25
The next day, I wake up with a giant grin. The first thing I think about is how Liam is all mine now. I want to go see him again, but I know that's probably not going to happen.
I could call him. But I don't want to seem needy.
I huff and roll my eyes. I just seem to move from one dilemma to the next.
I throw my covers off of me and stand up, yawning as I stretch. After searching for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I finally get dressed and jog downstairs. I see Reed at the island in the center of the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. As I get further into the kitchen, I see my parents at the dining room table eating eggs and bacon like they do almost every morning.
"Good morning!" I chirp, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
Mom and Reed both raise an eyebrow at me. Dad avoids my eyes, as he has been for a while now. "You certainly are chipper this morning," Mom says.
"Haven't even had your coffee yet," Reed adds.
I shrug. "I'm just in a good mood today. I think I might bake something."
"May I suggest blueberry muffins? Those are my favorite," Reed says.
I wink. "Maybe. You have been very nice to me lately."
Mom clears her throat. "Beth is coming home today for the holidays," she says. "We're going to have a family dinner tonight. Lasagna with garlic bread and salad."
Reed and I nod in unison. Whenever Beth comes home from college, we always have a family dinner. Everyone is required to be there, no exceptions.
"Where's Sophie?" I ask. I haven't seen that kid in a while. I swear she's always gone.
"She's been staying with Grandma for the last couple weeks. She didn't need to be around all of the...drama that was going on," she says. I try not to make a face when she calls everything that happened 'drama'. I really don't feel like rehashing everything, so I just nod.
"Do we have any plans for the day?" I ask, taking a long sip of my coffee.
"Your father and I have some errands to run. We're leaving around eleven and won't be back until about four. You two are free for the day," Mom says. "If you decide to go anywhere, just make sure to be back by six for dinner."
We nod again. Mom and Dad get up to rinse their dishes and head upstairs, presumably to get ready to leave. Reed turns to me with expectant eyes.
"Can I help you?" I ask.
"Can you really make those blueberry muffins?"
I roll my eyes. "Yes, Reed. I'll make your damn muffins."
"Yes!" he cheers. "I love you!"
He smothers me in a hug, spinning me around. I laugh as he sets me down. "Yeah yeah, love you too."
* * *
I sigh with content as I take a bite of the warm, sweet blueberry muffin. Holy shit that's good.
Reed runs into the kitchen from the living room and snatches a muffin from the rack they're cooling on. "Oh my god you even put the little sugar crystals on it," he breathes. "I'm so lucky that one of us can cook and bake."
I laugh, taking another bite. "Yeah, you can't cook for shit. Remember that time you started a fire in the toaster oven?"
He waves me off. "That was one time," he mutters before taking a large bite of the muffin. His eyes close and he starts dancing in the middle of the kitchen. "This muffin fucking slaps."
I roll my eyes, but grin nonetheless. "Thanks, Reed. You're always my number one fan."
"I'll eat almost anything you bake or cook," he says in agreement.
I finish off my muffin and hop off of the counter I've been sitting on, dusting my hands off. "I'm gonna run upstairs and change my shirt real quick," I say, looking down at the mess of flour I've made all over my black shirt.
"Alright. I'll probably be here, eating another muffin," he says.
"Don't eat them all in one day!" I tell my brother as I start up the stairs.
"I can't make any promises!" he shouts up the stairs. I shake my head. Typical.
I get to my room and start looking for a shirt I'm in the mood for, finally deciding on a dark green t-shirt. As I'm looking in the mirror on my wall, my phone lights up on the dresser and begins to ring. I grab it and can't help the smile that immediately comes across my face. It's Liam.
I swipe to answer, then wince and hope I didn't answer too soon to make it seem like I'm desperate. You're just being dumb, Taryn.
"Hey!" I say. Dear god, that was entirely too high pitched. Stop acting like a thirteen year old. I clear my throat. "Um, I mean hey."
He chuckles on the other end of the phone. "Hey, Tare," he says, his voice all deep and entirely Liam.
You're obsessed. It's embarrassing.
"So what's up? How are you feeling?" I ask, shaking away my own awkwardness.
"I'm feeling good today. So good, in fact, that the doctors have decided that I'm ready to go home," he tells me.
I grin widely, even though he can't see me. "Liam, that's amazing!"
"They said that the rest of the healing can't really be helped by them anymore, so I can go home and just take it easy. No working for a couple weeks, which sucks, and no driving until my concussion is cleared, but I should be doing much better really soon," he says.
"That's great," I tell him. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"You don't have to do anything, Tare," he says. I just know that he's rolling his eyes. "You're always putting everyone else before yourself."
"It's just how I am," I say with a shrug. "Please? Anything? If I'm being honest, I kinda already miss you."
He laughs. "I kinda already miss you too," he says. My stomach feels like it becomes a tilt-a-whirl filled with butterflies.
"What time are you being discharged?" I ask, walking around my room and touching random things. A bottle of vanilla perfume, a pen with a fuzzy top, a stack of books on my dresser.
"They're discharging me in about thirty minutes, but my mom isn't coming to get me until she gets off work at four," he says. "I'm just gong to stay in the waiting room."
I frown and glance at the alarm clock next to my bed. Eleven-o-seven. "But that's like four and a half hours!" I say. "No way. I'll come pick you up."
"Tare, you really don't have to do that-" he begins to protest. I cut him off.
"You can't stop me," I sing, both horribly and off key.
Liam sighs. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" he asks.
"Nope!" I say. "I'll be there in about thirty minutes."
"I'll see you in a little bit," he says. "Bye, Tare."
"Bye!" I say, hanging up. I grin and jump up and down for a few seconds, trying to release all of the butterflies in my stomach before I calm down and get ready to leave.
I look in the mirror as frown slightly. My hair is kinda frizzy and I look plain. What does he see in me?
I open my closet door and rifle through my shirts, trying to find one that's cuter than the plain green shirt I'm wearing. I decide to go with a fitted black t-shirt with a dark green jacket, that I'm pretty sure I stole from Beth, to go over it.
I shove my feet in a pair of black boots and grab my set of keys, wallet, and phone. I start to head out the door before I backtrack a little and quickly swipe on a coat of mascara and adjust my hair.
As I jog down the stairs, I hear the doorbell ring. "I'll get it!" I shout, knowing full and well that Reed is in the next room over and I have literally no reason to shout.
I open the front door and see a guy, probably around my age, standing there with his hands in his pockets. He glances at me and smiles slightly, his blonde hair ruffling up in the chilly wind. It clicks in my brain that I know him. He's Charlie Benningfield, both one of the most popular guys in school and also my brother's crush.
I smile nicely. "Hey. Charlie, right?"
He nods. "And you're...Taryn, right?" he says.
"That would be right," I say. "So I'm assuming you're here for Reed?"
Charlie nods, but a slight blush on his cheeks catches my eye. I try not to have a creepy smile as I hold in my excitement for my brother.
"Taryn, who is it?" Reed asks as he walks around the corner, shoving a muffin in his mouth. His eyes widen slightly when he sees Charlie and he almost chokes. He chews quickly and awkwardly stands next to me. "Oh, hey. What's up?"
"We have an English project, remember? You said we should meet today at eleven forty five, here. I mean, I'm early, so I can just wait out here if-"
"No, don't worry about it. Come in, I'm ready when you are," Reed says. I shift over so Charlie can squeeze between my brother and I into the foyer. I notice how Charlie's hand brushes Reed's, and I'm not going to lie, it looked pretty intentional. I can barely hold in my squeal.
"Well, I've got to get going," I tell Reed. "I'm going to pick Liam up."
He wiggles his eyebrows at me. "Ooh, are you?"
I roll my eyes. "Yes. I'll see you later, love you," I say.
"Love you too," he says as I open the front door.
"Oh, and it was nice seeing you Charlie!" I say over my shoulder.
"You too!" he calls as I leave, shutting the door behind me.
I suppose it's just the day of romance for the Sawyer twins.
* * *
When I finally get to the hospital, it feels like I've been driving forever instead of roughly twenty five minutes. That may be partly because of my eagerness to see Liam.
Okay, maybe more than just partly. Mostly is more accurate.
I shut off the ignition and get out of the car, locking it behind me as I tighten my jacket around me as the wind picks up. I hurry into the hospital, trying to get out of the cold air as soon as possible.
I smile at the nurse behind the desk as I walk up, not really knowing who to talk to about picking up Liam. "Hi, um, I'm here to pick up a...friend of mine," I say, not really knowing what to call Liam. Boyfriend? We haven't really discussed that.
He nods and offers me a small smile. "Okay. Just give me their name and room number," he says.
"Liam Evans. He was in room twenty-one seventy-five when I was here yesterday," I tell him. He nods and types into the computer.
"You're right. They're in the process of discharging him now, so it'll probably be about twenty minutes. You're welcome to go up and stay with him, if you'd like," the nurse says.
I smile again. "Thank you," I say.
"No problem," he replies, before being summoned by another nurse.
I go up to Liam's room, my heart pounding with every step closer I get to him. Why does he have to make me so nervous?
I take a deep breath as I near his door, noticing that it's open. I shake off my nerves and step inside. Liam's sitting on the edge of his bed, fiddling with his watch as he tries to get it on. He looks so handsome, even though he's just in jeans and a grey t-shirt. He makes anything look good on him.
I clear my throat, causing his head to shoot up. He smiles immediately, which makes my stomach go into a frenzy once again. "Hey there," I say, walking over to his bed. I sit next to him, close enough that our thighs touch. My skin burns through my jeans where his thigh is touching mine.
"Hey yourself," he says, getting his watch on correctly. He looks at me with his piercing blue eyes, making my heart melt just a little more. God, you sound like a ten year old in love with a celebrity.
I glance away, blushing a little as I feel his gaze continue to be focused on me. "You're looking a lot better," I say.
"Thanks," he says with a small smile. "You know, I've kinda missed you."
"So I've heard," I muse, smiling a little as he rolls his eyes at me. I bump his shoulder with mine. He immediately winces, but doesn't say anything. "Shit, I'm sorry!" I apologize.
Liam shakes his head. "Barely even hurt," he says, but I know he's lying.
I give him a look. "So it really didn't hurt? Is that why you looked like you might burst into tears?"
He laughs. "Hey, now, I know I didn't look that pitiful," he says.
I raise my eyebrows and look away, humming slightly until he pushes my shoulder with his hand, making me laugh. I feel his gaze on me.
"What?" I ask, noticing how he's watching me with a half smile.
"Sorry, it's just that you're so fucking gorgeous. And you have the cutest laugh," Liam tells me, shifting his hand over so that it's touching mine.
I blush once again, not really knowing how to respond. I'm always horrible with receiving compliments, but even worse so with the guy I'm into. "Thanks," I mumble.
He grabs my hand and fully locks his fingers with mine. "So, I've been wanting to ask you-"
"Okay! Papers are done, you're free to go Liam," a cheerful nurse says as she walks into the room with a bright smile. Her eyes land on me, and she looks a little surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we had company. I'm Christy."
I smile. "Nice to meet you," I say, nodding slightly.
She nods back at me. "So Liam, don't forget to take your medications every day for a couple of weeks, and then as needed if pain persists. Remember, the medications can make you extra sleepy and irritable, so watch out for that. Your concussion is minor, so it should heal on it's own. No driving until all of the symptoms stop, and until you feel well enough to physically drive," Christy says, flipping through the packet of paper she has. "If you forget, it's all explained in this packet."
Liam grabs it with his free hand and smiles. "Thanks," he says.
"No problem. Have a wonderful day, and I hope you get better soon!" The nurse leaves the room, bustling away to another patient.
"Ready to go?" I ask.
He nods and stands up quickly. He sucks in a sharp breath, wincing at the pain presumably from his ribs. "Liam?" I ask tentatively.
"I'm all good. No worries," he tells me. "Let's get out of here."
We walk out of his room and take the elevator to the ground floor. "Do you need anything from the store? I don't mind stopping on the way back to your apartment," I say as the elevator dings and we step out.
"Yeah, actually," he says. "I need to get my prescriptions filled and I need some other things."
We step outside, the cold air hitting me like a brick wall. "Damn," he mutters. "Didn't think to ask for my mom to bring me a jacket."
I laugh. "You know, it's your lucky day because I have that hoodie you lent me. It's in the car," I tell him.
"You're the best," Liam says, grinning at me.
"I know," I say nonchalantly. He rolls his eyes at me, but continues smiling nonetheless.
We make it to my car and I unlock it. Suddenly, Liam gently pushes me against the side of the car and kisses me, bringing a hand up to rest on my cheek. I kiss him back after I get over the initial surprise.
He pulls away after a few seconds and sighs. "What was that for?" I ask with a small smile.
"All I've wanted to do is kiss you for a while now, but I never could. And now I can," Liam says. He leans in and kisses me again, this time much shorter.
"You have no idea how much I've wanted to kiss you for a while now too," I say, moving my hand up to brush his hair back with my fingertips. "We've got nothing but time now."
"I know," he says, lightly rubbing his thumb across my cheekbone. "So, Tare, do you think you'd like to go on a date with me?"
I chuckle. "Okay, cowboy, calm down. You just got out of the hospital, take a minute to heal," I say.
He raises an eyebrow. "So is that a no?"
"Oh, definitely not. I can't wait to go on a real date with you," I admit bluntly. This seems to make him smile wider. "But I don't want you to overdo it or anything. You must be in a lot of pain."
Liam shrugs. "You're the only medication I need," he says with a wink.
I can't help but laugh. "That was so incredibly cheesy," I say. "What a loser."
He pecks my lips once more. "Yeah, but I'm your loser now."
I sigh playfully. "I suppose so."
* * *
edited: october 8, 2020
hey y'all! I know what this chapter is wayyy overdue. I'm really sorry, I just couldn't get into writing and I've needed to take time for myself and focus on schoolwork and basically surviving through this shitty year. I hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter, hopefully the wait won't be so long next time!!