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Liam
A cold nose touched Liam’s arm, and he lifted his head. “Hey, Slider. You and Pop took a long walk.” He reached down and rubbed the dog’s fuzzy head.
“I need to exercise the lazy from my demon dog.” Pop filled the electric kettle. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“My, that’s some enthusiasm. I make a mean cup of tea.”
“You do.”
Pop plugged it in and flicked the switch. “You’re a mopey mess. What’s going on? Did they rescind your job offer?”
He shook his head. “That’s fine.”
“What are you wallowing in that has you this unhappy?” Pop raised an eyebrow. “Or should I guess? This has to do with a certain tutoree you met for coffee today?”
“Don’t need to guess. I think I like Coury. Like like, not just as friends.”
“No!” Pop slapped his hand over his heart. “That’s astounding. I can’t believe it. Never in a million years!”
“C’mon, Pop. I don’t need you to tease me, too. I’ve always had a crush on him, but we never hung out like we are now. It’s different.”
“You realize he’s every bit as nice a guy as you hoped?”
“Yeah. Nicer really.”
“News flash, Liam, everyone knows. I bet even Beckett figured it out.”
“Not Coury.”
“Why do you say that?” The kettle whistled; Pop took down his teapot and spooned leaves into a small diffuser. “From what I saw, he likes you well enough.”
“As his best friend’s little brother. Not as someone he might date.”
Pop brought the pot over and set it on the table to steep. “I think Coury likes you because you’re a pretty great guy. He didn’t celebrate with Beckett’s younger brother, he celebrated with Liam.”
“Maybe, but he doesn’t like me like that.”
“You came by this bit of wisdom, how?”
“He kept pointing out guys today, asking if I also thought they were cute.” Saying it aloud ripped open the wound. “They were all tall, athletic, and hot. Nothing like me.”
“I’m sorry, Liam.”
Liam shrugged. “I wanted to tell him to stop asking, but he kept going. I felt more and more inferior. So I ended the inquisition by pointing out this muscly oaf.”
“You told him that was your type?”
“Yep.”
Pop dunked the diffuser and set it back in the pot. “Because Coury pointed out guys who looked a lot like him?”
“What are you getting at?”
“You were hurt he kept asking you about other guys when you were sitting across from him. Not wanting him to think your ‘type’ was something similar to him, you picked someone completely opposite.”
“Yep, that’s about how it went down.” Liam rested his head back on the table. “He likes guys who have mad athletic skills.”
“If you want him to notice you, then learn to catch.”
Liam scoffed. “Right. Even if I could learn without making a trip to an emergency room, that won’t help. It’s the whole package. Sporty, athletic guys. Catching a baseball doesn’t make me a jock.”
“I think the best course is to talk to him.” He poured them some tea. “The worst that happens is he confirms he doesn’t want to date and you continue on as friends.”
“That’s actually pretty bad.”
“Not really. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a wonderful young man. If he isn’t interested, he won’t be mean or embarrass you.”
“I don’t think he would either, but no matter how nice he is, it’s going to hurt.”
Pop rubbed Liam’s back gently. “I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
“Me neither, but when he didn’t correct Helen, I thought maybe . . . you know, maybe he was cool with it.”
“I think at a minimum, he’s not repulsed by the idea.” He smiled. “Liam, no matter what he says, he likes you for you. Not because you’re Beckett’s brother. You are a wonderful young man. It’s easy to dismiss what family and friends say, because we’re biased, but as the saying goes, actions talk. Coury’s actions talk.”
“All that may be true, but I’m still Becks’ little brother to him.”
“My point is, Coury could do a lot less and still be able to tell Beckett he’s watching over you. He didn’t need to take you to the lecture or come with us for dinner with Helen.”
“What if he only wants to be friends?”
“You have to decide if that’s enough for you. If not, you need to put distance between you both.” Pop nudged Liam’s mug. “Drink up before it gets cold.”
“Right.” Liam picked up his tea and took a sip.
He didn’t want to be just friends. It would be impossible to hang out, especially if he had to watch Coury hit on other people. The question was, did he want to know the truth or continue to live in denial and torture himself?
The answer was clear. Liam wasn’t big on torturing himself, and denial was even worse. That left talking.
