Serendipitous: Liam's Story

Coney Island and Carousels

Jolie couldn’t help but laugh as Corey kept trying to get Lena to go on one of the Tilt-a-Whirls with him, Mark, and James.

“It’ll be fun I promise.” Corey persuaded unconvincingly.

Lena merely gave him an “as if” look as she continued to eat her candy apple.

“Lena come on, we’re on Coney Island, you need to go on one!”

“Corey, just give up, we’re going on the carousel, you three head up to the throw up machine.” Hope said laughing at him as she leaned into Mark’s chest. Mark wrapped his arms around her middle placing a kiss on the side of her hair, trying to hide his smile.

Since they were young, Corey had always been an adrenaline junkie and Lena, was everything but. Everything about Lena was dainty and calm, such a contrast to Corey, yet the two had been together since they were seven when Corey ran off with Lena’s bear and held it hostage until she agreed to kiss him, on the cheek that was.

Jolie bit her lip though still smiling. Lena and Corey really were too cute sometimes, despite their polarity.

Mark and Hope for that matter too, but they were not nearly as loud as their friends. Yet they were just as loving if not more. Affection for each other was evident with their need to always be in contact when they were together, like at the moment, Mark had one of his arms around Hope, his fingers twining with hers as they rested on her middle. The other held a cotton candy that the two were sharing.

She couldn’t help but glance at James. They’d been together for almost two months now and Thanksgiving was going to be approaching around the corner but they hadn’t done more than just an occasional kiss here and there, which in some ways worried and relieved Jolie. James was her first boyfriend, and she still really had no idea what to do in a relationship. But they were all in college, weren’t guys supposed to… well be just more demanding? Or passionate?

She doubted that they’d even gotten to the point of making out, at least not like… Jolie shook her head trying to rid her thoughts. No she couldn’t think about that kiss and most certainly not him.

But since she went back home last week with James and heard his voice again, saying her name… the dreams that she’d stopped having upon the start of school and all the homework to preoccupy her...but after hearing him say her name again in that deep tremor of his, they’d come back full force. The touch of his lips. Every smile and laugh. The way his eyes lit when he talked about his family or shared stories with her, even the way when he talked to her, it felt like as if she was the only person there. Just everything about Liam, everything that she’d fallen in love with.

It made her feel extremely guilty as she already had a perfectly wonderful boyfriend in her reality but she had a boy haunting her dreams, and in those dreams she was all but unresponsive.

“Jolie are you okay?” Lena asked softly as the boys finally left, Corey having finally given up on her.

Jolie looked up blinking. “Yes, sorry I just went somewhere for a minute.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Lena said.

“Come on girls, let’s go to the Carousel!” Hope said as she loped arms with Jolie. Lena loped hers on Jolie’s other side, the three of them talking and laughing at Corey’s sad attempt to get Lena to go on a Tilt-a-Whirl.

~~~

Liam couldn’t believe that he was at Coney Island with the boys. He had no idea how they managed to sneak out, but a determined Harry was a force of nature all in its own. Liam couldn’t help but shake his head as he looked over at his curly haired bandmate who was texting furiously on his phone.