Chapter Twenty-Three: Welcome to the File
"for everything you do
for everything that's true
I turn to you,"
- christina aguilera
┉
M O N I C A
A chuckle left me as I watched Meredith, who was currently fashioning a scrunched up nose, tighten her lips and squint her eyes.
"You did so good!" I lied with a smirk, shaking my head with amusement when she attempted to narrow her eyes on me. "You go, Mer. Show off to the professionals."
Sophie threw her head back and laughed before lifting her fist. Understanding what she was implying, I pressed my fist to hers.
"You both are bullies," she muttered, and I watched as Meredith opened her mouth, so we and everyone else in the bar could see her rubbing her tongue on the top of her mouth.
The two of us watched her with amusement. Since she sat on the far right, we had good access to see her do her business.
It was currently Friday, a week or so before Halloween arrived. Yesterday I got back to work after being away for almost two weeks, and Sophie cheered, stating we had to get drinks with Meredith.
After a long time of persuasion, I agreed to come, but sadly, could not drink. My doctor recommended that I not risk it, and Liam made sure I listened to every recommendation he gave.
So, here I was, drinking water on the rocks.
But hey, watching Meredith drink straight shots was amusing, to say the least. She preferred cocktails, but Sophie, the determined person she was, got her to agree to drink shots with her.
"God, that was horrible," Meredith coughed after flipping back her straight, nearly black hair. It was the first time I'd seen it down since the spring.
She also wasn't wearing baggy clothes. When Sophie picked her up, with me in the car, both of us were surprised to see her in curvy jeans and low cut, long sleeve shirt.
"My younger brother drinks better than you," Sophie retorted with a snort, making me turn my seat to glare at her.
"I'm a year older than him. He isn't that young," I told her, but she just shrugged it away.
"Still older than him."
Not bothering to argue back, I leaned my back against the counter, watching as Sophie stared at Meredith with excitement. "So... continue! Tell me more."
Meredith smiled at the memory before vocally recalling her childhood—and what a childhood it was. Her parents had adopted her at two years old from China, after her biological father was caught with child pornography.
Both her current parents moved to China for the year to experience a different culture, but before they left, they heard about Meredith's story. They met her and ended up staying longer, since the adoption process took long, but once they got her, they moved to the states.
They named her Meredith after her grandmother, since her father never gave her a name.
"It's like your life is a movie," Sophie commented with a sigh, leaning her back against the bar table as well. "My family is as basic as it can be."
Then, she laughed. "Well, I vividly remember my mom holding my hand around town as a kid. People thought she stole me," she snorted. "As if interracial marriages don't exist."
Meredith smiled as Sophie's statement. "How did your parents meet?" She asked whimsically.
"My mom was a waitress in a restaurant, near my dad's college," Sophie said with a laugh. "He caught her reading a customer's palm and was intrigued."
She instantly gushed. "That's so cute! Is that why your dad named the diner after your mom?"
Sophie looked at her with confusion, but she nodded, nonetheless. "Yeah. She actually ran it for a bit, but she wanted to get more into helping people. Giving them closure and stuff."
Meredith furrowed her brows at that, but instead of questioning it, she turned to me and asked. "I already know how your parents met but... I love hearing it," she said, grinning, like the hopeless romantic she was.
"How'd they meet?" Sophie asked, turning her chair so she was fully staring at me.
I bit back a smile as I looked to my lap, my hands now fiddling over my leather pants. "They met in college, too. He was a big sports person, since he played basketball with Darius," I said, looking at Sophie with a smile. "He caught her making out with her current boyfriend and they kind of started... hating each other."
"Dad was a joker," I smiled sadly, remembering how playful he'd been growing up. "After they graduated, they became friends and fell in love. Dad would take her star gazing and mom grew flowers in their backyard. When they had Chris..."
I shook my head, remembering how dad told me the story while we were outside, looking at the sky.
I wanted to do so much with my life, but the second Chris was born, I knew being a dad was all I wanted to be. And when I saw you smiling at me, right after you were born, I was ready to give up anything to see it again.
My heart tightened at the reminder, but hearing Meredith's longing sigh got me out of my mind. "Why are you so in love with love?" Sophie questioned with a scrunched nose.
"How can people not be?" Meredith retorted, smiling as she looked to the side. "Knowing that there is someone who can love you. All of you."
"Especially true love. Honest to God love," she chuckled, shaking her head as she now stared at her lap. "Do you ever just have an instant attraction to someone? I've always wanted it. But I've never found it, in the twenty-two years I've lived."
I bit my lip, feeling a shiver running through my body. The thought of Liam instantly made my body react, and I couldn't help but listen to her rambling.
"I want someone to love me unconditionally. Katy Perry said it best, you know?" She whispered, looking back to us with such hope in her eyes.
When she turned to me, I sucked in a breath. "I see how Liam looks at you. How you both are together..."
She didn't continue, but I knew what she was going to say.
"What if I'm not his?" I blurted out.
Both of them tensed, as I watched as Sophie slowly turned to me, brows furrowed. "What if I'm not Liam's... you know, true love," I muttered, looking to my lap again.
Neither of them said anything, so I forced myself to first meet Sophie's waiting gaze. "You're kidding, right?"
"Liam doesn't even look at other people, let alone girls," Meredith commented next, bringing my attention to her. "He doesn't even... have emotion, without you around."
"That's not—"
"It is," Sophie stopped me, narrowing her eyes. "Mon, you didn't see how he was before you came back to town. He was a ghost. Never saying anything, hiding himself from people. He's said more these past few months than the last two years."
That made my heart race. "But Liz... he loved her, guys. He loved her so much, and I..." A shaky breath left me. "What if he's just settling with me because his true—"
"Don't," Sophie stopped me. Focusing back to her, I noticed her softening eyes. "Mon... I've seen how he looks at you. You have nothing to worry about."
Still, I shook my head, unconvinced. "What if he isn't really mine?"
Both of them shook their heads simultaneously. "When are you seeing him again?" Meredith asked, crossing her arms.
"Tomorrow," I admitted, and her eyes instantly brightened. "I'm having dinner with his family."
"Really?" Sophie grinned, shaking her shoulders with excitement. "Things are getting even more serious. Did he say he loves you yet? Did you guys sleep together? I mean, you must have obviously—"
"Soph, stop," I drawled out now, rolling my eyes.
But she ignored me, grinning widely. "You don't need to say anything. Your aura is speaking volumes."
I instantly glared at her, ready to give her shit, again, for eyeing my damn aura. But before I could let a word out, my phone rang with a notification in my pocket.
When I pulled it out, my heart did some pathetic flutters when I read the name of the contact. Hey, Bangs.
Hey, Trip.
Anything worth being happy about today?
Not today, but according to your mom, she's making plov for tomorrow. Very excited.
Fucking hell.
I'm kidding! You baby.
I'll show you who's a baby.
... Are you about to dirty talk, Trip?
With you, always, Bangs.
I'm flattered. You need practice.
Instantly, a series of texts came from him defending his honour. But right as my fingers hovered over the keyboard, I heard voices near me—and not Sophie's and Meredith's slightly pitched ones.
Looking up, I straightened my back and sobered my expression, seeing a group of four guys in front of us. They watched the three of us like we were eye candy.
"—but why? We'll buy you ladies drinks," The guy on the far left said with a smirk, eyeing a squirming Meredith.
"Yo," I called out, catching his attention. "They said no, so fuck off," I said blankly.
His brows rose before he snorted, turning his body toward me. "Was I talking to you?"
"Now you are," I retorted, cocking my head to the side. My eyebrow quirked, the smallest millimetre. "Maybe get a clue, now that we've established the definition of no."
He looked ready to throw himself at me—and not from lust. But before he could, the tall friend of his next to him, dropped his hand on the guys shoulder. "Let's go," he muttered before sending the three of us a tight smile. "Have a good night."
I didn't look away from the first guys dark eyes, keeping my gaze narrowing slightly on him until he finally looked away.
Once they were gone, I turned to Sophie and rose an eyebrow. "So... why did you say no?" I asked, finally able to ask the question I'd been meaning to ask. "Is it because of Ronen?"
It wasn't hard to connect the dots. Plus, I wasn't stupid. I saw the small things.
Sophie, who had been taking another shot, choked on the liquid. "Wha—no! Obviously not," she scoffed. "He's like a kid."
"You're a year older. So what?" I said, rolling my eyes. "How long has it been going on?"
When her head sagged, so she was staring at the ground, I knew I had her. "Since August. After we saw him and Liam at the bar."
My eyes widened, not expecting that response. "He was... really persistent. He'd come by the diner more to flirt," she chuckled breathlessly. "Fuck, the man can flirt."
"You weren't into him?" Meredith asked, furrowing her brows.
This made Sophie laugh sarcastically before looking at her. "I literally gizzed in my pants—or dress, every time. Whatever," her arms shook. "He'd talk dirty, and tell me what he'd do to me..."
"And then... we started doing things, I guess," she muttered, not looking at us.
I stared at her expectedly, which made her groan after a few moments. "He made me cum. He is so good. I never thought a younger guy could be so..." she bit her lower lip, and I noticed how she clenched her legs.
"Good?" I asked with amusement. "Well it isn't like he's really young. He's gonna be twenty-four in December."
"I guess," she whispered, seeming to be in her own thoughts.
I looked above her head and met Meredith's gaze. The both of us smiled instantly with amusement.
┉
The girls and I ended up heading to Sophie's place at three in the morning, them sleeping off their hangovers while I just slept the same amount.
We ended up hanging out until two, since Sophie had a shift at the diner. After that, Meredith and I went off and ran some errands before I got back to my house at five to get ready for dinner with Liam's family.
When the clock hit six, I stared at my reflection, seeing how my naturally wavy hair now differed to the curls I formed with my straightener—since I didn't own a curler.
I wore a peanut brown, silk tank top with a loose v-neck. Along with dark wash, high waisted jeans and a long necklace. I applied some foundation, mascara and eyeliner, but I didn't bother to put anything on my lips.
As I was fixing my messy bangs, I heard a knock coming from the front of the house. I knew I was home alone, since Chris was with some friends and mom stopped by the Williams' house to see Melanie.
I took a few more seconds for myself before leaving my room, only to grin when I opened the front door, meeting Liam's bright blue eyes.
When they met mine, they darkened. "Hey, Bangs," he muttered, eyeing my appearance. "You look..."
"Like a serial—"
He instantly reached for me, his hand grasping my wrist. A gasp left me as he tugged me toward him, stumbling on my feet, only for my chest to press against him.
My eyes blurred for a moment, but when I finally saw clearly, I tilted my head up and met his eyes, which were staring at me, almost lovingly.
With a hand around my wrist, he slowly brought it up until I was cupping his cheek. Neither of us looked away, especially when he decided on tilting his head to the side, kissing the palm of my hand.
I sucked in a breath the same moment my legs clenched.
"You look beautiful," he mumbled, holding both sides of my waist now.
With me pressed against his chest, I felt his semi-hard length through his jeans. But instead of doing something about it, I threw my arms around his shoulders lazily. "You don't look bad yourself, Trip," I said, lowering my eyes, so I was staring at how the black jeans and grey sweater—with the sleeves rolled to his elbows—looked on him.
I felt him tighten his hold on me, but just as I rose my head to stare into his eyes again, I felt him drop his head, so it was lying on my shoulder. "Trip..." I laughed quietly, the feel of him breathing into nape of my neck tickling slightly.
He hummed as his hands moved under my shirt. "Don't," I warned.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, but I felt him smile against my skin.
"Liam, I will hurt you," I threatened, which only made his grip on my waist tighten.
"Please don't," he said, making my brows furrow when I heard the sincerity in his tone.
Slowly, I laced my hands into his hair. "Don't piss me off, then," I teased, attempting to pull his head back carefully.
Instead, he tickled my sides, making me laugh loudly. "You're dead, Liam!" I said through my laughs. He only chuckled before pulling away from me.
"Let's go?" He asked, quirking a brow.
Once I nodded, he stepped back and laced a hand with mine. I used the other to reach over the couch, so I could grab my house keys and phone.
"Someone's impatient," I teased once we stepped out of the house. He'd been watching me lock the door with a jumping foot.
He didn't reply until I pulled the key out of the socket. Then, he dragged me to his car, only to push me against the passenger door. Without giving me time to mentally catch up to what was happening, he pressed his lips to mine.
I sighed against him the same moment I felt all the tension on my shoulders release.
He moved his lips against mine leisurely, pushing me deeper into the door while I wrapped my arms around him. I moved my mouth in the same pace as his before he slowly nudged his tongue passed my lips.
A soft moan left me a moment before he pulled away, dropping his forehead to mine.
When my eyes finally fluttered open, I smiled slightly, seeing his eyes still closed. "What was that for?"
"I just felt like kissing you," he mumbled in reply before locking his eyes with mine.
"I didn't know I was so irresistible," I gasped playfully, pressing my hand against my chest.
He didn't match my amusement, staring at me seriously. "You always are," he mumbled before stepping back.
I watched, frozen, as he walked to his side of the car, head lowered, before I opened my door hesitantly. "Are you okay?" I asked once we were sitting. I focused on how he buckled his seat belt in silence.
After a few moments, he cleared his throat and looked up, meeting my gaze. "Yeah, it's just..." he laughed awkwardly before looking out the window. "I guess it's weird for me. Feeling this way, you coming over to my parents place for dinner."
"It's not the first time," I reminded him cautiously. "Do you not want me to..."
"No!" He rushed out, now looking to me with panic. "It's not that, it's just..."
Again, the dots connected. "Because of Liz, right?" I breathed out before looking out the window. I shouldn't feel jealous. But selfishly, I did. Because she had him first, and he was hers.
He said nothing for the first few moments. He didn't even drive. We just sat in his car, parked outside of my house.
"Liz cheated on me," he blurted out, and I instantly pushed back against the seat as I turned, staring at him wide eyed. He just looked out the windshield, in his own thoughts. "You know, I always defended her for doing it. It was right after we got married. We were fresh out from high school. Young."
"I caught her with her best friend, after I got home from work," he reminisced. "She blamed it on the alcohol and we agreed to work it out. His friend later told me that they'd been going behind my back since before we got married," he laughed darkly.
"When I confronted her, she said she's been loyal since I caught them. I believed her and that was that. But my parents, my mom..." he shook his head. "I didn't see it then. I just... I didn't want to lose her, but I just didn't want to admit that I already did."
My hands were fiddling on my lap. All I wanted to do was comfort him, but before I could, he spoke again. "After she cheated, I felt like she was never really mine anymore, and I..." he was speechless, avoiding my gaze.
Forcing my hands to move now, I slowly cupped his cheek, bringing his attention back to me. "Well you're in luck, Liam Belkin. Because I'm yours, whether you like it or not," I blurted without caution, but the moment his eyes darkened, I knew I said the right thing.
His left hand moved across the centre console, so he was holding my waist. The moment he lowered his forehead to mine, I closed my eyes. "I like the sound of that," he mumbled against my lips.
"Congratulations," I replied softly before taking a deep breath.
Just as I was pulling away from him, his grip on me tightened as his breath shook. "I love you, Bangs," he rushed out, opening his eyes to meet my wide ones. "I fucking love you so much, it scares me."
My lips parted, but no words came out, too surprised to even formulate a sentence.
"The second I saw you, I knew, you'd do something to me. At the lake, the store. The fucking diner. I knew it the moment I took you to the pond. The moment you cleaned my damn fists on Forth of July," he continued, laughing breathlessly. "I just... I love you. And trust me when I say, I'm just as fucking yours as you are mine."
I didn't know what to say, and silently, I cursed myself for being too slow to function.
When he stared at me pleadingly, my heart broke. "Say something, Bangs," he whispered, now cupping my cheek.
"I love you, too," I whispered, feeling his fingers slowly move into my hair. "I love—"
He stopped me when he pushed my head forward the same moment he tilted his head to the side. Our lips fit like two puzzle pieces a second later, and not giving much thought, I threw my leg over the console.
Understanding where I was getting at, I heard him unbuckle his seat belt before gripping my hip. In seconds, I was straddling him, grinding against his length.
"Monica," he whispered against my lips as his hands rose to cup my cheeks.
Realizing that I wasn't stopping my attack on his mouth, he hissed. "Fuck," he clenched out before matching my pressure, letting go of my face, so his hands were under my shirt.
He gripped my right breast, and I moaned against his mouth when he pinched my nipple. "Liam," I gasped out, needing him now.
Just in case he didn't understand, I lowered my hands and unzipped his jeans, releasing his erection. "Fuck, fuck," he repeated breathless, not stopping me as I gripped him. "We have to..."
He hissed when I tightened my hold on his length. "You were saying?" I chuckled against his mouth.
"You planning on taking advantage of me, Bangs?" He asked with a groan as I began to stroke him.
I brushed my lips against his. "Always," I whispered, making him snarl something.
In the end, we'd gotten to his parents house twenty minutes late and I had taken advantage of him, in ways he agreed with.
┉
"I still can't believe you did that to your mom," I told Liam, glaring at him as we stepped into his townhouse. "You were a horrible child."
He returned my glare as he bent down to help me out of my tall, leather boots. "I was stupid."
I quirked a brow, remembering how Anastasia looked when explaining Liam's prank. He'd come home with a fake cast halfway during school and used it as an excuse to miss a test the next day.
"Was?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"You drive me crazy," he deadpanned, standing upright. I had to lift my head to meet his eyes. "I was Katrina's age, I was—"
"Kat is sixteen, Trip," I tsked. "And she's pretty smart. What does that say about you?"
"That you like bullying me?" He narrowed his eyes, but not bothering to hold back his smile as we walked down the hall.
I nodded once. "Correct."
He lowered his head with a laugh. "Why do I bother with you?"
A grin instantly parted my lips. "Because you love me," I teased, feeling an overwhelming amount of happiness.
When he lifted his head, meeting my eyes, he sobered up. "Well I can't deny that," he muttered.
My heart did some weird reaction as he stepped into the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out peach juice soon after. "We should go for a final hike before it starts snowing," I said, leaning against the wall across from the entrance to the kitchen.
He nodded, pouring juice in one cup while putting the other under the ice dispenser. "When do you want to go?"
"Maybe after Halloween? Sophie's been asking me to help with the haunted house," I rolled my eyes with a small smile. I didn't know anyone who was as excited for the day than Sophie.
"Are you gonna be a scarer?" He asked with an amused smile as he walked out of the kitchen, handing me the glass with ice.
I smirked. "Yes. Feel threatened?"
He laughed, leaning closer to peck my lips. "And what should I feel threatened of?"
"That I can actually scare people," I said in an obvious tone.
In response, he stepped back and glared at me while I hid my smile by drinking from the cup. "Is that a challenge?"
"Can't be a challenge when I know the facts," I mumbled, staring at him with amusement.
"Fuck, that is a challenge," he hissed before chugging his drink. I was halfway done with mine when he suddenly yanked it out of my hand and placed it on the table closest to him.
When he was standing in front of me, I yelled when he bent down and grabbed me from around my knees before lifting me up. I was over his shoulder in seconds. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Taking you upstairs," he said, and although I couldn't see his face, with my head angled to his ass, I knew he was smirking.
Just as we were reaching the top step, I smirked. "Liam," I pretended to groan. "My head hurts," I mumbled.
"Shit," I heard him hiss before carefully lowering me, so I was sitting on the floor next to him.
His wide eyes met mine as he touched my head. "Are you okay? Is it throbbing again? Should we go to the doctor?"
Right away, I felt bad for using my almost two-week old mild concussion to get him scared.
But then again, it was always nice to see his pretty blue eyes narrow.
"Why? Are you scared?" I whispered, and instantly, he gave me what I wanted.
"Fucking..." he stopped when he brought his lips to mine, kissing me harshly.
I moaned into his mouth, lacing my fingers into his hair in the process. "Liam," I whispered, only to hiss when I felt him gently bite my lower lip.
When he dropped his head to the curve of my neck, I took a deep breath, my eyes still closed as he sucked on my skin.
After a few seconds, he pulled away, and I opened my eyes to see him staring at me lustfully. "I'm gonna go shower. Come with me?" He asked, looking at my lips.
I couldn't help but smile from his play of words. "You go first, I need to check my messages."
He nodded, leaning forward to kiss me once more before standing up. Once he was in his room, I did the same before going downstairs to get my phone, which was on the table by the front of the house.
The second I picked up my phone, I was greeted with several, older texts from Sophie, who was stating her glee for Halloween. Since this was on a group chat with Meredith, I had over seventy messages to read through, so I could catch myself up.
It took me a few minutes until I replied before heading to Liam's room to strip myself from my clothes. The connected bathroom had a stream of light coming from the closed door, but I heard the shower still running so I knew he was probably waiting for me.
Dropping my phone onto his messy bed, I lowered my hands onto the waistband of my pants, ready to shimmy out of them when I noticed a half-open drawer across from me. But what stopped me wasn't that it wasn't closed like the rest of them, but that there were a pile of shirts, unfolded.
Rolling my eyes at his inability to fold his clothes, I walked across the room and bent down so I could reach the bottom right drawer. When I pulled it open, I ended up taking out four shirts. But just as I was about to place it on top of the dresser, I stopped, seeing a thick, orange file in the bottom. It had been covered by all the shirts, I realized after a few moments.
Hesitantly, I reached again, this time for the file.
I knew it wasn't my business, but if he had purposely hid it, I couldn't just ignore it.
When I opened it up, however, my hands instantly grew numb. I nearly dropped it onto the ground, only to tighten it in my hands seconds later, in fear that he would hear me.
Panic, confusion and anger coursed through my veins the longer I stared at the first page of what looked to be one hundred or so.
It didn't take me long before my body reacted. First, by putting everything back where I found it. And once I did so, I walked out of his room and ran out of his house, because that's what I did. I ran.
Especially from Liam, who had a file, filled with information about me.
┉
welp :)
secrets & drama,
we live to see it.
so I'm almost done writing my
papers for school, and I'm so
excited to start planning my
next romance book!
maybe you won't hate me in
those ones as much as you
hate me currently ;)
we're almost at the end! so
why do you think our mystery
boy has a file on our monica?
let me in on your thoughts!
and I'll see you on Friday
lovelies x