taking a swig from the bottle. The strong taste hits me right away.

Liam smiles and shakes his head, taking another drink. "You're a lot different than the Taryn I used to know," he says. "More fun, to be honest. You were so shy and quiet, you would never talk."

"Now you can't get me to shut up," I joke. "I don't know what happened. I got into high school and suddenly I was more outgoing and talkative. It's probably because my acne disappeared, I got my braces off, and I became fit from soccer."

"I never saw anything wrong with the way you looked," Liam says truthfully.

"Everyone says that," I say, taking another gulp of beer.

"But I mean it. You've always been pretty to me," he tells me. My heart almost stops and I definitely stop breathing.

"Really?" I force out, hoping I don't sound strangled.

"Yeah," Liam says. He opens the bag of Cheetos and grabs a few the puts them in his mouth.

I copy his actions, trying to focus on something other than what he just said. "Well, um, thanks," I say awkwardly.