I sighed for the tenth time in the past five minutes, as Briana found something wrong in the way I look yet again.
"I really think I look fine," I said, looking at my face in the small mirror, but my best friend only shook her head.
"You'll probably look better without eye shadow..." She took a tissue and pressed it against the tap to dampen it a little bit, before bringing it to my eyelids. "... And with eye liner!"
She cheered for herself as I groaned; there was really no need for me to be all dolled up. Not at work, where a Holcomb could flutter down the stairs and catch me playing with make up with my best friend. Not for Liam, whom I couldn't care less about.
The only reason I agreed on this nonsense is because I wanted to show Dominick what he was missing out on. And being the little stalker that I am, I knew he didn't like skirts and short dresses, so I wore tight black jeans, along with a purple neon shirt and white converse, with a leather jacket to keep me warm until we got to the party.
I was definitely going to do something stupid there, such as pretending to be drunk and accidentally kissing him. Because, being the chicken that I am, I could never tell a guy how I actually felt about him. Indirection was my true best friend.
"There!" Briana chirped after a minute, and I blinked a couple of times, before looking at myself in the mirror. Hm, she was right, eye liner does fit me better than eye shadow.
"That's actually really good," I muttered, for a second admiring the way I looked, but quickly snapping out of it. "Okay, gather all of this shit, Mary or Peter could come down and fire my ass," I said, adjusting my hair one last time in the mirror, before throwing it in Briana's little purse.
"Jeez, aren't you an excited little thing." She glared at me, but quickly zipped her purse after stuffing all of the make up back in. Just as she did, the door of the shop opened.
"Good e-" I started, but then looked up and cut myself off by groaning quietly; Liam. The hell was he doing there, it was 8:20!
He didn't say anything for a few seconds; just stood at the door stupidly, eyeing me from head to toe. A small smile appeared on his face as he started walking toward the counter, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"You look nice tonight," He said quietly, and sat on one of the barstools, right across from me. I nodded and muttered a 'thanks', before walking off to the sink to wash the mugs that were there. I heard Briana and Liam talk, mostly about the party, but soon the water blocked out their voices.
It wasn't until 20 minutes later that I've gotten everything done and in order, and could finally sit down with my best friend and Liam.
I slumped down on the chair on my side of the counter, and they both looked at me. Briana had an excited smile on her face, and was even bouncing in her seat. Liam was also smiling, though his smile was different than Briana's; it was because of something I couldn't quite pick out. Not that I cared, anyway; he was just something that would help me carry out the plan.
"Um..." Speaking of the devil, I looked up at him to see he was looking at his watch. "It's 8:45. You guys ready?" He looked at Briana and I, and while she nodded and stood up, I continued sitting on my chair. It was warm and I was tired, I didn't want to leave yet. Pout.
"Ready, Nora?" I looked up at Liam, who was also looking at me, dead serious. It was kind of funny how he still hadn't found out what my name is. I was beginning to like Nora, anyway.
"Yep," I said, popping the 'p' in the end, and stood up. I noticed Liam looking at my body before returning his eyes back up to mine, and smiling nervously. When he turned around to follow Briana out, I shook my head; what an idiot.
I quickly jogged up the stairs, just to tell my bosses that I was closing the place. Ten-ish minutes later, after closing the pay-desk and mopping the floor, I was out. I was also surprised to see Briana and Liam standing there, with their arms around their bodies.
"Bloody hell, woman!" Bri protested, rubbing her arms. "The hell were you doing this entire time?!"
"Closing the shop!" I defended myself. "Why didn't you go in your car?"
Briana's look softened, and she looked at Liam. "Why didn't we go to my car?" She asked quietly, and I rolled my eyes. I think she was slowly picking up Liam's idiot-ness was.
"You could have kept each other warm, if nothing." I smirked, checking one last time if I'd locked the door properly. I turned around and saw Briana crossing the street, heading to her car, and Liam, who was, to my surprise, smirking as well.
"I'd rather have you do that than Briana," He said, grinning now, and it took me a second to realize he was talking about me 'warming him up'. Oh my God.
"Oh, yes, that is what my life has been leading up to," I said with a sarcastic smile, glaring at him as I went to cross the street too.
"You do know I could just leave, right?" Liam said as he appeared next to me, and I shook my head.
"You wouldn't."
"What makes you think that?"
"The fact that you would never miss out on a chance to be in my presence."
I don't know whether Liam's reaction to my last statement surprised me, or was it exactly what I'd expected; he didn't say anything, just stuffed his head into his jacket, so only his nose and eyes were visible. I was pretty sure he was blushing too.
The car ride had gone surprisingly well; I swear I thought Briana would start being Briana and make Liam and I sit together in the back. But, for some reason, she let me sit next to her, while he had the entire back for himself. I'm not sure he liked that though.
When we got to the party, it took Bri five full minutes to find a parking spot. It was so crowded in front of Nick and Addie's house! Did their parents even know about the party?
To my surprise, my question was later answered with a yes; Mr. and Mrs. Fallon were there, making sure no one brings alcohol and crack in the house. Hmpf, there goes my plan of getting 'drunk' and kissing Nick. But yet they let 30 people, mostly strangers, into their home.
My kind of parents.
As soon as I walked in, I scanned the room, looking for Dominick and his date. To my misfortune, I spotted them within seconds; it had to be her, they were standing close to each other. Way too close for my liking.
She was surprisingly tall; maybe an inch or two shorter than me. With her long black hair, blue eyes and annoyingly cute face, I felt like I was being stung somewhere around my heart. I wasn't going to let her win, and make me jealous though; if anything, I was going to get her out of the picture. Or at least try my absolute, absolute hardest.
I turned to Liam, who was standing right next to me, stupidly looking around. After rolling my eyes, I raised my hand up so my palm was facing the ceiling. "Give me your hand."
Liam's head snapped in my direction, a confused, no, shocked look on his face. "W-What?" He stuttered. Oh God.
"Just give me your stupid hand," I hissed and grasped his hand, entwining my fingers with his. Ugh. There's something I thought I wouldn't do in this lifetime.
His hand was warm against mine, but all of a sudden, it started becoming sweaty and kind of clammy. When I looked up at him, his lips were parted, and he was staring at our hands with his head bowed down. What the hell is wrong with this guy?
I tugged him toward me, so our arms were touching and we were—disturbingly—close to each other, before heading in another direction; Nick and Ruby's.
They were still talking, she was obviously making him laugh, which made me fume and clutch Liam's hand tighter as we walked. I felt his grip tighten for a second also, and then his thumb started rubbing the back of my hand, like he knew something was off. That's it, I had to pull myself together before he found out why he's really there.
"Hey!" I said over the semi-loud music, causing Nick to turn to me. As he did, an even wider smile appeared on his face. Yay, he's happy to see me!
"Hi love!" He said, leaning down to peck my cheek. I probably looked like an idiot, grinning from ear to ear and maybe even blushing, but eh. He's slow, he wouldn't realize it.
"This is Ruby," Nick said, pointing to the black haired girl next to him. Just as I'd thought.
"Nice to meet you," I said with an overly sweet smile, deciding not to introduce myself while Liam's there. I liked being called Nora. That might be my alias if I become famous. "This is Liam," I said, pointing at Liam for one short second. "He's my date." I smiled again as I slowly let go of his hand, and reluctantly put an arm around his waist. I could sense his shock, but he brushed it off by putting an arm around my shoulder. I was sure that if I'd started running, it would be the fastest run in my entire life.
I managed to put the unnecessary thoughts aside, and kept smiling, as if I was happy to be that close to him. Even though it was quite the opposite. This better pay off, I thought as I looked at Dominick, who was, to my dismay, still smiling. Like he wasn't bothered one bit by me being close to another guy.
"That's great," He said nodding, with a permanent smile on his face, as he brought an arm around Ruby. Ouch. Maybe I shouldn't have taken it that far.
"Now, um, if you'll excuse us... More guests have come. Have fun!" He raised his cup of soda in the air, and walked off with Ruby toward the front of entrance of the house.
"Alright, see you!" I grinned, but as soon as he couldn't see me anymore, my smile disappeared and I ripped my hand away from Liam. I could be a pretty good actress.
"You okay?" I heard Liam's voice on my right. No, I thought, I feel like setting someone of fire.
"Yeah, um..." I trailed off, turning around to look at the people in the living room. Liam was now standing right in front of me, as close as Nick and Ruby were when I first laid eyes on them. Which is pretty damn close. "I'm gonna go look for Briana, kay? You just... Sit somewhere, or... Do something," I said, distracted, as I noticed my best friend at the other side of the room. I started walking toward her without saying anything else to Liam, and she immediately brushed off the guy from my Economy class she was talking to as I approached her.
"Any luck?" She asked before I could say anything. Hm, I guess she'd seen me talking to Nick.
I sighed as I shook my head and leaned myself on the table full of cups, and noticed Briana shake hers too from the corner of my eye.
"On the other hand, you and Liam look really cute together," She commented, and if she wasn't my best friend, I would be slapping her.
"The hell are you talking about?" I asked with a frown, and could sense Briana's annoyance as she sighed.
"When you took his hand? That was really cute!" She beamed at me. I rolled my eyes; here we go. "And when you put your arm around him, that was even cuter! And then when he put an arm around you, that was like cuteness overload!"
"Shut up," I muttered, taking one of the cups with soda, and brought it to my lips. As I turned to look in front of myself again, I spotted Liam sitting on the couch, talking to some guys, but more importantly, I spotted Dominick and Ruby standing across from the couch, about five feet away from Liam.
A thought crossed my mind, as I downed my cup of soda like it was alcohol, and prepared myself for something that would probably scar me, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
"You should really give him a shot, he obviously likes you," I heard Briana speak, and this time I paid attention to her.
"What, Liam?" I pointed to the guy on the couch, and shook my head. "H-He doesn't like me. I told him this isn't a date."
Briana huffed. "Yeah, right. You think that's gonna stop him from liking you?" She pointed out again.
"Excuse me." As much as I'd wanted to stay there and argue with her, I had to take the chance while I still could. So I started walking toward Liam and, after muttering a few prayers, sat down next to him, and smoothly threw my legs over him. The things I'd do to get a guy's attention.
Liam was startled, as expected, and became even more startled when he noticed it was me doing all of those sins.
"N-Nora?" He muttered, making me smile; not because I found it funny or anything, but because there was a slight chance Nick had noticed me there. Do you have any idea how ridiculous your behaviour is?
I ignored the little voice in my head, and brought an arm around Liam's shoulders, not having to put much effort into making it seem believable. "Hi Liam," I said stupidly, grinning even. Maybe I'm not that good of an actress.
Liam blinked at me, still shocked about how differently I was treating him, all of a sudden. "How are you enjoying the party?" I asked, subconsciously letting my fingers play with his short hair. Soft. What shampoo does he use?
"It's, um, it's good," He stuttered before sitting up a little, and breaking into a huge smile which took me off guard. Wow. He's actually cute when he smiles like that. "It got even better now."
It took me a second to realize he was talking about the fact that I was practically sitting in his lap. I smiled too, nervously this time, as Briana's words replayed a couple of thousand times in my head. "He obviously likes you, he obviously likes you..."
I lightly shook my head, and used that as an opportunity to glance at Dominick and Ruby; he wasn't smiling anymore. Maybe he'd seen me with Liam. Maybe this is going to work after all.
I jumped a little in my 'seat', as I noticed Liam had put his arms around me; one was around my waist, and the other one draped across my legs, holding my thigh. When he sat up again and pulled me closer to him, I realized this might not work exactly the way I thought it would. Maybe because there was a slight chance Briana was right.
Liam lifted his legs up on the small coffee table in front of the couch, making me become nervous on a whole new level; I was practically trapped. I couldn't sit straight anymore, but had to lean my body onto his. This was not a part of my 'plan'.
"Why so tense, babe?" He chuckled, almost giving me a heart attack as he lowered his head down so he could look at me, thus leaving a mere centimeter of space between our faces. I tensed noticeably, though as I looked away, I caught Nick looking at us with a frown on his face. Don't tell me I'd have to keep on going with this...
"U-Um..." I slowly looked back at Liam, to see that his face was still dangerously close to mine. I glanced in Nick and Ruby's direction, just in time to see them leaving. Great, that's my sign to get out of this hell hole.
"I-I'm gonna go get my soda, okay?" I said, almost breathlessly, and tried to stand up, but it wasn't really working for me. Ugh, why didn't I think this through?!
"Woah, woah, woah." To my surprise, Liam pulled me closer to him again, this time even closer than before. I kept looking down, afraid to lift my head up and face him.
"He obviously likes you..."
Get out of my head, Briana!
"Don't leave now," Liam said quietly, his lips almost brushing mine as he spoke. By now my heart was in my throat; I was probably going to have a stroke any moment now.
He let his nose brush mine for another few seconds, while I sat there frozen; I had no idea why the hell I wasn't doing anything to stop him. I just couldn't move any part of my body.
I felt Liam's breath on my lips, and instinctively turned my head to the side, only to feel his lips on my cheek a millisecond later. Holy shit, I thought, he was going to kiss me. He was actually going to do it. It could have happened just a second ago. Briana's right, he does like me, so this basically means I'm leading him on.
I may be a lot of things, but not a player. Not a heartbreaker. None of that.
"L-Liam, I really..." I didn't finish my sentence as I wriggled out of his hold, patiently at first, but then more frantically, when he kept not letting go of me. What have I gotten myself into?!
"Wait, Nora!" He shouted as I finally stood up, and grasped my wrist, making me turn around to face him. He shook his head at me, confused, and maybe even hurt. This had definitely gone wrong.
"I-I'll be back, okay?" I felt guilty. Just then I'd realized what I'd been doing; it was definitely not my intention. Maybe I was just as blind when it came to guys as Dominick was when it came to me. I finally started understanding that boy.
I needed to find Briana, not to tell her she was right and to help me, like a normal friend would. No, I wanted to pull her brains out and eat them in front of her for doing this to me. For making me realize Liam fancied me. It was definitely a good thing she did that, but boy, was I pissed in that very moment.
Too bad I didn't predict I'd get even more pissed within seconds.
As I was walking toward the table with the cups, where I thought Briana would be, I spotted my Prince Charming; sucking another girl's face off.
Even if I got thrown in Mississippi, it wouldn't put out the fire that had started in my body upon seeing Dominick and Ruby kissing. As off then, I wasn't responsible for my actions.
I turned around, marching over to the couch where I'd left Liam. I was blinded; absolutely blinded by jealousy. And I know that the actual Sally would never do something the jealous Sally would. Such as planning to pull a guy to his feet, and bring him to where her crush could see them so she could kiss him.
Which is exactly what jealous Sally did.
I grabbed Liam's wrist, ignoring his protests and dumbfounded looks as I pulled him up, and pulled him all the way to the center of the living room, so we were only three or so meters away from Nick and Ruby... Who were still kissing.
This only made me even more pissed off, so I pulled Liam in front of me, and stood as close as possible to him. He stopped asking me questions when I decreased the space between us, and kept looking me carefully in the eyes. He probably thought I was fooling around with him again, that I was going to turn my cheek again.
You are so wrong, I thought as I kept staring into his eyes. I am going to kiss you, for real. For real. And you are going to love it.
*******
~A/N~
If you'd like to guess, I'd love to hear what you think is going to happen! :D
Please vote and comment, tell me don't you just love the cliffhanger? xx