Published: June 16th 2023, 2:00:05 pm
Liam’s all smiles when I finally work up the strength to emerge from the bedroom, the man prancing around the kitchen like a cat on catnip as he pulls open the fridge and peers inside. He’s wearing only black running shorts, and his bare back flexes as he rifles through his mom’s food.
I press myself against the hallway wall, silently watching.
Beth is nowhere to be seen, and when I peeked out my bedroom window this morning, I noticed the Tesla was no longer parked in the driveway. At first, I was relieved I wouldn’t have to engage in awkward small talk this morning, but then I realized that meant I was alone with Liam.
My relief quickly vanished.
Does Beth work? I can’t imagine there’s much to do in this small town, and I doubt she’s working on one of the nearby farms. She doesn’t seem the type.
Liam whistles as he pulls open the cabinet to the left of the fridge and crouches down to see what’s inside. We’ve been here for less than twelve hours, and already he’s raiding his mom’s kitchen. I’m not surprised, and I can only imagine how expensive her grocery bill was when Liam was still living at home.
He eats like a fucking horse.
On the counter is a coffee machine, and I inhale the smell of freshly brewed coffee as I watch the thing splutter and drip into a giant pink mug. It smells good, and I’m not a whole person until I’ve had my morning cup.
Next to the coffee machine is a bottle of vanilla creamer Liam must have pulled out of the fridge.
I want a cup, but that means speaking to Liam. I’m not quite sure if I want to do that, and I’m hesitant to approach him right now. He’s in an uncharacteristically good mood, and I don’t trust it. It usually means he’s up to something.
“Are you planning on hiding in the hallway all morning?”
My spine stiffens, and I remain painfully still in case Liam isn’t speaking to me. How does he even know I’m here? I was quiet when I opened the bedroom door and made my way down the hallway, and there’s no way he heard me over his aggressive kitchen searching and quiet whistling.
A few awkward seconds pass before I work up the courage to enter the kitchen.
Liam continues hunting through the kitchen cabinets, but he straightens up with a sigh as I reach the island in the center of the room. Today’s mail is strewn across it, and I mindlessly look over the envelopes in a sad attempt to avoid eye contact with Liam.
I really wish Beth was here to serve as a distraction. I have a feeling she’d be a good one.
“Where’s Beth?” I ask.
I shove my wet hair out of my face and lean against the island. The bathroom didn’t have a hairdryer, and I feel like a wet cat as the ends of my hair soak through my shirt. It’s not the most attractive look, but I’m just happy to be clean.
Liam ignores my question about his mom. “Good morning!” he says instead.
He shuts the cabinet doors and faces me, his lips curled into a wide grin. I’m not trying to match his energy, and I give a quiet hum as I wait to see what he’s going to do or say next.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so cheery before, and I’m unsure how I feel about it.
Liam grabs the pink mug from under the coffee machine, his movements smooth as he pours in a healthy amount of the creamer and stirs. He doesn’t try to push the conversation, which I appreciate, and I press my lips together as he sets the mug on the counter between us.
“I got your coffee running when I heard you turn the shower on,” he explains.
His eyes travel down my frame, lingering on the damp ends of my hair before quickly sliding down my torso. There’s an almost predatory glint in his eye as he looks me over, one I would have loved to see a week ago.
Now, I shrug it off.
Pushing my hair behind my ear, I pick up the mug and bring it to my lips. It’s still steaming, and I gently blow it before taking a sip. Liam watches my every movement with poorly concealed interest.
He’s never sly in the way he tries to evaluate me, and I’m sure he’s trying to take a read of my emotions so he can report back to my dad. He probably wants to ensure he hasn’t damaged my psyche too profoundly.
That wouldn’t look good for him, and it might mean he gets in trouble upon our return.
God forbid.
“Where’s your dad?” It’s a personal question, but it’s been burning my mind since I met Beth last night.
Liam clears his throat. “Dead.”
“And do you have any siblings?”
“No,” Liam answers. “I’ve got two cousins, but we aren’t close.”
That doesn’t surprise me. Liam doesn’t have the personality of somebody who grew up with many siblings or friends. I bet he was the school’s outcast, and that’s probably why he was so eager to leave and move to New York as a teenager.
He says it was because he got in trouble with the law, whatever the fuck that means, but it was probably because he was lonely. He likely thought he would find friends in a bigger city.
He was wrong.
Liam runs a hand through his hair before plastering an award-winning smile on his lips. “I was thinking we’d run to the grocery store to get some food for the week, and then, if you’d like, I could show you around.”
He sounds excited, but it’s probably because he’s looking forward to being in society again. I’m the only person he’s had any real interaction with for weeks now, and I’m sure that’s draining.
I know I’m getting desperate to talk to somebody that isn’t him.
“Okay,” I say. What else is there to say?
Liam licks his lips and continues to stare at me, probably waiting for me to elaborate. I don’t, and after a few tense seconds, he grabs a banana from a bowl pushed up against the fridge.
It’s borderline ripe, the very top of the stem still light green, but Liam doesn’t seem to care as he slides it in my direction. He doesn’t speak, but I know he wants me to eat it.
“I’m going to take a quick shower, but can you be ready to go in twenty minutes?” he asks.
I stare at the banana, avoiding eye contact as I give a jerky nod. I’m ready to go now, and I’m mildly offended that he doesn’t seem to realize that. It’s his fault I don’t have nice clothes, hair products, or makeup.
He conveniently forgot to pack all those essentials.
I didn’t mind so much when it was just the two of us, but I find myself nervously fiddling with the ends of my hair as he disappears into his bedroom to shower. I enjoy making myself look nice, and if I’m going to be given the freedom to go out and be around people, I’d appreciate having more toiletries and products to get ready in the mornings.
Grocery stores usually have at least one or two beauty aisles, and maybe I can convince Liam to buy me a few things. I’ll tell him it’ll make up for drugging me.
It won’t, but he seems desperate enough to believe it.
I push off the kitchen island and make my way to the back door. The backyard is nicely landscaped. It’s fenced-in, naturally, and full of bright green grass with a few large trees in the back corner. To the left are some garden boxes with some leafy vegetables growing out of them, and to the right is a trampoline that looks at least fifteen years old.
Did Liam play on that as a kid? Did he grow up in this home?
I have so many questions, but I don’t want him to think all is forgiven if I begin asking them.
A shower begins to run, the water loud as it rushes through the pipes, and I get to work eating my banana while I wait for Liam to get ready. This town is small enough that I’m sure we’ll run into at least three people Liam knows, and I’d bet money that’s why he’s trying to look nice.
I’ve finished my banana and drank most of my coffee by the time Liam finally emerges.
“Ready to go?” he asks.
He steps into the kitchen, and I press my lips together as I eye his outfit. He’s thrown on the jeans he’s worn about a million times before, but I’ve never seen this shirt before. It’s navy blue, and upon closer inspection, it’s most definitely a high-school football shirt.
Probably one everybody on the team got at the end of the season.
“You played football?” I ask.
Liam looks down at his chest and tugs at the fabric. It’s tight across his chest and armpits, but not so much it looks bad. Almost, though.
“Tight end,” Liam says.
I have no idea what position that is, nor do I care, and I make a noncommittal noise in the back of my throat as I follow him to the front door and slip on my shoes.
The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can crawl back into bed and cry. That sounds nice, and it might just become my new favorite hobby.
We make our way to the car in silence, and the drive to the store isn’t any better. I can practically feel the tension between us, and it’s unbearable.
I hold my breath when we drive past the Piggly Wiggly, scared Liam will take us shopping there. I have nothing against the store, but I’d much rather go to the Whole Foods I know is just down the street.
I’m familiar with that brand, and I know what I like there.
Liam pulls into the Whole Foods parking lot, and I jump out of the car the moment it’s parked. I don’t turn around to check, but I’m sure Liam’s following me. He always is.
He catches up with me just as I reach the entrance, and he hurries to grab a cart as I storm inside.
“Someone’s in a hurry this morning,” Liam jokes.
I suck my cheeks into my mouth, and he lets out a loud sigh before gesturing to the left.
“Let’s do produce first…”
I don’t put up a fight, and I can’t tell if he’s relieved or disappointed when I walk quietly behind him while he shops. Occasionally I’ll grab and toss something in the cart, but it’s always a small item.
Liam has no problems filling the cart with his picks.
They build up quickly, and I quickly grow concerned that Beth’s kitchen will be overflowing with food by the time he’s done.
“Can I get some makeup?” I ask.
Liam peers at me over his shoulder.
“Are you actually asking?” he jokes.
I shrug, and Liam smacks his lips before nodding. He can be annoyed all he wants—I’m not going to let it bother me. Not one bit.
I make sure to hold my chin high as I abandon Liam in the dairy aisle and follow the signs to the beauty one. I don’t necessarily love Whole Foods’ makeup selection, but it’s better than nothing. I end up grabbing a curling iron, a straightener, a new hairbrush, three packs of clips and hairbands, and some hairspray before even making it into the makeup aisle.
After only two steps down it, I also find myself grabbing a bag of cotton balls, a bottle of acetone, and four bright nail polishes.
If I were smart, I would have brought a basket.
By the time Liam finds me, I’ve easily picked out hundreds of dollars worth of supplies. My arms are overflowing, and Liam’s eyes go comically wide as I gesture to the pile I’ve started on the floor.
“This is your apology to me,” I say before he can even think about arguing.
I work hard, and I deserve this.
Liam continues to eye all my supplies, and with a dramatic huff, he begins to move my floor pile into the cart. I’m unable to hold back a smile, and I happily snatch up one last tinted moisturizer off the shelf before skipping over and dumping my things into the cart.
This is at least twice as much as what I have shoved in my tiny vanity desk back at my apartment.
“I really am sorry, Princess,” Liam says, his voice low. “You know that, don’t you.”
I work my jaw side to side, debating how to answer, before bobbing my head up and down. I can’t very well ignore him while simultaneously asking him to buy me copious amounts of makeup. Especially when he can still change his mind.
I bite my tongue for the remainder of our trip, pointedly resisting every urge to make a snarky remark until we’ve checked out. Liam sure doesn’t make it easy, either, the man absurdly slow as he moseys his way down each aisle.
He shops like an old person.
I’m dragging my feet by the time we finally make it to the register, and I’m beyond relieved we haven’t run into anybody Liam knows as he pays and we head out to the car.
Liam glances at me over his shoulder as he pops the trunk and begins setting our bags inside. “Are you ready for our afternoon of fun?”
Bite your tongue, Catherine. Bite your fucking tongue.
Liam stares at me, waiting for my response, and I’m pretty sure I taste blood as I nod and hurry into the car. Our afternoon of fun? Who the fuck talks like that?