“Where?”
“Top drawer!”
I kept digging through the top drawer for Liam’s cell phone charger. Currently, he was in the bathroom—beautifying himself!—and I volunteered to find his charger as amends to taking up the bathroom for “longer than was necessary”.
Nothing happened last night; not even anymore kisses. And yet somehow, that was what made it so special. Being in Liam’s arms all night was better than any kind of make out session would have been—although that wouldn’t have sucked, either. Aunt Kim looked a little surprised to see me last night, but didn’t condone it, either.
Uncle Curtis, however, said something along the lines of “just a sleep over”. To this, Liam and I both assured them Liam was making a floor bed—he did, he just didn’t sleep in it.
It was as I was digging around for the charger that I found it. It was kind of hard not to notice, being bright orange construction paper and all. So there lies the meaning in my just having to flip the folded paper open to see what it was; obviously not the charger.
I heard the bathroom door open, but I still couldn’t stop staring at the paper with a kid’s handwriting. “Find it?” Liam asked.
I turned with a broad smile, the note still in my hands. “When did you write this?”
Liam glanced at the note and is eyes got wide with recognition, cheeks flecked with an adorable shade of pink. I tried to think if I had ever seen Liam blush before, but I didn’t think I had. He scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously. “Yeah, um….That was a long time ago….”
I took a step toward him, my smile never faltering. “How long ago?”
Liam’s eyes flittered to everything in the room, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Um….I think I was eight? It, uh….was just before you moved, actually.”
“Is that why you never gave it to me?”
With a resigned sigh, Liam finally looked at me, heartbreakingly adorable while embarrassed. “I found out the day I was gonna give it to you.”
My heart did that funny leap again. I couldn’t stop smiling, though. “I never got one of these…I would have liked it.”
Liam raised a brow. “Would you have answered it?”
“Probably wrong,” I admitted. “I would have answered differently.”
“How would you have answered?”
“Well, where’s a pen?”
Liam’s eyes got wide again and he shook his head. “Oh, no, Piper, I didn’t mean—”
I laughed. “You afraid, cowboy?”
He swallowed, but didn’t answer.
So I realized Liam was, in fact, afraid of my answer. I could have just told him what I would check, but I wanted to answer a ‘check-yes-or-no’ note. It was just too damn cute. Liam reminded me so much of the kid he used to be how he was shuffling his feet nervously and not making eye contact. It was the sweetest thing in the world to me. How could he think I would make fun of it? I was really touched.
I snatched a pen off his dresser. “Turn around.”
Liam gave me a pained sort of look. “Really, Piper. It’s stupid. You don’t hafta—”
“Don’t you ruin this by saying it’s stupid,” I scolded teasingly. “Seriously. Turn.”
With a groan, Liam turned his back.
I smoothed the note on his back and checked ‘yes’; I would like to be Liam Nelson’s girlfriend. “Alright,” I said, folding the note again.
Liam turned around and eyed the note. “Well, don’t I get to see it?”
I grinned. “I thought you said it was stupid?” I said, taking a few steps back.
For every step I took backwards, Liam took toward me. “Suddenly it’s not so stupid.”
I laughed. “That’s awfully convenient.” My back hit the wall.
Liam just barely pressed himself against me, smirking down at me. “Piper.”
“Yes?” I asked sweetly, hoping I didn’t sound too breathless.
“Can I see the note?”
“Not till you say ‘pretty please with a cherry on top’.”
I hadn’t actually expected him to say it. He dropped his head so his face was very close to mine as he murmured, “Pretty please with a cherry on top can I see the note?”
“Will I get it back?”
“I’ve had it this long. I think you deserve to have it now.”
Butterflies scrambled around my stomach and I found myself taking the note from behind my back. “Don’t get all disappointed, now.”
Liam smirked brilliantly, gently taking the note out of my hand. “I’ll try my best.”
I watched his face eagerly as he unfolded the note and read my answer.
When he looked back up at me, he seemed a little confused. “Are you being serious?”
“Why so skeptical?” I teased. But he had a very serious face. “Yes, I’m serious. Did you honestly think I would say n—”
I was cut off by Liam’s lips pressed tightly to mine. Of course, I had felt his hands cupping my face before he had kissed me, but it all happened very quickly.
And just as quickly as it had happened, he pulled back just enough to look in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I just……All this time I’ve wanted to be with you….I just can’t believe you want to be with me now.”
I gave him a small smile. “I was stupid in thinking I just wanted to be friends.” I could have said it then. I could have told him that I loved him. But the words just got caught in my throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize that sooner. I could have saved us a lot of pointless hurt.”
Liam shook his head, grinning widely; like a kid on Christmas morning. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” And then he kissed me again; long and passionate.
School was officially out in a week. I couldn’t wait. No school meant more time with Liam. Lulu literally screamed when I told her, and cooed when I showed her the ‘Will you be my girlfriend’ note. She thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. I agreed with her, but of course I would feel a little more towards that sweet note that my Little Liam made just for me and had kept all this while.
Now it was mine, though, and I never planned on giving it back.
I was Liam Nelson’s girlfriend. I never got tired of saying or thinking that!
Tanya got very sick of it very fast.
I don’t know how she found out, or if she just assumed. Either way, she was storming over to me at lunch.
Rather than bitch me out in front of my friends again, she said stonily, “We need to talk.” She turned her heel and walked away, assuming I would follow her.
I gave everyone apologetic smiles before getting up and following Tanya out of the cafeteria; I mean that literally. She stopped the second she was out of the double doors, turning around to face me sharply.
“You,” she hissed, shooting daggers at me with her eyes. I had never seen her so crazed. “You slutty bitch!”
“Excuse me?” I blanched.
“When are you gonna be done screwin’ with his head?!” she yelled in my face. “Don’t you think he’s had enough? Huh? Haven’t you had enough fun breaking his heart?”
“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” I muttered, walking past her.
“Oh, no?” she taunted, following me down the hall. “Where were you when he would just stare off into space thinking about you? Were you there beside him? How many times have you had to make him get over a girl? Huh? No, Piper, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” She snorted. “You don’t even know him.”
I turned, glaring at her hatefully. “I have known that boy since he was a kid! Don’t you tell me I don’t know him! Just keep your slutty hands off my boyfriend!”
Tanya gave me a nasty smile. “News flash, sweetheart. Liam only likes sluts.”
I tried to muster a response to that, but I could think of none. Standing here, fighting for the man she honestly cared about—albeit in an odd fashion—I couldn’t feel anything but sorry for Tanya; and a little peeved at Liam for slinging her around carelessly. That being thought, I couldn’t help but feel guilty and hypocritical myself. Hadn’t I done the same thing to a pretty much misunderstood guy?
“I’m sorry, Tanya,” I said finally, watching the shock ripple across her face. “He should not have let you believe he loved you.”
Tanya snorted. “I never thought he did.” But I could tell she was lying.
“He loves me, Tanya. Like you said, it’s always been me. I’m sorry you think I’m just using him, but I’m not.”
“Oh, yeah?” Tanya crossed her arms over her chest, jutting out her hip and giving me the infamous bitch look. “Is that what you told Kyle Walker? That you weren’t using him?”
I ground my teeth together. “That wasn’t the same.”
“Really, now?” Tanya was starting to come back together, going from crazed ex to sly, southern bitch. I knew she was going to say something nasty. “What about David? Were you just using him, too?”
I could have launched myself at her. “How do you know about David?”
Tanya’s smile turned cat-like. “The whole school knows your sleazy friend slept with him. You must not have been that invested for David to have let that happen.”
“You don’t know shit!” I lashed out, and then felt stupid for letting her get the best of me.
“So tell me,” she carried on as if I hadn’t said anything. “If you have a boyfriend that’s cheated on you and a boyfriend you were just using, how healthy is your little relationship with my Liam?”
I felt very possessive at that moment. I could have given into my anger and let her have it. That was what she wanted. Instead I said as calmly as I could. “Liam loves me. And you know what? I love him. And you know what else? Some day you’re going to be reading in the paper and see the announcement of our engagement. Because that’s where my little relationship with Liam is going. You just want what we have so badly you’re desperate to make Liam ‘the one’ for you. I got news for you, sweetheart. Liam is my ‘one’ and I am not about to let him go this time.”
Tanya stared at me blankly. I took that as my queue to walk away.
“You….you…bitch!”
I heard Tanya run after me. And I heard someone shout, “Hey!”
I turned around just in time to see Lulu’s fist—fist!—collide with Tanya’s face. With a scream, Tanya let herself fall dramatically to the floor, holding her jaw where Lulu had punched her.
“No one calls my friend a bitch,” Lulu scolded calmly, standing over the wounded southern prep. “You got that? You leave that girl alone now. You know I can hurt you, now, so I’m gonna count on you doing as I say. If you don’t, you should know my left hand has a taste of your face now and it’s itching for another.”
Lulu walked back over to me, shaking her hand. “Damn, that hurt,” she muttered before grabbing my arm. “C’mon, let’s get outta here before I’m busted.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or be pissed with my best friend. Mostly, though, I was flattered. “Thank you.”
Lulu flashed me a grin. “Any time, babe.”
“So….what did it feel like?”
“Amazing!”
A/N The punching was totally my friend Hannah’s idea, so I totally hafta give Hannah_Elmo credit on that one. She was like ‘Tanya needed to get punched” after she read the prom chapter and I was like “Yeah, considered it.” And then she was saying that Lulu ought to do it. So I was all over that and promised to give her complete credit. THANK YOU!!!
Anyway, AWWWWWWW!!!!! You had to know I was gonna put that note back in there some time! I thought that was a cute and creative way to officially say they were together, don’t you? Ya know, instead of the oh-so-typical-and-totally-not-romantic “Will you be my girlfriend?” I hate that; so gay. Anyhoo! Cam Cigandet is distracting me from a proper Author’s Note (watching Burlesque, lol) so I’m leaving it at that!
VOTES?
COMMENTS?
TTFN,
Hannah
P.S Last of Me; only Cher song I like. I think she can sing, but she makes herself sound weird to sound more “unique”. I dunno. I get frustrated with singers like that. I dunno. Any Cher or Christina Aguilera(think I spelt that wrong, but oh well) fans out there? If not who are you fans of music wise? (Everyone should know by now how obsessed I am with David Bowie and Three Days Grace, lol)