Published: July 7th 2023, 2:00:05 pm
I think I’m being bullied.
Beth’s dog stares at my feet as I struggle to slice and butter the baguette Beth gave me, the little fucker just waiting for me to drop something. His lack of faith in my cooking abilities is rude, and I struggle to curl my fingers in as I force the knife through the crusty bread.
Liam sits on the island opposite me, his chin propped up in his hand as he watches me struggle.
I thought I was in the clear when she gave him an armful of vegetables to cut up, but after she got tonight’s dinner in the oven, she surprised me with a cutting board and knife.
Liam cocks his head to the side, his lips twitching as he monitors me. He managed to cut his vegetables in half the time it’s taking me to work through this baguette, but the damn bread keeps trying to squish under my hands.
“Oh, dear,” Beth sighs, peering over my shoulder.
I could do without the judgment, and I lean closer to the knife as I hurry to finish. I’m a shit cook, and I’d be much more useful setting the table or cleaning the dishes.
Those are where my skills lie.
If I were smart, I would’ve continued hiding in my room until dinner was served. I’ve been in there since Liam and my’s unsuccessful outing yesterday, but when I heard Beth in the kitchen getting things ready, I thought it’d be rude not to come out.
I should’ve known Liam would appear the moment he heard my door open. I bet he’s been secretly waiting for me.
“Take your time,” Liam says, watching me rush.
Beth walks around the island and stands beside Liam, her nervous gaze continually flickering toward my fingers. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when she first saw me using the knife, and even after a ten-minute lesson on how I’m supposed to curl my fingers away from the blade, her fear doesn’t seem to have diminished.
“Why don’t you set the table while Katie finishes up,” Beth suggests, nudging Liam out of his chair.
He huffs as he’s pushed aside, and he shoots his mom a playful glare before sauntering into the dining room. I follow his movements with my eyes, watching him until he disappears.
“You know, I didn’t even think to ask if you like ratatouille,” Beth says, stealing Liam’s seat.
The weight of her gaze is intense, and I avoid it as I stab my knife into the tub of butter in front of me. I’m pretty sure she said yesterday that she was making pot roast, which I had admittedly been a little excited about.
“I’ve never had it before,” I admit. “But I like everything that goes into it.”
It’s just a lot of vegetables—more than I’ve ever seen put into a dish.
A timer goes off, and Beth hurries to take the dish out of the oven. My muscles relax now that I’m no longer being so intently watched, minus the dog at my feet, and I finish cutting the last few pieces of the baguette before roughly buttering them.
It’s not the most beautiful, but it’s the taste that matters.
“Smells good,” Liam says, stepping back into the room.
He smoothly takes the cutting board and knife away from me, an action I’m sure he’s been dying to do since Beth handed them over, and he drops them in the sink before grabbing a serving platter for the bread.
It’s odd seeing him so domestic. I realized he could cook during our time in the cabin, but I suppose it never occurred to me that he got the practice somewhere.
I wonder when Liam’s dad died.
“So, what do you like to do for fun, Katie?” Beth asks, handing Liam a pair of oven mitts.
He wordlessly slips them on and picks up the cast iron skillet our dinner was cooked in, and Beth runs ahead to place heat pads on the dining room table. I watch the two with mild interest, secretly enjoying how they work together.
I always thought I hated men with good relationships with their moms, but Liam and Beth manage to have one that isn’t weird. It’s nice.
“Katie’s an artist,” Liam says.
He sets down the skillet and waves me over. Beth takes a seat at the head of the table, a move I immensely respect, and Liam pulls out a chair for me to sit beside her. I do, and he hurries to his spot across from me.
“An artist?” Beth repeats, her eyes widening. “I never would’ve guessed. What kind of art?”
Liam grabs a spoon and serves the three of us as I struggle to figure out what I want to say. I wasn’t expecting Liam to share that particular piece of information about me, and I honestly don’t know if I can speak about it without crying.
“I’d say I’m more of a lover of art than an artist,” I say, grateful my voice comes out strong. “I enjoy hyperrealism painting, but my dream has always been to be a museum art curator.”
I clear my throat and grab my fork, wanting to move past this topic. “What do you do?”
Beth blinks, and I wonder if she can see what I’m trying to do. It’s probably pretty apparent, but thankfully she doesn’t push and lets the subject change happen.
“I’m a pharmacist,” she says with a slight roll of her eyes. “It’s not the most glamorous job out there, but I enjoy it.”
A pharmacist? A pink velour sweatsuit wearer by night, a pharmacist by day.
My lips twitch, and I shove a forkful of food into my mouth before anybody notices. Immediately the roof of my mouth is on fire, the vegetables burning through every layer of skin, and I subtly suck in a breath to try and cool it down.
For fuck’s sake, that’s hot.
Liam snorts and slides his glass of water in my direction, and I hurry to take a sip. Beth is polite and pretends not to notice.
Dinner continues with awkward chit-chat, and I couldn’t be more relieved when Beth finally stands and carries her plate to the sink. I jump up, eager to help clean, and Liam mumbles something about needing to take a shower before disappearing.
I’d be annoyed by his lack of help if he wasn’t the one who cooked most of the meal and set the table.
Beth does her best to make conversation while we wash the dishes and get all the leftovers put away, and I think I do a mildly good job at being friendly. I’ve never had trouble talking to people before, but something about her makes me nervous.
The moment I get the last dish pulled away, Beth rips open the freezer and pulls out a tub of ice cream.
“You want some?” she asks.
I nod. “I’ll never turn down ice cream.”
Beth smiles and grabs bowls, and I tap my fingers against the kitchen island before glancing toward Liam’s bedroom. He likes ice cream, too.
“I’ll see if Liam wants any,” I say, already making my way down the hallway.
I heard the shower turn off about ten minutes ago, so I know he’s hiding in his room. If I have to hang out with his mom, so does he.
“Come in!” Liam shouts as I knock on his bedroom door.
Sucking in a deep breath, I push it open.
The first thing that catches my attention is a wall full of pictures and metals. God, Liam would have a shrine of his accomplishments. I bet he looks at them when he jerks off.
Liam lounges on his bed, his body sprawled over the top of his comforter. I stare at the navy blue, checkered sheets underneath him.
“Nice,” I mumble, gesturing to them.
Liam snorts. “Mom hasn’t changed around my room much,” he admits.
I step further into his room, my toes digging into the soft carpet as I approach his desk pushed against the far wall. A bunch of trinkets are scattered atop it, and my lips twitch upward as I slide my finger over the top of a Lego dinosaur’s back.
“I got the kit for my birthday when I was ten. It was my prized possession,” Liam says, gesturing to the dinosaur.
The bed creaks as he sits up, but I ignore him as I pull open one of his desk drawers and peer inside. It’s filled with folders, and a quick peek through them confirms they’re old schoolwork.
“A bit of an overachiever, aren’t you?” I ask, noticing all the high grades.
Despite being unable to see him, I can practically feel Liam’s body heat as he walks up behind me. He keeps his distance, not pressing himself up against me as he’s done in the past, and I do my best to hide the shake in my hand as I release the folder and shut the drawer.
“If you look at the bottom of the drawer below, you’ll find my super secret nudie magazine,” he whispers.
There’s no fucking way. I’m almost entirely sure he’s lying to me, but that knowledge does nothing to slow my frantic searching. I rip open the bottom drawer of his desk and shove the knickknacks aside.
The second I spot titties, I let out a loud squeal and snatch up the magazine. Liam laughs as I clutch it to my chest and flop onto his bed, desperate to look through it. I’ve heard of nudie magazines before, but I’ve never seen one in the flesh.
I can’t believe Liam left this at home for his mom to find. He must really trust she’s not going to go through his things.
If I were Beth, I definitely would have.
The magazine isn’t as crusty as I imagined it would be, and I roll onto my back and prop my head on Liam’s pillow as I flip through the pages. Every single one sports an image of a large-breasted woman in some sexual pose, and the more salacious images even show hints of a vagina.
This is wonderful. Liam must still be feeling guilty if he so readily offered up this information.
“Which one’s your favorite?” I ask, peering up at Liam.
He flops beside me, making the mattress groan, before he shuffles and rests his head on the pillow I claimed. “I don’t have one.”
Well, that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one. This man most definitely has a favorite, and I’ll stop at nothing to figure out which one it is.
“Are you really going to look me dead in the eye and tell me you don’t have a favorite?” I ask.
Liam tries to look away, but I roll onto my side and hover over him.
“Tell me, Liam,” I order. “Pretty, pretty, pretty, please.”
I drop back down and lift the book above our heads before slowly flipping through each page. Liam shifts uncomfortably as I force him to look at the naked women, and I quietly watch his every reaction.
He doesn’t give anything away, his poker face immaculate, but his nose crinkles when I’m about halfway through the booklet. It’s a slight movement, one I wouldn’t notice if I weren’t watching him so intently.
Immediately I pause and turn to look at the image.
Fucking Liam.
Covering the page is a lean, dark-haired woman on her knees. She stares directly into the camera, and she appears to be mid-moan as she cups one of her bare breasts with one hand and rests the other between her thighs. You can’t see any penetration from the camera’s angle, but it’s clear she’s fingering herself.
I glance between Liam and the image, my smile growing as he gulps and looks at me out of the corner of his eye.
“What?” he snaps.
Oh, now he’s defensive?
“It’s this one, isn’t it?” I ask.
Liam shakes his head, and I drop the magazine onto his stomach with a laugh before sitting up on his bed. Poor Liam looks frazzled, my favorite thing ever, and I know I’ve won.
“Admit it,” I say.
Liam shakes his head, but I see right through it. Beaming, I snatch the magazine back up and hold it in front of his face.
“Oh, Liam,” I fake moan, wiggling the magazine as I put on a voice and pretend it’s the woman talking to him. “Oh, Liam, I think you’re so so sexy.”
I can barely speak through my laughter, and it only grows when Liam smacks the magazine out of my hands. It falls to the floor beside his bed, but before I can bend down and grab it, I’ve got a two-hundred-pound man on top of me.
Liam plants his hands on my shoulders and pins me to the mattress before dragging his fingers down my sides. I flinch, immediately panicking as he begins trying to tickle me. I hate being tickled, and I hopelessly shove at his chest as he buries his stubby little fingers into my skin.
“S-stop it!” I hiss through clenched teeth.
Liam grins down at me like a Disney movie villain. “No.”
He doubles down on his tickling, and when I’m seconds away from thinking I’m going to pee myself, Liam abruptly releases me and smashes his lips against my own. I don’t have time to react to it before his hips are between my thighs and he’s cupping my face, his touch surprisingly soft.
This shouldn’t be happening.
“Katie,” Liam moans, his voice low as he slides his mouth down the column of my throat.
I shut my eyes and tilt my head back, giving him access while I desperately try to work up the courage to pull away. I need to pull away.
Liam brushes his thumbs over my cheeks, the touch too soft for our complicated relationship.
“Katie? What did Liam—”
Liam and I jerk apart, and I awkwardly scramble up the side of Liam’s bed as Beth steps into the doorway.
Fuck.
Beth looks between Liam and me, clearly curious. Then her eyes dart toward the ground where the magazine rests, and I know instantly that nothing’s getting past her. She’s not dumb, and Liam isn’t going to be able to lie his way out of this one.
“If you’re going to have sex in my house, at least have the decency to shut the door first,” Beth eventually says.
I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping when I open them, I’ll be back at my apartment and all of this will have been some horrid dream. Instead, I open them again just in time to see Beth slam Liam’s bedroom door shut, trapping us inside.
Liam finishes rolling off me, an embarrassed groan slipping from his throat as he snatches the open magazine off the ground. He shoves it back into the drawer I took it from before sitting at his desk chair.
I sit up, still frazzled, before clearing my throat and gesturing to the door.
“Anyway, I came in here to see if you wanted any ice cream,” I say.
Liam shoots me a look, one that tells me he doesn’t want the ice cream, and I awkwardly shrug before standing and smoothing down my shirt.
“I’m going to go.” The words feel like lead on my tongue, but I know they need to be said. “It’s getting late.”
Liam glances at the bed.
“You don’t have to,” he says. “You could stay here with me.”
I clench my jaw so hard my teeth ache, and after a moment’s hesitation, I push my shoulders back and make my way to the door. We both know that’s not a good idea.
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Next chapter is Liam's POV!