AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Liam swallows, and when my gaze follows his hand, I notice the way he adjusts himself. “I think I’ve gone through enough misery for long enough.”
Smacking his arm, I reposition myself on the sofa next to him, not letting him bail. “You’ve come this far, so you might as well see it through to the end.”
He sighs and pushes back on the sofa. “Fine.”
Johnny barges into the banquet hall, and when he finds his woman, I say one of the most famous lines in Dirty Dancing aloud, nearly cheering for Baby.
Liam shakes his head, calling me ridiculous, but I don’t miss the intriguing way he watches the screen. Either he really wants to see how it ends, or he’s trying not to focus on the fact that he just had me on my back, ready and willing, and he chickened out…again.
“Of course, they finally do the dance perfectly,” he says after Johnny catches Baby in the lift.
“Duh.” I snort. “Wasn’t it beautiful?” I stick out my lower lip and pretend I’m holding back tears. “Despite all the roadblocks they endured, they got their HEA.”
“HEA?” Liam furrows his brows as I turn down the volume while the ending credits scroll on the screen.
“Oh my God.” I groan. “Happily ever after. Seriously? You know nothing!”
“Am I allowed to leave now? Or are you gonna watch another movie you know all the lines to?” His voice is gravelly as if he’s bored, but I know it’s an act. He might pretend to hate spending time with me, but he also doesn’t put up much of a fight about it.
“I wish, but I really should do my homework so I can shower and go to bed. I have an assignment to finish since I’m missing classes on Friday. Wedding festivities start in two days!” I remind him, turning off the TV.
I stand and so does Liam. He looks at me as though something’s on his mind that he’s not telling me. “You okay?” I ask, sincerely worried about him.
Blinking, he shoves his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, fine. I’m gonna head up too.” Liam takes a step toward me and hugs me tightly, taking me by surprise. “You be careful, okay?”
My brows pinch together as I wrap my arms around him, soaking in how good it feels when he holds me. “Always am,” I say.
Liam releases me with a smile. “I’ll take you to school and pick you up tomorrow,” he states, giving me no room to argue. I usually catch a ride with Sophie, but I won’t say no to the extra time with him.
“Ohh, okay. Sure. I’ll be ready by seven thirty.”
After giving me a curt nod, he walks past me and goes upstairs. I grab clean clothes from my room before heading to the bathroom and think about everything as I take a shower. Between Sophie telling me about Liam’s gambling receipt and chip from a couple of months ago and his back and forth moods, I’m convinced something is going on, and he’s not telling us. He’s always been a private person, but his overprotectiveness toward me and overall edginess are alarming. I don’t know anything about his childhood or his family, but I also haven’t asked. I don’t want to pry into his life, but perhaps I should. If he’s in trouble or dealing with some deep shit, I want him to know he can trust me if he needs help.
Chapter Nine
Liam
THE PREVIOUS DAY
After running errands on Tuesday afternoon, I’m relieved to go home and relax for the rest of the night. It’s been a couple of months since I bailed on JJ and left Vegas for good. While things are starting to feel normal again, I hate that I’m still constantly looking over my shoulder. He’s texted and called me dozens of times, but I’ve ignored them all. It’s what I need to do while I save money to pay them back. If I return with anything less than I owe, they’ll undoubtedly kill me.
I take a shower and grab something to eat before I see a text from Hunter. He’s getting married this weekend, and Mason and I are flying to Utah to be in the wedding.
Hunter: Don’t forget to pick up your tux! Black socks and black shoes.
Liam: Oh fuck. I thought we were doing navy blue?
Hunter: Don’t make me have to come over there and smack you around, Evans. Lennon’s already driving me crazy. I don’t need any more reason to vent my frustrations out on you.
Liam: You’re too easy, man. Relax! I got this.
Hunter: Still gonna punch you.
Liam: Yeah, yeah. You wouldn’t let your favorite groomsmen be photographed with a black eye. Lennon would really kill you then.
Hunter: I’ll get you back after.
Liam: Mmhmm, Manning. If it makes you feel better, I’ll even let you swing first.
