XXIII: Blake and Liam
Blake
Blake had lied to Liam.
She wasn't fine.
Sure, she was alright to safely drive back home, but that didn't mean her mind hadn't wandered on the way back.
Liam's voice had made her feel better for a bit, but then the dark side of her mind had taken over.
Why did she need to talk to Liam to feel better? Why couldn't she handle it herself?
Those sorts of thoughts were easy enough to push away, but then they'd turned even darker.
Jamie used to be the one you would call when you were feeling down, or like you couldn't handle things by yourself. You would hear his voice, and everything would be better. He would touch you, and everything that was bothering you would melt away. Sometimes, just the way he would look at you could make things better for a time.
Those thoughts had been harder to push away, because there was some truth to them.
In the same way Blake had often sought refuge in her ex, she sought comfort in Liam. He just made everything better. But that wasn't because he was like Jamie.
Is it?
No. Of course, it isn't.
Jamie had taken advantage of her isolation. He'd been confident and attractive and had always seemed to know exactly what to say. He'd been sweet, but not in the same way as Liam.
Liam had been her friend first. He was a complete dork, and sometimes rambled or stumbled over his words, or seemed to have no clue what to say when she would tease him.
Blake had never had that with Jamie. Everything with them had been emotional and serious and sexual.
Things with Liam could be that way. But most of the time, they were just fun. Teasing him made her laugh. Nerding out with him made her feel all fuzzy inside.
Besides, Liam doesn't make everything better just because of who he is. That helps, but he makes everything better because he's the person I love.
Blake had thought she'd loved Jamie, but she'd been a highschooler. He'd been the first person she'd had sex with. Well, the first guy, at least. Her first relationship.
But not my first love.
She'd thought that for a while, but it hadn't taken much reflection to see how Jamie had been manipulating her. That wasn't love.
It was me being a desperate fucking loner.
Blake managed to keep tears from her eyes on the way home, otherwise she would have had to pull over, but it took a lot of energy.
By the time she got home, she was exhausted, and even the grocery bags seemed to strain her arms.
At least it stopped raining.
"Hey!" Blake called as she pushed her way into the house, trying to force the exhaustion from her voice, "Got everything. Sorry it took a bit longer."
She made it halfway to the kitchen before her grandma came over and took the bags from her.
"Oh, thank you, Dear. You can set those down. You went out shopping. We can do the rest of the work. And we'll pay you back, don't worry."
Blake tried not to frown at that. Even though she needed the money, she liked being able to do the occasional favor for her grandparents. She owed them so much.
They would hear none of it, though. Cash would always find its way into her pockets or her wallet, and now that they used Venmo, there was no chance of her refusing.
Blake handed her grandma the groceries, letting out a deep breath once the weight was off her arms. When her grandma just set the groceries on the counter instead of starting to put them away, though, Blake frowned.
"Grandma?"
Her grandma gave her a tight smile, and gestured to the kitchen table, were her grandpa sat.
He smiled at her and put his book down...
Next to a leather folder? What's that for?
"We wanted to let you get through Christmas and the jet lag before doing this, Blake," her grandma said, "But we do need to take care of this sooner or later."
Blake frowned, about to ask what this was about. Then she glanced at the folder again and noticed the little insignia on it.
Oh.
"I know you two had your differences, and you've said don't really want anything to do with her," her grandpa said, "But you need to read her will, Blake."
Liam
"Alright, man, what's going on?"
Liam took a deep breath, looking down at his burger.
He and Kekoa had both eaten about half their meal in silence after getting into the car, but it had finally stretched long enough.
"It's about Blake," Liam said, looking to his brother.
Kekoa raised an eyebrow, "She not as alright as you thought?"
Liam shook his head, "Not that."
Though he figured she wasn't. The only time he'd heard Blake that shaken up was the first time he'd gone to class with her and she'd been afraid of Andy recognizing her--which she'd later explained wouldn't normally have been that bad, if she hadn't been dealing with the fact that he, her roommate's boyfriend at the time, had recognized her; despite the other feelings she'd had for him, it had apparently still freaked her out a bit--and then when that guy had tried to confront her on the street, and she and him had gotten into a fight afterward.
The fuck must have happened between her and her ex?
"Liam?"
Liam blinked, then shook his head, taking a deep breath before meeting his brother's gaze again, "Sorry, got in my own head a bit."
Kekoa grinned, "It happens. But seriously, what's up? You're the one that wanted to talk."
Liam nodded. He tried to say what he needed, but hesitated.
It was just for a moment, but he did hesitate.
Liam trusted Kekoa more than anyone, and Blake had given him permission, but this was still Blake's secret, not his.
But it's Kekoa.
Liam trusted his brother more than anyone in the world. Even Blake.
Just telling him this when he hasn't even seen her yet is kind of weird, though.
Taking another deep breath, Liam decided to try a tactic, and pulled out his phone.
He brought up a silly selfie he'd taken with Blake, and seeing her goofy smile made him relax just a bit.
Meeting his brother's gaze again, he held the phone out to Kekoa.
"This is Blake."
Kekoa blinked, arching an eyebrow at him for a moment, then took the phone, peering at it.
He grinned at Liam over it a moment later, "Wow, she's really cute, dude. And looks like she's a dork just like you."
Liam grinned, "She is."
Kekoa looked at the phone again, then cocked his head, "She looks a little familiar, too. I'm assuming she's not from here, otherwise you would've gone to see her. Does she look like someone you went to school with or something?"
Liam sighed, shaking his head, "I don't think that's where you know her from."
Kekoa frowned, "Know her? What do you mean?"
"Think about Reddit," Liam said, "And maybe picture her with red hair."
Kekoa frowned for a moment, studying the phone.
Then his eyes widened, and he looked back to Liam.
"Oh."
A/N: How do you think this conversation is going to go? Will Kekoa be judgmental? Or will Liam's trust in his brother be well-placed? (Also, You dudes get 3 chapters this week, since they're short and I realize I owed you one from last week. I hope you enjoy them!
Don't forget, you can also read ahead on my Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/taylorstorms))