𝔸 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 ➁

20. Doubts & Second Chances - ✭RAE✭

I'm glad to get away from that awkward exchange with Seth and his dad. I can't believe he knows what's going on between us and somehow he'd already known before Seth had told him. That fact makes things one-hundred times weirder. But, I have to admit, knowing Seth was talking about the two of us to his father sent a reassuring feeling that maybe what we are doing isn't just what we are doing.

I feel myself grinning like a stupid idiot as I exit the staircase but that grin immediately turns into a frown when I see who is in the living room. There's Rhys standing with Carla and an extremely well-dressed Liam. The moment Liam looks up at me he gives me a giant smile.

Fuck my life.

"Hey Rae, look what the cat dragged in." He thumbs over to Liam.

"Liam, what are you-"

"He came to the apartment looking for you and I figured I'd invite him to dinner since he has no family here."

"Lovely coincidence, isn't it?" Carla smiles at he and I.

No. No it is not. It is anything but lovely. I can practically feel the sweat from my anxiety dripping off of me. I'd told Seth I'd ended things with him and when he sees him he's definitely not going to be happy.

"I've missed you these last few weeks, princess." Liam's blue eyes soften as they meet mine and I know he's thinking of the last time we saw each other. That was when Seth had walked in on the two of us at the apartment. "Your brother here tells me you've been really busy signing up for the spring semester."

"It's true, she's already taken one semester off." My dad walks up with his wife, Trisha, who is half his age. "She can't take any more time off." He holds out a hand to Liam, "Darren Travers."

Liam meets his hand with a solid shake as he introduces himself. He slings his arm around me affectionately as he begins conversing with my father. I can feel it, that feeling when you know someone is staring at you. I look up to see Seth and his father at the bottom of the staircase. Seth is looking at me with a face full of hurt and betrayal which makes my insides flip upside-down. I shoot him a look that I hope says please, I had no idea this was even happening, but he clearly doesn't get the message.

His father says something to him and Seth shrugs him away irritatedly. Sean looks up at me and gives me a sad half-smile. Well, looks like at least someone had gotten the memo. That's the moment my father choses to introduce everyone. Fucking perfect.

Seth and his father walk up with Seth saying, "we've met." He gives me a smirk and then smiles as he holds out a hand to him, "how's it going, Liam?"

What the hell is that smile about? He never washed his fucking hands...

"It's true," Liam laughs then shakes his hand. "Quite the ladies man this one is." He lets go and hugs me closer.

"He always has been." My father adds, "isn't that right, Seth?"

Seth clenches his jaw in irritation and let's out a curt laugh. "Yeah, something like that."

"He gets it from his father." Sean adds with a pat to Seth's back that's just a bit rougher than need be. Probably trying to swat some sense into him. "So, when's dinner?"

"Just about done," Trisha flutters her lashes at Sean. She's been swooning for him the moment he walked through the door. He's right, that charm definitely seems to run in the family.

✩✩✩

After we had finished dinner my father offered to take Liam on a tour of the house. I told him that really wasn't necessary, considering the fact Liam and I weren't really dating anymore, but he'd insisted. You could already tell he loved Liam, most father's would like a guy like Liam.

He's smart, kind, funny, and a good conversationalist. Not to mention that he comes from money, you can tell by the way he dresses, he was born wearing Armani.

Now Liam and I aren't 'really' dating because I hadn't officially broken things off with him. I'd just ignored his texts and phone calls but apparently Rhys had no idea. Why would he? It's not like I'm about to tell him who I have been seeing, if you'd really even call it that. But one would think seeing me not hanging around with him for about three consecutive weeks was enough to make an assumption that we weren't together, but I guess not.

Seth and I are non-exclusively exclusive. We aren't going on dates or anything of the sort, we're just screwing. I have no complaints necessarily but right now is when the line is getting blurry. Even though I haven't slept with Liam since Seth and I decided to be fuck buddies or whatever, apparently I couldn't even go on dates either or be around another guy romantically even if it wasn't sexual. That, to me, doesn't really just mean fuck buddies.

"Hey," I hear Liam's accented voice call from the doorway, snapping me out of my mental pondering. "Your father said I might find you down here."

"Yeah, it's quiet in here." I gesture to the theater room around us, "the soundproofing and all." I fiddle with the hem of my dress as I look over him. He's handsome, extremely so. He's just under Seth's height, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"How've you been?" He gives me a soft smile as he partially closes the door behind him.

"I've been alright." I don't know what else to say to him, what to say to him. "You?"

"You mean besides the fact you've been ignoring me?" Crap.

"I'm sorry, I've just been-" sleeping with my brother's best friend "just been really busy."

He nods as he walks over to me, "tell me you've still got time for me." He reaches out to me but I grab ahold of him. "Raegan, come on. I know I embarrassed you in front of your brother's friend but that wasn't intentional. You know I'd never put you in a compromising situation on purpose."

"Liam," I look up at him. He's too sweet. I can feel the guilt build in my stomach. "Liam, I don't know."

He cups both sides of my face, "Rae, I can give you more than just a good time in the sheets." I search his eyes for an understanding. We'd only slept together a few times. "You think I'm blind?"

Obviously not, you're looking at me right now. "What do you mean?"

"Seth," my eyes widen like a deer in the headlights "see, that right there tells me I know I'm right." His thumb brushes my cheek. "I know what guys like that are good for but I can tell you it's not what you deserve."

"Liam," I pull away from him "there's nothing going on between Seth and I." It's a lie and I can see it in his face that he knows it.

"You've slept with him." I look away from him not being able to answer. "I thought things were going good between us, Raegan."

"They were going good. It's just," I don't know how to finish that. I don't what to say. Because I can't say things like I'm damaged and slightly fucked up, not to him. "Things are complicated, Liam."

"Give me another shot." I look up at him, into those pleading eyes. "I can make you happy." He pulls me closer, cupping my face. "You can be with me in public. I want to be with you in public. I won't use you and then hide you away like a dirty little secret."

I feel a sharp pang in my chest at his words. Use me and hide me like a dirty little secret. And as someone who has one too many of those, he's right, I don't want to be treated like one. Is that's what's going on between us? And part of me wants to think no, but a larger part agrees with him and that hurts to admit that to myself.

The hand that's not on my face caresses my hip bone. "We're good for each other." His lips slowly descend on mine and at first I don't kiss him back but then I do. His hand pulls my hips into his, so our bodies are flush with one another's. His tongue enters my mouth, kissing me even deeper as his hands begin to explore my body.

"Liam," I pull away from him after a moment. "I need to think about it."

His hands slowly come to a stop and he looks down at me with determination, "just give me a chance."

I don't answer him, I just kiss him again. This time I take control and he lets me, completely.