by Elen Chase
"Can I… get that goodbye kiss after all?" he told him, his voice shaking a little.
"What about cheating?"
"I'll pretend I didn't know you have a boyfriend for the next five minutes."
"You want a five-minute kiss? You're demanding."
Dan took his face in his hands. Liam’s heart was beating faster every second.
"Must be because I hit my head," he whispered, and then he closed his eyes.
Dan closed his lips on his and slowly licked them. He gently forced Liam to open his mouth, and his tongue slipped inside, searching for his. Liam brushed his tongue against Dan’s, trying to focus on not getting a heart attack. Dan moved back for a moment.
"You'll die if you don't breathe," he whispered to him.
Great, he has noticed.
"Is it your first?" Dan asked.
"The first so… deep," Liam confessed, embarrassed.
"Breathe with your nose, okay, Ginger?"
"Okay," he told him, and they started kissing again.
The best five minutes of Liam’s life so far.
Chapter 5
Walking in the hallway, Liam felt the eyes of all the other students on him and heard them whispering behind his back.
"It was him, can you believe it?"
"I saw him carrying him out in his arms..."
"So, the rumors were true."
Apparently, now everyone thought Liam was dating Dan.
Liam sighed, listening to their fantasies, somehow wishing they would come true. After that day he ended up in the hospital, Peter and his stupid friends didn't dare to get close to him again. It was great for Liam to finally be free of them. Things were getting better for him. He had no bullies to worry about, he was finally able to focus on his tests, and most of all, he could spend time with the person he loved without having to hide his feelings or worrying for his reaction. Dan had accepted him completely and saw no problem whatsoever in spending time with him, even if he had a boyfriend.
"Say, Dan, what's your boyfriend's name?" Liam asked him in the library in the afternoon, abandoning his science textbook to look intensely at Dan’s face—specifically at the way he was softly biting his lower lip while reading. Liam couldn't stop thinking about their kiss and how he wished it could happen again.
"Shouldn't you be studying?"
"We can take a break for a few minutes."
"You've been saying that every twenty minutes."
"Because you're not answering my questions."
"Will you go back to studying and stay quiet if I answer?"
"I will, I promise," he lied. He was too curious about Dan’s boyfriend to just give up like that. Moreover, Dan was complaining, but he didn't really seem annoyed by Liam’s questions. Liam was sure that Dan liked him, not enough to leave his boyfriend for him but enough to want to keep him around. And maybe, just maybe, he could take advantage of that.
"Bill," Dan said with a sigh of resignation.
"Bill… is that short for William?" Liam remembered that was what Dan had asked him when he told him his name.
Did he ask that because he thought we had the same name?
Somehow, Liam found that possibility unsettling.
"Yeah, but nobody calls him that. Now go back to your science."
There was no way in hell Liam could go back to study now. William, or Bill, what kind of person was he? Whoever his rival was, Liam was on the losing side.
After a while, Dan grabbed his things to leave.
"You’re leaving already?" Liam asked him.
"Yes, I’m busy tonight."
"Are you going on a date?" Liam murmured, averting his eyes. No answer came so he looked at Dan, worried to have upset him. Dan was looking back at him with an amused smile. Before he could say anything, he leaned over him, brushing his knuckles against his cheek. Liam literally stopped breathing and felt his face turn hot. Dan’s lips moved so close to his right ear he could feel his breath on his skin.
"See you tomorrow, Ginger," Dan whispered and left right after, leaving Liam there with his mouth half-open, feeling giddy and warm. A few moments passed, and Liam decided it wasn’t right for Dan to fuck with his head like that and just leave. Determined to tell him that to his face, Liam gathered his books and followed him outside.
He ran after him to the station, but when he was close enough to finally call out to Dan and say what he wanted, his courage abandoned him all at once. He hid behind a vending machine and kept his distance. It was strange to see Dan outside school. He wondered what kind of life he lived. Was he really the son of a boss? Was his house one of those fancy apartments at the top of the few Downtown skyscrapers? Liam wanted to know.
Dan took a train directed to East-Downtown and got off at the last stop. At 6 p.m. the East District was incredibly crowded. It was the place most kids their age would hang out, going to clubs, live-houses and bars, and it felt incredibly out of place for Liam to be there. Dan disappeared in the crowd next to a small staircase, leading to the underground entrance of a sort of bar. Liam looked around, searching for him on the street, and then he decided to go look inside. It was the first time he set foot in that sort of place; the air was hot and smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol. The tables were full, but there were still a few seats available by the bar. The music was too loud and too punk for Liam’s taste. He made his way to an empty seat at the bar and asked the bartender, as loudly as he could, "Hey, I’m looking for someone, can you help me?"
The man shot him a glance while preparing two different cocktails at the same time and said, "Drinks first, questions second, Red."
Liam looked around to find a menu, and soon he figured out the only menu in that place was a bunch of drink names written with chalk on a blackboard behind the counter. He had no idea what kind of drinks they were. Too many names like “tropical,” “heaven,” “hell,” and stuff like that.
"Do you have something nonalcoholic?" he asked. The bartender looked at him like he was a grade school kid and gave him a red colored drink which tasted like a mix of cola and some sort of juice.
"So, who are you looking for, princess?" he asked him.
"Dan Price, a couple of years older than me, black hair, blue eyes. Do you know him?"
"Never heard of him, kid. Sorry."
Figures. Dan was a mystery. If he hadn’t come to his rescue twice in school, Liam would suspect he wasn’t even real. He remained at the bar for a while, taking his time finishing his drink.
"Hey, I heard you’re looking for a friend of mine," a male voice spoke behind him. Liam turned around, not sure the guy was really talking to him, and there he saw a gorgeous boy with blond, straight hair to his shoulders and light blue eyes looking at him. He must have been Dan’s age, was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, and was wearing eyeliner and studded wristbands.
"I don’t think so…?" Liam said, uncertain.
"I heard you’re here for Dan. Dan Price."
"How do you know?" Seriously, Liam had been there for the grand total of 20 minutes or so. Did the whole bar know who he was looking for already?
"Kid, you tell the bartender, you tell everyone," the blond guy said with a smile. "You ain’t gonna find Dan in this sort of place if you ask for his real name."
Liam wasn’t expecting it. Dan wouldn't use his real name? Why?
"Then why do you know?" Liam asked.
"I told you, he’s a friend of mine. I’m Harry, by the way."
"I’m Liam. Do you know if he’s here?"
"Sorry Liam, I’m sure he had work today," Harry said, looking at him with curiosity. "Let’s hang out! We can send him a text and meet him afterward."
Harry seemed nice, but Liam was now just very tired and disappointed. "Thanks, but I think I’ll just go back for tonight."
Before leaving, Liam went to the restroom, and there he found some people doing drugs, more messed up than what he ever saw at school. A man who was missing a tooth spoke to him.
"Look what a cute tomato hea
d we have here," he said with a creepy smile. "Why dontcha join us?"
"No, thank you," Liam said, sort of disgusted, taking a step back. The man grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him closer and seriously freaking him out. Liam stomped on his foot and pushed him away. He left the restroom and ran away from that place, not turning back. He had the feeling that, while leaving, Harry had called his name, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Going there had been a mistake. Dan was living in a world too far away from his.
Liam ran through the crowd that was flowing restlessly on the street, bumping into people and getting pushed around. At some point, he managed to get out of that mess, but soon he realized he was completely lost. He needed to rest for a moment, and when he noticed that just on the other side of the street there were two police officers controlling the traffic, he relaxed and decided to sit on a bench by the entrance of a park.
"Liam? What are you doing here alone?"
Liam lifted his head and saw Peter standing just a few feet from him.
Always at the right moment, he thought.
"Nothing," he replied, too tired to even get angry at Peter.
"It's dangerous to hang out in this sort of place on your own," Peter said, averting his eyes.
"Yeah, someone might smash my head on a sink and send me to the hospital."
"I wasn't… I didn't mean to…." The guilt showing on his face disgusted Liam even more. "I was angry and didn't notice you had hit your head."
"I guess you didn't," Liam said. "Are you going to tell me that you never noticed how you hurt me in the past few years too?"
Peter just stared at the ground.
Liam continued, "It must be nice… it must feel good to play with another person's life, doing whatever you want just to humiliate them. I'm sure you feel cooler and smarter."
"I—"
"I hate you," Liam told him, strangely calm. "I trusted you… I really thought of you as my friend. And you were making fun of me behind my back."
"You didn't even ask me."
"Ask you what?"
"Ask me to explain what was going on," Peter argued. "You gave up on me the second you heard me talking with our classmates. It took you less than a minute to turn me into your enemy."
"This doesn't make any sense…. You betrayed me…."
"It wasn't me!" he screamed. "I didn't tell them about you! That day they already knew. It was that Hugo, that kid you had kissed. He told them… and they started making fun of me and saying I liked you, and I… I denied everything. I don't know what you heard when you came in the classroom, but do you remember what you told me right after that? ‘I knew it,’ you said."
"You're lying," Liam said. "You only want to hurt me again."
"You're the one who's lying. You never thought of me as your friend. You never trusted me… and I gave up on you too. I was angry, at first. I hated how you looked at me like I was trash. So, I started bullying you… and I couldn't stop ever since."
"Bullshit! You're trying to tell me that it's my fault? My life became hell because of you! You even ruined my one and only chance to leave this shitty town!"
"You wouldn't even look at me!" Peter shouted. "You forgot everything about me so fast… ignoring me, trying to run away from Downtown…"
"What are you even talking about?" Liam was just confused. He had no idea what Peter was blabbering about, and all the pain he had been burying inside for years was only making it worse. At that moment, just when he was wishing someone would take him away from there, his watchpad rang. Dan was calling him. He picked it up immediately.
"Dan," Liam whispered his name, almost crying.
"Hey, Ginger… are you all right? Harry called me."
"I got lost," he said, not wanting to say too much in front of Peter.
"Where?"
"Somewhere around the East District station… I'm close to a park."
"Do you see a tall building with a commercial on it?"
Liam looked around. "Green swimsuit girl?"
"Yes, walk toward it, I'll come to get you," he said, and hung up right after.
"Your boyfriend is waiting for you?" Peter asked him. "Go, I bet you don't want to keep him waiting," he said, and without responding, Liam ran past him to go see Dan.
Chapter 6
Dan was waiting for him on the other side of the street. When Liam realized what a worried expression he had on his face, he ran to him and jumped into his arms, holding tight to him and rubbing his face on his shirt like a starved kitten.
"Hey, Ginger," Dan whispered sweetly. "What happened exactly?" Dan’s hand passed delicately through Liam’s hair.
"I tried to follow you…. I'm sorry."
"Did someone try to rob you? Hit you? Touch you?"
Still a bit in shock, Liam shook his head.
"Do I have to go kill somebody?" Dan asked so seriously, a shiver went down Liam’s spine.
"I just want to go home," he said, suddenly extremely tired.
"I'll walk you home, then." Dan released the hug and passed his arm around Liam’s shoulders. They rode on the train and sat side by side, Dan’s arm always so reassuring and confident around his shoulders. Liam let himself go—he still couldn't believe he was doing this in public—and let his head rest on Dan’s shoulder. Finally, all the built-up stress he had in him disappeared, leaving him dizzy and tired but at the same time warm and happy. He had never felt so cherished before. There had been a time, years ago, when he had thought Peter cared for him and he felt safe by his side, too. He knew now that it had been a lie. What he had with Dan, on the contrary, felt so real and intense he was almost moved by it.
When the two of them arrived in front of Liam’s house he was feeling better already, and at that point, he didn’t really want to let Dan go.
"It's a nice place," Dan said, looking at his house. He lived in a residential area, a quiet neighborhood of row houses that were bigger compared to the average Downtown apartments.
"Thanks. My parents bought this house with financial help from the city, for the young couples with kids, about thirteen years ago."
"I see. What do they do?"
"Dad drives a truck. Mom looks after a granny who lives in Uptown."
"It got pretty late. They must be worried for you."
"It's fine, they're both working tonight, so I'm home alone." As he spoke those words, an insane idea crawled through his mind. "Do you want to come in for a while?"
"You…." Dan seemed speechless.
"I'm not thinking anything strange, I mean, I just… I am just inviting you to dinner."
"Dinner," Dan repeated with an enigmatic expression.
"Yes. I'm pretty good at cooking, you know." Liam tried to pretend he didn’t know he was blushing. His invitation was a hundred percent suspicious. Dan was totally going to say no.
"All right then."
Liam’s heart started beating at a ridiculous speed. He had put himself in that situation so he had no right to feel anxious now. "Really?"
"Yes. You're just inviting me to dinner, right?"
"Sure. Dinner. Food… things to eat," Liam muttered, and he opened the door. He almost ran to the kitchen to start cooking—and thinking about what to do—while Dan looked around the living room.
"It's cozy," he said.
"Really? I think it's pretty normal."
"Is the furniture handmade?"
"Oh, you noticed immediately. A few years ago, my dad was fixated on woodwork and wanted to make everything on his own. He forced me to help him all the time; those were the most boring days of my life. Classic, lame father-son activities."
"It seems like something Uncle Rick would do," he said, quietly, as if he was thinking out loud rather than talking to Liam.
"What did you say?" Liam couldn't hear well from the kitchen, and he wanted to be sure he had got it right. Not hearing an answer, he turned around to look at him across the room. Dan showed him a beautiful but nostalgic smile.
"It’s n
othing," he said.
"Did you do something like this with your dad too?"
Dan just stared at him for a moment.
"No," he paused. "I don't have a dad."
Liam wanted to disappear. He clearly put his foot in it. "I'm sorry, I..."
"It's okay, it's not that he died… I just never had one."
So, all the rumors about his father at school were fake. Liam wondered if hearing all those stories about him actually hurt him.
"My mother raised me on her own for fourteen years. Thinking about it now, it must have been hard for her."
"Fourteen years?" Liam asked.
Aren't you eighteen now?
"Four years ago, she left with a man. I haven’t seen her since."
Liam found himself shocked by Dan’s story, even though he was supposed to know that things like that happened all the time. He didn’t have the courage to look into Dan’s eyes. "I guess you live alone, then?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"And how do you pay for your school fees and stuff?"
"I have special permission to work." Dan walked up to Liam and put a hand on his shoulder. Liam couldn’t turn around. He didn’t want him to see whatever weird feeling was showing on his face.
"Is this why you come to school only once in a while?"
"Ginger." Dan took Liam’s face in his hands, forcing him to look at him. "You don't have to feel bad for me, you know."
"You're so strong," Liam whispered and buried his face in his chest. Dan wrapped his arms around him in a warm embrace.
"You're making a lot of bold moves tonight," he whispered in his ear. "You bring home a man when your parents are out, then you tempt him like this." He tilted Liam’s chin up with his fingers and looked deeply into his eyes. "Is dinner ready yet? I might end up eating you if you don't hurry up."
Liam’s body completely disconnected from his brain. The only thing he knew was that Dan was about to kiss him and he wanted that kiss so badly he was shaking from head to toe.
Kiss me, please, just kiss me.
Liam closed his eyes and opened his mouth, ready to take Dan’s lips between his, longing for it with every inch of his body, when the oven shrilled, interrupting them and leaving him startled and cold. He exhaled nervously and opened the oven, hoping they could just pick up where they left off after he prevented their dinner from burning. Unfortunately, it seemed that Dan’s attention had already gone somewhere else.