"Amanda," he called for me again, "look at me." He sure did love doing that. As expected, he lifted my head by tilting my chin up with her finger. "Well, don't you look red?" He smirked.
I scowled at him. We were in the middle of the first dance, and obviously I might have either overdressed, or underdressed. Every single one of the girls was so gorgeous in their dresses and there I was looking like a slut.
I blushed like a maniac I was when I felt all eyes were on me. Of course they all were, I was wearing a freakin' skimpy dress. I decided I should just focus on Liam's bow. If it wasn't enough to have everyone staring at me, I was dancing with Liam. Li- freakin'- am.
"You look amazing. And this is a dance, Amanda. Not some ball you'd expect in the castle." He commented. I purposely stepped on his foot, smiling not so innocently and trying to hint to him not to mention anything at all about me being a princess.
The music stopped and everyone clapped and cheered. I took a step back and bowed a little in habit. Liam just smirked and lifted an eyebrow towards me. He then led me back to the table where our friends were sitting. I must say, they all looked like models and I felt like an idiot to be hanging out with them.
Chace was in tight white suit with tie and he didn't seem to come with a date. He looked so relaxed whilst talking to his twin brother. Jake was there too. He was wearing a deep blue suit, matched with a maroon tie. He came without a date either, saying that he wanted to dance with all the girls. What a player.
"You look great, Mandy," said player complimented me. I blushed, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
"Thanks, I guess?" I sat down next to Jake as the next song plays. Holly and Chad went onto the dance floor, leaving me with Liam, Jake and Chace.
"Must be a heck of preparations, huh?" Jake started.
I nodded, pursing my lips as I recalled the amount of proposals we had to settle. "It took a whole two months to get everything so perfect."
"Well, not as perfect as you think. You guys forgot strawberries for the chocolate fountain!" Chace complained, folding his arms. The two other boys laughed along with me at the sight of him.
"But we do have strawberries." I reassured him.
"Not there the last time I checked," Chace argued. I smiled. He was acting like such a child.
"It's there. Maybe they haven't refilled the container yet. Why don't you check it now?" I suggested, slightly chuckling at the sulking Chace.
The song 'Almost Is Never Enough' came on, and I saw Jake's eyes lit up. He stood up and held out a hand for me. "Can I have this dance, Mandy?"
I smiled, grabbing his hand and got him to lead me to the floor. Glancing back, I saw Liam narrowing his eyes at Jake, but quickly smiled when he saw me looking. I frowned. That was strange...
Jake placed both his hands on my hips, and I automatically placed mine around his neck. We weren't really dancing, just sashaying from side to side.
Jake was good-looking, I will never deny that. He had straight brown hair and the most amazing hazelnut eyes I've ever seen. He wasn't as tall as Liam, though still taller than I was. In comparison to Liam, I'd say Jake has a smaller build though both beaus were still perfectly masculine. Jake had a softer smile too, and his eyes are always lit with excitement – something that I have always liked about him. He was cheerful, unlike Liam who could be such the aloof guy he was.
"I like this song."
My head shook a little, my attention returning back to earth. I stared into Jake's eyes and cocked my head to the side while nodding. "Me too. I like Ariana Grande's voice in this song."
Jake flashed her Pearly Whites, pulling me closer. I tensed a little when he nuzzled into the crook of my neck for a while before resting his chin on my shoulder. I on the other, who was too short to actually rest my chin on his shoulder, was breathing into his coat.
"Do you know why I like this song?" He whispered into my ear, tightening his grip around my waist.
"Why?" I whispered back, lowering down my hands so they rested on his chest instead. I turned my head to my left so I could see outside of Jake's arms. My gaze went straight to Liam's smoldering one. His eyes told me they were a little hurt, and I felt a bit guilty that I was being so close to Jake in front of him. But I caught myself; who was I to him anyway? He was in no position to feel hurt; we weren't in a relationship of anything. So what was his problem? I turned my head the other way, my forehead resting on Jake's neck.
"Because this song reminds me of you." He whispered back, nuzzling closer. I tensed up a little more.
Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart, but right here in each other's arms.
I frowned as the song comes to an end. I was ready to let go of Jake but he hesitated a few seconds before reluctantly letting me go. He took my right hand in his and kissed it before walking away without any word. I frowned even deeper. What the heck is with that boy?
"My turn," I heard someone say before he grabbed my hand and twirled me into his arms, my back leaning on his hard chest.
I looked up, meeting those familiar green eyes just for a split second before Liam spun me out of his arms. We were moving into a more-or-less choreographed dance. We were actually having a ballroom waltz.
Liam pulled us back so that we were only a few inches away. He grabbed my right hand while his other hand went to my waist. I placed my left hand on his shoulder. I saw from the corner of my eye that everyone else was watching us intently. The whole dance floor was for us. I swear, it was such a cliché moment.
Liam led the whole dance. He glided us round the floor, occasionally spinning me. Our bodies moved in time with the slow music.
"You know, I like this song," he smirked, leading me round the floor again.
I raised an eyebrow, "and why is that so, Liam?"
He spun me around, so my back was at his chest again. "Because this song reminds me of you," he said be twirling me out.
"So you eavesdropped on my conversation with Jake?" I managed to scowl before he tipped me towards the ground.
"I rather call it overhearing."
Near the end, Liam lifted me of the ground by my waist and semi-threw me up so I'd turn around before catching me and settling me back down. For the finishing step, he spun me around – which was dizzy and painful to my already aching feet – before tipping me, right as the music stopped.
Everyone around us clapped as we breathed heavily, forehead to forehead. I blushed deeply when I finally found my senses. I stepped back, bowing awkwardly again before going to the food table. Grabbing myself some punch, I sat back down at our table where Holly and Chad were talking animatedly. Chace and Jake were nowhere in sight. I sipped on my fruit punch, looking around at the happy crowd.
"Hey, Mandy, it's almost that time." Holly smiled at me from across the table.
"Time for what?" I frowned.
"You know, where we dance and then switch partners during the song?" Oh, that. "Do you want to join us?" Holly invited, all smiles. I couldn't help but smile back. I have always loved that part of every dance the school had.
After a few moments, the DJ announced regarding the special dance segment. Everyone paired up; including myself. Jake had come back and despite our strange dance from before, he acted as if nothing happened. I shrugged it off, deciding to just let it go and enjoy myself. My feet were hurting, but I shoved the thought to the back of my head.
The music started and all the couples started dancing. Some had already switched before the next tune, but no one cared. The dance was fun; there weren't any rules to abide. I changed partners from Jake to Liam to Chace to Holly. At one point of time, Holly had decided to dance with me instead of Chace so the said twin ended up dancing with his twin brother. It was a funny moment, but we paired up soon after. I was with Chad who was smiling his worries away – as if he had any worries in the first place. He finally twirled me around and I came face to face with Jake again.
We laughed and danced to no tune. I was expecting Jake to spin me off to my next partner but he didn't. He'd keep dancing with me. I found it really strange, but I didn't want to ruin the guy's mood. Anyone from miles away could tell that he was genuinely enjoying himself.
Suddenly someone tapped on his shoulders. We looked around to see Chace. "Uh, excuse me, but it's time to switch partners again." Chace handed a petite looking girl to Jake before he could say anything, and proceed to take my hand in dancing. Jake clearly looked a little bummed but his happiness got the better of him.
Dancing with Chace again was weird considering the fact we never really conversed before. Why did he want to dance with me again? Honestly, I knew why Jake had wanted to dance again; he was my best friend. But Chace?
"Don't get your hopes up, Amanda." Chace suddenly spoke up. I snapped my head towards him. "I only danced with you because Liam looked like he was about to chop Jake's head off."
I looked around, wanting to see if Chace was correct. He wasn't. Liam has already stopped dancing, leaning on the wall at the side of the hall, talking to a group of guys.
"He was fuming mad before. Although, it's your choice to believe me or not." Chace smiled at me, trying to assure me not to get too worked up.
"But it's just Jake..." I started, but I didn't how to end.
"It may be just Jake to you, but you should see him in everyone else's point of view." I frowned, not sure what Chace was trying to imply. "He doesn't look at you like a friend normally would."
"Huh." I nodded. The music had slowed down again, and while many had gone off to rest, Chace and I were still dancing. "He still treats me like a friend though. I mean, nothing special in what he's doing. Liam's doing the same too."
Chace snorted. "Liam doesn't look at you like a friend would either, Mandy." I furrowed my eyebrows. "Don't you think it's a bit suspicious that he got mad at Jake for dancing so much with you?"
I kept silent, looking everyone except for Chace's eyes. It was suspicious.
"Anyone who saw how you two change from about a month ago to today would understand. He likes you, but you don't see it."
This time, it was I who snorted. "Please, he'd rather eat a fish raw than like me. He doesn't like me," I paused laughing a little and rolling my eyes. "He annoys the hell out of me."
Chace let out a light-hearted laugh. "Well, fine, maybe he doesn't like you, though that's more to your theory, but he does care for you. And it's obvious that you're more than just a friend to him, which is the whole reason why he got mad at Jake for being so close to you in the first place."
I raised an eyebrow. I looked around the hall to find the British. I spotted him at the table talking to Holly and Chad. He noticed me looking at me and winked. I swallowed back the blush that wanted to creep on my face.
"Alright then wise guy, so he got mad at Jake dancing with me a lot. But why isn't he mad at you? You're one of my close friends too, even if we don't talk a lot." I challenge, cocking my head to the side.
He laughed. "That's cause I don't like you," he said bluntly. I winced and scratched the back of my head with my left hand. Okay... "And besides, I'm not a threat."
I frowned, "this isn't a battle, Chace. What do you mean by threat?"
Chace smiled, staring at me straight in the eye. "I'm gay."
My eyes widened. "Really?" I might have sounded like an ass so I tried covering up, "I mean, I knew something might be up since you never go on dates or anything."
Chace merely looked at me in amusement. "You didn't know?"
"Of course, I didn't! Do they know?" I nodded my head towards the table where out friends were.
The twin nodded. I gasped exaggeratedly, "Why am I the last to know?"
Chace laughed, giving me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Mandy. It was quite hard telling you in particular because I knew you had a crush on me once in freshman year." I blushed deep red, laughing like an awkward person I was.
"Ah... You knew?" I did have a crush on him. I liked him during freshman year, when Liam hadn't transferred in yet. It was something about his detachment that made me curious about him. In some twisted way, it made me have this weird attraction towards him too.
"I think everyone knew, Mandy." He laughed again. The music suddenly blared, breaking our slow momentum.
Chace's face twisted into disgust. "Not into pop music," he explained.
I nodded, respecting his choice in music. I personally loved the song they were playing, which was 'Feel The Love' by Hoodie Allen. "Why don't you go back to the table then?"
"What about you?" He asked.
"Nah, I need some fresh air." I excused myself, smiling politely at him.
Chace returned me with an apologetic smile. "Is it my news?"
I shook my head profusely. Well, it was – partially. But I didn't have the heart to tell him. "Just wanted to be alone, Chace. Chill." I grinned before waving and leaving the hall. I made my way to the spot that I have always visited when I wanted to be lonely – the willow tree.
The air was cold, and it lingered around my bare legs. I shivered slightly before plopping myself down near the roots of the tree. I removed my wedges, sighing in relief as my toes wriggled freely. The cool ground numbed the pain in my feet. I curled myself, hugging my knees as I did so before looking up and gazing to the full moon.
"Found you."
I didn't bother looking up to see who it was. The thick British accent had already given his identity away.
Liam sat down beside me before removing his coat and covering me up with it. "Wear it properly, or I'll put it on for you."
I did what he told, giving him a flat face as I did so. "Why are you here, Liam? I want to be alone."
"No one deserves to be alone, Amanda."
What was that supposed to mean? I didn't bother replying to that. Instead I asked Liam the first thing that came to mind just so we got over that topic. "What sport club did you join, Liam?"
"Huh?" Liam was caught by surprised, but he regained himself. Smirking, he said, "Wow, princess. I thought all these times you would know everything about me since you have a crush on me."
"No. I very much think it's reverse," I muttered to myself, hugging my knees tighter.
"What was that?"
"I said, I'd rather marry a lemur." I said coldly. "Answer the question, Liam."
Liam undid his bow and buttoned his collar. "I do fencing." He leaned back, supporting himself with his hands. "Why the question?"
I shook my head, "nothing. You're just very fit."
Liam laughed into the silent cool air. "You're weird, Amanda. Good weird." He looked at me with sincerity. "You're a whole bunch of good things. It's actually amazing to know all of that would fit in that small body of yours."
"Is your feet hurting?"
"Wha-"
"You took off your shoes because they were hurting right?" Liam's eyes were filled with concern. Chace's words ran in my ears again. I nodded slowly, smiling sheepishly.
Liam sighed before moving in front of me. He then carefully took my right foot and massaged them. I looked at him in shock. Why was he doing this?
"Just a 'thank you' for everything that happened tonight, Amanda. Don't get too over yourself.
I snickered, looking up at him. "You're the one who did all these, Lee." I inhaled, "without you, tonight won't be a success."
Liam smiled, looking up and meeting my gaze with his green eyes. "I didn't mean the preparations, princess." I frowned, tilting my head to the side a little.
"I don't see your-"
"You see, but you don't observe," Liam sighed amusedly as if he had given up on how silly I could get.
"You know I never liked these riddles you always play, Lee," I huffed. Liam chuckled a little, before he readjusted himself, his intense gaze burning straight through me.
Then the most absurd thing happened, he began to lean in slowly. I gulped, frightening myself as I automatically leaned it as well. Our noses brushed slightly, and from the millimeter distance I had from his face, I could smell the fruity scent from his breath; proof that he might have been drinking the fruit punch.
"Do you see now?" He whispered, bringing me back from my fruity distraction.
The reality embraced me like heat from a small fire. We were about to share a kiss in that moment; we would kiss and move up a stage in our friendship. There's this silver lining that we need to cross before everything else changes. We could kiss right now, and forget about the world...
"Amanda!"
Or we could get interrupted.
Liam and I froze, a hot blush coming up onto my cheeks. Liam's eyes widened as I suddenly shoved him back, making sure that there was a decent amount of space in between us. Holly came out building, panting as if she'd been sprinting four miles.. She was still catching her breath but she managed to breathe out her words.
"Mandy... Nana... Hospital... In a coma."
Shit.
In no time at all, I had grabbed my wedges, leading Holly in a run for our car. Liam was running with us, and since Holly and I didn't actually have our car, Liam automatically took it that he was to be our driver again.
I let Holly take shotgun, so I sprawled at the back seat of Liam's Audi. The car roared to life and we were soon on our way to the hospital. During the drive, all that could be heard was Holly's heavy breathing. The air was tense.
"She fell." Holly announced suddenly.
I looked away from scenery, focusing on the back of Holly's seat.
"She was climbing down the stairs, but she tripped. She has a deep cut on her forehead. Now she's in a coma." Holly gulped at her last sentence. No one else said anything.
When we reached, we asked the counter where Nana was. Outside her room, we were met with Auntie Lily who was looking ever so worried. She had frown lines on her forehead, showing us that she had been thinking really hard. We weren't allowed to enter the room at the moment as the doctor was checking up on Nana. Holly and Auntie Lily exchanged words while I hugged myself, breathing in Liam's scent from his coat. It smelled like mint. Quite expected of Liam if you asked me. Mints; such a nice smell yet it sometimes push people away because of its sharp and strong scent. Liam himself was sitting nearby us.
The doctor came out not long after and asked permission to talk to Auntie Lily. Holly and I decided to go into Nana's room while they talked, Liam following behind us as we walked in.
Nana's almost-lifeless body lay still as she was wrapped in white hospital sheets. Her head was bandaged, making her look like she was wearing a white tight beanie. Holly whimpered a little as she patted Nana's cold hands. Small wet tears dripped onto Nana's hands before Holly started to babble – a usual habit that she does if she got scared.
"Don't leave, Nana. I know you can hear me. You better not leave, I still haven't visit that lavender garden you promised to show me during Thanksgiving week. You're strong, Nana. Don't give up –"
A nurse came in and interrupted Holly, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave just for a while now."
The three of us left as instructed. Once we were out, Holly full on broke down. I wouldn't blame her. As much as we both knew that one day Nana would leave us, death by a silly fall down the stairs would be totally uncalled for. I felt a little helpless at that point of time. What was I doing? Was I going to let Holly cry without comfort?
Before I could move to hug Holly, Liam beat me to it. He cooed the bawling girl. I felt a lump in my throat. It was surprising to see how much Liam actually cares for his friends. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as I continued to stare at the two perfect figures.
Liam saw me crying by myself and held out his left hand, inviting me to join the hug. I took his hand and he pulled me towards him, his left hand comfortably settling on my waist.
I felt the vibrations from Holly's sobbing and started to cry myself. I cried because I felt it was unfair if Nana left us now. She didn't even bid goodbye. And it wouldn't be fair to Holly. She was so unprepared for it. Truth be told, Holly's parents died in a car crash when she was merely four years old. Nana had been taking care of her ever since.
Liam tried his best to calm us down by whispering sweet nothings, but it didn't work. Chad, Chace and Jake came running down the hallway, worry filled in their faces. As soon as Holly noticed Chad, she ran into her arms, crying harder than ever. If I hadn't been crying as hard, I would have smiled and giggled at how cute they look – apart from the fact that Holly's makeup was ruined.
Shit. That must mean my makeup was running too. I lifted my head a little and saw Liam's shirt stained with a mixture of makeup and tears.
"It's ok, don't worry 'bout that. I can wash it off." He whispered, pulling my head back into his chiseled chest, hugging me tighter than before. He kissed my forehead – probably the only clean area on my face – and rested his chin on my head.
After a while, I calmed down and pulled away. I kept apologizing at the mess that both Holly and I had done to his shirt. Liam merely shrugged it off before asking if I was ok.
"I'm fine. Just need to wash my face." I smiled awkwardly. I walked into the bathroom and grimaced at the sight of my face. I looked like a monster. Quickly I washed off my makeup. I regretted not bringing makeup remover, but I had to be resourceful. So I had grabbed a bunch of tissue and soap, and pretty much scraped the makeup off my face. By the end of it all, my face was as red as a tomato and slightly hot from all the scrubbing.
I got out the bathroom and went to the waiting room where the rest was. I briefly saw Holly in the corner with Chad. She had stopped crying; she had never looked more fragile than she looked then. I plopped down to the nearest seat I saw.
Nana would survive. She was strong. I felt guilty, not being able to help coax my best friend down. But I was also thankful that Chad was there. The air was so thick; we knew Nana could make it, but the fact that she might not scared us. Nana was old, so even though the doctor might say she could pull through, she might not.
"Hey."
I looked to my right and saw Jake smiling at me warmly. My throat felt so dry after crying. I could barely speak. "Hi."
"You alright?" He asked simply.
I nodded, whispering a reply. "Yeah."
"Is your – "
"She'll make it through," I forced myself to speak, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill again. "She's strong enough."
Jake took my hand in his. My head turned to look at him slowly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you heard the news. I should have guessed something was wrong when Holly suddenly ran out of the hall. I'm sorry I left you alone." I frowned a little, why was he making it sound as if he was responsible of me?
"Hey," made him look at me by bowing down a little so his gaze could meet mine. "It's not your fault, and – "
"Amanda," A British voice called for me. I looked up, and saw that Liam was at the door of the waiting room. He nodded his head to the direction outside of the room and asked, "you coming or what?" It wasn't much of a question. I could see from his expression that he loathed the fact that Jake was holding my hand so comfortably.
I returned my gaze to Jake whose eyes got hard as he glared at Liam. "Uh," I started. Jake quickly softens his gaze and turned back to me. I smiled kindly at him, "I'm fine. Thanks so much for looking out for me, Jake." I gave him a small hug before standing up. "I, uh, have to go now. You should head home too; I'll be fine." I smiled again before striding to Liam.
I heard a hurtful 'oh' from Jake before I was out of earshot. Does he like me? Was Chace right?
Apparently, Liam was instructed by Auntie Lily to send me home. Chad and Chace had actually made a move with Holly whilst I was talking to Jake. I wonder if Jake was all right. He looked really lonely. "We shouldn't have left him there," I whispered unintentionally.
The doors to the entrance of the hospital opened and the cold welcomed me again. "Huh?" I heard Liam asked.
I looked at him in the eye and said, "We shouldn't have left Jake there all alone."
I saw Liam's sharp jawline clenching. He gritted his teeth, looking into the distance and replied, "he's fine, Amanda. He's right there, see?"
I whipped my head around and saw Jake standing by his Hummer, staring back at us. I waved at him awkwardly and he waved back. He then got into his car and drove off a few moments later. I sighed in relief, knowing he'd actually be okay.
"I don't know about you, princess, but I'm freezing." Liam said aloofly while walking towards his car. I jogged to keep up with his long strides. We finally got back into his warm car silently and drove out of the hospital grounds I let out a silent prayer that Nana would wake up soon.
It was silent; neither one of us attempted to talk during the journey home. It was somewhat a disturbing silence. I had actually expected Liam to break out with a sarcastic remark or something witty, but he didn't.
When he had parked his car, he got out together with me and walked me up to the apartment. My eyes widen in embarrassment when I realized something.
"You suddenly got really red. What's up?" Liam smirked.
"I, uh... Gosh, Liam, no I'm not thinking about you." I snapped when Liam kept smirking as smugly as he could. "I just so happened to forget to bring the keys."
Liam's smirk fell for a while before he doubled over, laughing. "Are you for real?" He managed to ask in between laughter. I fought the urge to punch him in the face. Instead, I knocked on my door, hoping someone was inside.
The door opened almost instantly, revealing a tired Chace. "Hey." He had loosened his tie and took off his coat. As Liam and I walked in, he smiled sheepishly, "Hey Amanda? You don't mind if my brother crashes here right?"
I turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, you see, he got Holly to bed and she wouldn't let him go so they're sleeping together now." I raised an eyebrow, trying to process what Chace said. "I don't mean it like that, they're just sharing a bed, sleeping. Don't look like they're off doing something dirty. They're not." Chace rambled on while I laughed lightly in amusement.
"Chill bro, I get what you mean the first time." I laughed, patting him on the shoulder. I noticed that the mail was on the kitchen island. "Hey ho, who got the mail up?"
"Uh, I did. Holly asked me to. But I didn't go through it or anything." I frowned. Why was he being so jumpy?
I shrugged it off and waved dismissively. "It's cool." I gave both Chace and Liam a tight smile. "I'm gonna go shower and change and then hit the sack. You guys can head home now; thanks for everything." I said, exchanging short hugs to the two guys before heading into the shower.
"We need to talk," Liam told Chace. I didn't think they meant for me to hear that, so I just ignored them.
Ah, the shower. I let the warm water wash everything away. I yawned as the water further removed the curls right out of my hair. I was so sleepy and tired. I quickly got into my room after my relaxing shower and got into my pajamas.
Afterwards, I decided not to even bother about writing in my journal. I was that tired. I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, needing a glass of water before I go to sleep. On my way, I saw a shirtless man in my living room. I would have screamed if it had not been for him putting a finger up to his own mouth, telling me to shut up.
"Liam," I hissed, "Why are you still here?" And half-naked.
Boy, did he have a nice body. He didn't have solid abs like writers would describe in stories. He wasn't built with an eight-pack; he had six. His chest, and shoulders, and biceps however were proof that Liam did weights.
"Take a picture, princess, it'll last longer." Liam smirked when he caught me staring at him. "I knew you liked me," he insisted.
I rolled my eyes, heading towards the kitchen. "I like lemurs, and you're in no position to deprive me of my love for them."
Liam let out a hearty laugh, earning a glare from me. I couldn't focus properly so I turned around, concentrating on getting my glass of water. I noticed that in the middle of the island was my bouquet of carnations, still full-bloomed in pink. Beside it was a few letters. Drinking, I flipped through the letters, occasionally seeing some newsletter for Holly regarding her subscription of magazines, and sometimes for me from the royal palace.
"Chace went home already if you hadn't noticed." Liam suddenly spoke up. I nodded, not daring to meet his gaze. "Amanda, for the hundredth time, look at me."
"I have eye contact problems ok?" I finally admitted, looking up at him as I set down my glass.
Liam snorted while folding his arms. "Right. And I'm supposed to believe that after the hell lot of glares I've see you do?"
"Yup," I nodded, making sure to pop the word at the end. I washed my glass quickly and went into the living room with my letter. Plopping down onto the couch, I looked through them. Some mentioned about their most recent projects about turning Andorra a more eco-friendly place to not only protect the environment, but also to save more money. I smiled; I knew I got my resourcefulness from somewhere.
Liam plopped down next to me just as I threw the letters onto the coffee table. I stifled a yawn, feeling my eyes getting heavier. Liam raised his left arm and placed it over my shoulder, pulling me into a warm embrace. I laid my head onto his shoulder.
"You know," I started, yawning a little again. "I've been thinking."
"About what, princess?" Liam asked.
"About Nana. It's horrible that she fell and got hurt. I feel guilty somehow when I saw Holly breaking down like that." I paused a while before admitting. "You're right, you know? I shove things to Holly. I depended a lot on her, ever since we were both young."
Liam didn't reply. I glanced up to him, realizing he was sound asleep. So much for talking to him... As much as I wanted to hit him, I didn't. He had taken care of both Holly and myself, and we didn't even thank him for it. For that, I let him be. I carefully got out of his grasp, letting him sleep – shirtless- on the couch. I got a spare blanket and pushed him lightly so that he would be lying on his side on the couch before covering him.
"Thanks for everything, Liam." I whispered before kissing his forehead, "goodnight." I then switched off the lights and headed to my own room.
Snuggling in my own bed, I heard a soft click of the door. Not long after I felt the side of my bed tilt slightly as someone got on the bed with me. I got tense at first, but relaxed after smelling the familiar minty scent.
I felt Liam hugging me from behind, arms on my waist. Before he fully settled down, he moved away the lose hair from my face and kissed my cheeks, lingering a little longer than needed.
"Goodnight Amanda, sweet dreams," he whispered into my ear. I fought back the blush, even though I knew he couldn't see because my room was dark. "I was awake, and I know you are aware of this now too." I groaned.
He chuckled before nuzzling into my back, allowing us both to fall into the depth of darkness and enter our own world of dreams.