Alyssa Torres woke up in Liam Kings' arms the next morning, his warm breath on her neck and his arms tightly wound around her middle.
She lets out a groan as she turns over in Liam's grasp, facing Liam's sleeping face.
The woman presses a kiss to Liam's cheek, causing the thirty-year-old to stir in his sleep but he only tightens his grip on his best friend.
Alyssa raises a hand from their spot on Liam's chest and pokes Liam's nose.
He scrunches his nose up, slightly moving his head back but he still didn't wake up.
"Li," she mutters, kissing his nose.
Liam groans in response.
"Liam," she whines, knowing that he was awake but was refusing to open his eyes.
"Mmm?" he mutters.
"I'm hungry," Alyssa sighs.
"Go get food," he answers, loosening his grip on her waist so she could go raid the fridge.
"Your fridge is always empty."
"I -" Liam began but soon cut himself off once he realized she was right. "We'll go get breakfast."
"Thank you," she says, placing a light kiss on Liam's lips before crawling out of his bed to the bathroom to shower.
Torres had just slid into the warm shower when the bathroom door opened.
"This is my house and you think you get to shower first?" King calls to her through the glass.
"Guests first," the woman smirks, looking at the man through the fogged glass.
"Not in this house." Liam had shed his boxers and slid into the glass shower with Alyssa, wrapping his arms around her middle and kissing her tanned shoulders and neck.
The two showered with nothing sexual other than kissing and a little touching.
Alyssa was first to leave the shower since she was the first one in and grabs a towel from the bar on the wall next to the shower.
She removes as much water from her body as possible with the soft fabric before walking out of the bathroom and over to Liam's closet.
It was normal for her to steal some of the man's clothes, she had done it since they were kids.
She found a pair of her black leggings that she had left from one of the last times she'd spent the night at this apartment and grabbed one of his red hoodies. She then walks over to his dresser, grabs a pair of his boxers, and slides the clothes on.
"You had to steal my boxers too?" Liam laughs as he emerges from the bathroom as Alyssa was sliding her shirt on, her bra and his underwear already on her.
His towel was wrapped around her middle, making it so Alyssa had a clear view of his toned and sun-tanned chest.
"You're drooling," King calls, a smirk resting on his face as he watched Alyssa's eyes scan his chest, all the way down to his 'V' where the towel started.
"Shut up," Torres says, bringing her eyes up to meet Liam's light brown ones. "And, yes, I always have to steal your boxers. They're comfortable."
"Well seeing as you normally wear thongs, it doesn't surprise me that you find my underwear comfortable."
Alyssa sends a glare to her best friend.
"We both know that I don't wear thongs. I don't need a piece of fabric going that high up anywhere."
Liam laughs as he heads over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of black boxers.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, no joking tone heard in his voice. He had been very worried about the woman's last shift and he was glad that she seemed to be feeling a bit better.
"I'm good," Alyssa answers with a slight smile and a nod. She knew there was no sense in lying since Liam could see right through her. "I guess I just needed sleep."
"Alyssa, you spent your junior year abroad, right, which is why you know German?" Liam asks and Alyssa nods in response. "This is because of what happened when we were twelve, right?" Alyssa nods once again. "That wasn't on you. There was nothing you could do to stop it."
"I know," she nods. "But that doesn't change the fact that it happened to me, that I experienced it."
"I know, Lys, but still, what happened to those women and children wasn't your fault either."
Torres nods, placing a kiss on Liam's cheek before walking out of his bedroom and into the one she had supposed to be staying in.
She grabs her phone and her duffel bag and heads out to the living room.
There was no point in digging through the fridge, likely, the only thing in it was soda and bottled water but Alyssa still walked over to it after throwing her bag on the couch.
She pulled the white door open and the light inside the fridge illuminated the small number of non-perishables inside.
She had been right in guessing that there would be soda and bottled water in the fridge, she was only missing the numerous amounts and flavors of energy drinks that were stored in the door of the fridge.
"You don't even keep any food in this apartment?" Torres calls to her best friend.
"In the cupboards!" Liam replies from the bedroom.
Alyssa walks over to the cupboards hovering by the fridge and opens the first one.
There was a box of pop tarts, granola bars, popcorn; a few cups of applesauce, fruit, and pudding; and a large container of trail mix.
"This isn't breakfast," She says as Liam walks behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and setting his chin on her shoulder.
"Sure it is," Liam laughs. "Just put a few things together, it's perfect."
The woman glares back at the man before closing the cupboard.
"We're going to breakfast and you're paying," she says, grabbing her phone from the counter and walking over to the front door, sliding on her tennis shoes.
"Really, Alyssa, I have to pay. I can find food here, but you, on the other hand, Miss picky bitch, can't."
Torres glares at him as she ties her shoes.
"I'm your best friend and you invited me over to your house. You make or buy breakfast for your guests," Alyssa smirks.
Liam glares at his best friend before sliding on his shoes.
"You're not a guest, you practically live here, Lys."
He grabs his keys, wallet, and phone before throwing an arm over Alyssa's shoulders, leading her out of his apartment.
He pauses momentarily to lock his door before leading the woman down to the garage and into his car.
"Whatchu want?" he asks, sleepiness still heard in his voice as he side-eyes the woman in his passenger seat.
"I don't care, you know I'm not picky as long as you feed me," Torres laughs.
King rolls his eyes, putting the car in drive as he sets his right hand on Alyssa's left thigh and slightly squeezing it.
He knew damn well that he had to choose something that she liked or she'd get this annoyed look on her face and not eat at the restaurant he chose.
Liam pulled from the garage and turned right, going to Mel's Diner, their favorite restaurant since they were kids.
Alyssa lets a sight fall from her lips as she leans over the middle console, placing her head on Liam's shoulder and he wraps the same arm around her shoulders, pulling the woman into him.
"Are you okay, Alyssa?"
"Just thinking," she answers with a small smile.
"About what, babe?" He asks.
It was normal for him to call her 'babe'. It wasn't anything romantic, it had been something he'd been doing since they were kids. It was more of a friendship thing since he'd gotten tired of calling her 'Alyssa' or 'Lys' so he started calling her 'babe' or 'baby'. Once in a while, she would call him the same thing. It had started before they had dated and hadn't stopped once she'd left and joined the army.
"The women and children from that last call," she answers. "And what happened when I was twelve."
Liam nods, leaning down and kissing the top of Alyssa's head.
"Don't think about it too hard, babe," He says and she nods against his shoulder.
"I love you, Liam Alexander King," she mutters.
"I love you too, Alyssa Jerilyn Torres," He answers.
King pulls into the parking lot of the cozy diner and turns the car off but doesn't exit the car, allowing Alyssa to rest against him for a little while longer.
"Why did it have to be me?" Alyssa asks, showing the largest amount of weakness that most people would be surprised to see from her.
"I don't know, Alyssa, I don't. He picked you and -"
"And ruined my life," Torres cuts him off. "I still remember all of it. Everything that I did - everything that he made me do."
"I'm sorry, baby girl, I am."
"It's not your fault," she answers, giving him a small smile.
"I know but if I would've walked you home that day, it wouldn't have happened."
"I asked you not to," she answers. "I told you I would be fine."
"I'm your best friend, Alyssa. I should've done it anyway."
Alyssa shakes her head lightly.
"Please don't blame yourself, babe, it's not gonna help," she mutters and he nods, kissing her forehead.
"You should talk to someone about it, Alyssa, a therapist or Kelly Severide or someone."
Alyssa nods her head. "I'll consider it."
Liam gives her a sympathetic look before kissing her head once again and nudging her, indicating they should head inside now.
Torres lifts her head from her best friend, grabbing her phone from between her legs and opening the car door.
She walks out, catching Liam's eye above the car and sending him a small smile which was returned.
When she walked around the car towards Liam, waiting for him to follow her into the diner, he wraps an arm around her middle, pulling her into him in a protective way.
There wasn't anything that he needed to protect her from but he'd been ready to since they were younger.
The atmosphere of the diner was comfortable and cozy. There was a fireplace flickering in the corner of the room, warming up the two who had just stepped out of the cold Chicago weather.
It was a real hole-in-the-wall kind of place, with comfortable deep red booths and snippets from local newspapers framed on the wall.
Liam leads Alyssa over to the booth that they always sat at whenever they came here and grabbed the menu.
They both knew what they were planning on getting but looked over the menu every time they came anyway.
Back when they were younger, they'd have each other pick what they would eat and it was fun. They would always choose something new, something neither had ever tried nor had never tried at this restaurant and order it for the other.
But when they were seventeen, they had finally figured out something they could eat without ever getting bored of it.
For breakfast, Alyssa would order a ham and cheese omelet with a side of sausage links and a cup of orange juice and coffee. Liam would get the full English with the same drinks as Alyssa.
Their normal waiter, Joyce, came over, a bright smile on her face as she looked from the two old regular customers.
"You guys came back," Joyce smiles.
"Yeah," Liam answers as he and Alyssa smile at the waitress. "We figured we'd come here. Alyssa doesn't eat breakfast anywhere else."
"I would eat breakfast at your house if you actually had some food at your house."
"You guys are still fighting over the stupidest stuff," Joyce points out, shaking her head with a smile on her face.
"Always are," Liam smirks.
Joyce has been their waitress since the two were younger and had aged quite well. She had been there when the two started dating and when Liam came in alone, his eyes watery as he took in the surroundings, the day that Alyssa had left for the army.
The man was heartbroken for the two years that Alyssa had gone. He had lost his best friend and girlfriend on the same day and wouldn't see her for two years.
He was lucky that her lieutenant had asked her to return to Chicago to take care of one of the bases here.
But Alyssa and Liam hadn't gotten back together when Alyssa returned from Fallujah. They both still had feelings for each other but Alyssa had seen too much and needed to be alone for a while.
So Liam left her to her work with minimal contact for six months until he showed up at the base, standing outside her office door the day after she had been promoted.
"Liam -" Torres began but Liam silenced her with a kiss, pushing her into the office and closing the door shut with his foot.
They spent an hour in the office, the door locked and blinds closed, doing what both of them had needed for the last six months.
But they still hadn't gotten back together after that. Alyssa had gone over to Washington State for a month to help out at one of the bases over there. Even though there was only about a four-hour flight between the two, there seemed to be more obstacles in the way. Whenever he called, she was in a meeting; whenever she called, he was at the gym or with some friends or his phone was dead.
And sure, those sounded like excuses, but since they still loved each other, Liam never had a reason not to answer the phone.
When Alyssa returned from Washington, they sat down and talked, agreeing to go back to being best friends and find other people, and not long later, the feelings between the two returned to those best friends would have; the feelings they had for each other since before they realized they had romantic feelings for the other.
"You guys want your usual?" Joyce asks and the two best friends nod.
Joyce gives them a smile before heading back to the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot, two mugs, and a glass of water for each of them.
"What's on your mind, Alyssa?" Liam asks a few moments later when he notices her unfocused gaze on the ground.
"Just thinking," she says, looking up to meet his familiar and warm gaze.
"About?"
"Do you remember that one fire on Broadway? It was a month or so into our first year as candidates on Squad 6?"
"The one where the family of six died. Yeah. Why?"
"I don't know, it just popped up in my mind. I just keep thinking that we could've done something differently."
"We couldn't have, even Chief said it," Liam says, grabbing her hand across the table.
"I know," Alyssa says, sending the man a small smile.
Their drinks came over just as the smile dropped from Alyssa's face.
"Thanks, Joy," she says, bringing the smile back onto her face.
Alyssa took a drink of the black coffee, releasing a sigh as the warm drink slid down her throat, warming it and her stomach.
"Are you staying another night or heading home to Julian?" Liam asks, a smirk on his face as he says the name of Torres' love interest.
A blush rises on the woman's cheeks and she looks down.
"I'm heading home. But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to Julian," she says, sending him a playful glare.
"Mhm. Have you guys slept together yet?" he asks.
"No, it's too ... needy if we did it after the first date."
"Mhm. We did it after the first date," Liam says, raising an eyebrow.
"That's because we had been wanting to do it since we knew what sex was, Li," Alyssa says.
"That is very true."
Liam smirks at Alyssa before taking a sip of his coffee.
Their food came not long after silence settled between the two.
Alyssa and Liam ate in silence for the most part with only a few words shared between the two.
It wasn't an awkward silence, more of a comfortable friendly one. They had sat in silence before and were used to it. The two were able to communicate with glances and gestures, words never really had to be exchanged for a conversation to happen.
About halfway through the meal, Liam spoke up.
"What's going on between you and Severide?" he asks. His tone was calm as if not to piss Alyssa off by asking the question.
Kelly Severide had always been a delicate subject for the woman.
"What do you mean?" Torres asks as she brings her orange juice glass up to her lips, allowing it to hover there as she speaks, and then takes a drink of it after.
"You've hated him for the last ten years, Alyssa, which isn't like you. You normally don't hate anyone for longer than a week." Liam's tone was serious but he cracked a small smile towards the end.
Alyssa returns his small smile, knowing it was true before speaking. "I don't know. Just something about him, I guess."
"But what about him? You guys work fantastically together but once the call's over, you guys are at each other's throats with all that bullshit. I mean, I've seen you argue with him over something that you don't even think is right. It's like you'll take any excuse you can get to argue or fight with Kelly Severide. I mean, when this first started I thought that you guys had feelings for each other but after this long, it's something else."
Alyssa scoffs. "Me, having feelings for Chicago's personal fuck-boy? Please. He just hits a nerve every time I talk to him. He finds a way to piss me off no matter what."
"You guys seemed to be getting along when you talked at Molly's the first time. The second time seemed a bit tense."
"The first time, we were talking about how my parents abandoned me and his father abandoned him and his mother. The second time, he was bored and asked me to come over. He seemed pissed off when we were talking about Julian, though." Alyssa says the last part with some confusion and thoughtfulness in her voice.
She had been thinking about that for a while. Why had Kelly Severide been so mad when Alyssa Torres was talking about Julian Black?
It was a question that she, Alyssa Torres, didn't have the answer to. And she doubted that anyone else did.
"Was he jealous?" Liam asks.
"Why in God's name would Kelly Severide be jealous?" Alyssa scoffs.
"I don't know, Alyssa, I'm not him, I don't know what he's thinking."
Alyssa nods and the two finish their meal in silence.
Liam sets a twenty on the table as they stand up.
He wraps his arm back around the shorter woman as they walk from the restaurant but he didn't lead her over to his car.
"Where are we going, babe?" she asks as they walk down to the concrete sidewalk.
"For a walk, you're too tense. You can get back to your boyfriend later."
"I'm currently walking with the closest thing I have to a boyfriend, thank you very much," Alyssa smirks.
Liam looks over at the woman pinned to his side and smirks at her.
"That was the right answer."
"And what were you going to do if I answered differently?" she teases.
Liam's eyes darkened.
"Do you really want to find out?" he asks, drawing one of the fingers from the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders up and down her arm lightly. So lightly that it sent shivers up Alyssa's spine but she still smiled.
"Perhaps," she mutters, resting her head on Liam's shoulder as the two begin walking over to Chicago's Botanical Gardens.
"This place was always so romantic," Liam mutters.
"This is where we had our first date," Alyssa smiles.
"I remember and then we went to my house and was up until at least three that morning."
Alyssa smirks at the memory of her first time with Liam.
"You were so nice, always asking if I was okay," she smiles and King blushes a bit. "It was adorable."
"Shut up," Liam mutters, kissing the side of Alyssa's head as they walk through the garden.
Torres stopped every few feet to smell the different types of flowers and every time she stood back up, Liam's arm was back around her middle or across her shoulders.
It would be weird for anyone but Liam to see Alyssa being so ... normal. So carefree and relaxed. Nobody would ever think that Alyssa Torres would be the type of person to smell flowers. It didn't suit her normal resting-bitch face or her normal cocky and confident attitude.
Alyssa headed back to her apartment two hours later. She and Liam had spent an hour in the garden before heading back to his apartment.
"Hey, there you are! Where have you been? You didn't come back after shift." Julian was walking out of his apartment as Alyssa exited the elevator.
"Yeah, I went and stayed the night with a friend. One of the calls hit close to him," Alyssa answers and Julian nods.
"If you need to talk, I'm here, Alyssa," Julian says, cupping her cheeks.
"I know, Julian, I'm okay," she smiles and Julian places a soft kiss on her lips.
"I'm heading to work, I'll see you tonight?"
Alyssa nods and Julian walks into the elevator as Alyss walks into her apartment.