Chapter 24
Liv
"Listen motherfucker, step away from the shoe and I won't send you to the shelter." If I didn’t know any better, I'd say this poufed up rat just rolled his damn eyes at me.
What I do definitely know though is that if the furball doesn’t get the hell away from my brand new Kurt Geiger courts, I'm gonna bitch slap him. It's amazing, I've got a bright pink pair of Crocs in my closet that Pam thought I would love, yet the little rodent doesn’t wanna adopt those as his new litter box, oh no! Instead he wants to use a hundred dollar pair of shoes.
I hear snickering behind me and don’t even have to turn around to know who's there, I can feel him.
"You think this is funny? Maybe next time he craps in one of my shoes I'll just tip it in one of yours, see how you like that." I say, turning to face the guy who has irrevocably taken my heart but it's also getting on my last damn nerve.
He puts his hands up in surrender while biting into his lip, which I'm guessing is stopping him from roaring with laughter right in my face.
After our heart to heart in Atlanta weeks ago, things have been pretty good. Though I walked on eggshells for a while, a few choice words from Noah and I was back to my usual bitchy self. Noah has now taken on the role of my therapist, apparently we need to talk about our problems. I keep expecting him to have to some leather couch in him room for me to lie on while telling him all my girly ass problems. Not only is he now self appointed therapist, he also fancies himself as a bodyguard. I'm pretty independent usually but instead of feeling stifled and controlled, it feels incredibly comforting to have him in my corner, like it's us against the world.
We're still sneaking around, though its less sneaking and more our parents being completely brain dead not to notice what's going on, we're not exactly inconspicuous, we still spend every night together, either talking until the early hours of the morning or worshiping each others bodies.
"Uh oh." Noah says, looking round me.
"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU BASTARD RAT."
Noah is openly laughing now as the asshole whose just peed in my shoe struts out the room, his nose in the air like he owns the damn place.
"You know in China they eat cats, I'm pretty sure I can give the Chinese take out a call and see if they accept fucking donations."
Great, now I'm shouting at a cat. I just hope that I last till the end of the year, I can feel myself losing more of my mind by the second. Between the crappy cat that intent on ruining my life or at least my shoe collection and my pink Barbie Palace that I can't even paint over because when mentioning it in passing to Pam you'd think I'd slapped her in the face. I don’t shy away from speaking my mind but even I'm not that straight, after reassuring her that it was a joke and I love the room, she then proceeded to bring me something pink back from every shopping trip. Whether it’s a pink case for my phone or the ugly ass pink crocs.
"Come here." Noah says, pulling me into his strong hard chest.
His arms wrap around me, his face buried in my hair. It's almost been three months since we met, I love him more and more as every day passes. You wouldn’t think he was a seventeen year old in High School to hear him talk sometimes. Its hard not to imagine forever though, he's so positively sure that it's impossible to doubt it's true. I've never felt so safe and secure in my life and it's exactly what I needed. Instead of feeling like there's a hole ready to swallow me up, I feel amazing and confident and so totally in love. If someone had told me a couple of months ago that this would be my life, that I would have found my forever love in my own Father's house, I would have laughed in their face.
"Hey, what're you thinking about?" Noah tips my chin up.
"Just how weird life is, you know, when I first saw you I thought you were so arrogant, a stereotypical dumb jock with all his brains swinging between his legs."
"I don’t think anyone's ever said anything that nice to me babe, I'm swooning here." I playfully slap his chest.
"I was gonna say I couldn’t be more wrong, you're nothing like how I thought."
"Well, the first time I saw you, all I could think about was how I was gonna get you under me. Personally, I think my evaluation was spot on."
"You're cruising for a bruising Mister." I say, eyebrows raised.
"I also thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."
I reach up on my tippy toes and lay a soft gentle kiss on his lips. The kiss quickly turns hungry, Noah's tongue sparring with mine as he cups my ass, gently squeezing it.
"Don’t you have somewhere to be?" I ask, hesitantly pulling away.
Noah lets out a groan, squeezing his eyes shut. He shoves his hand into the pocket of his great sweat and looks at the screen of his phone.
"I haven't gotta meet Brady for half hour."
"How is he?"
"Still pretty cut up over Cindy, they'll sort it out though. I think they're at least talking now. I just feel so guilty you know, the whole fight was over me and Brady living together in College and I'm not even going."
You need to tell him, he needs to hear it from you. Who knows, maybe they'll be able to sort It out once he's knows the truth."
"I know, I know. I'm a wimp, I'm gonna tell him the day after Thanksgiving, no point in ruining the holiday, especially since he's spending it here."
That’s already a pretty sore point since Dickwads parents are gonna be in Switzerland or something for the holiday. Brady was meant to be spending the day with Cindy and her family but under the circumstances, probably not gonna happen and since its only four days until Thanksgiving, hes gonna spend it here. I gotta be honest, I'm warming to him, I guess he's kinda funny if you can get past him being a total dumbass. Thanksgiving is gonna be more than interesting this year, especially since we've Martha, queen of the fucking pageant world joining us. I've just about managed to avoid her for weeks, though Pams constantly passing on messages from her telling me how much she's looking forward to seeing me again. So basically, Noah's grandmother is my stalker, woman drives me crazy.
This is gonna be the first Thanksgiving I've spent with my Dad since he and the Bitch split up when I was twelve. The Bitch never really celebrated it with me, always spent it at her bitchy snobby friends houses, usually I just headed over to Trina's and had it with them. I havent heart from the Bitch since Atanta, which I'm more than happy for, though my Dad definitely hasn’t been so lucky. I'm pretty sure Pam and the Bitch are gonna have a throw down if she calls my Dad again, it's been at least twice a week since Atlanta. He's more than once tried to pass the phone of to me but as soon as I had it in my hands, I just pressed end call and passed it back. There has been quite a few arguments of late over that, I really couldn’t give two flying fucks. I've made a vow that with my new happy life, I don’t want any negativity in it, that means no prune faced sour Bitches who just happened to be a human incubator for me for nine months.
"What're you gonna do today while I'm gone?" Noah rubs my arms up and down.
"Your Mom and I are going shopping." He raises his eyebrows to this.
"I know, I know. I've made a vow to myself though that if she holds up one pink thing I'm gonna tell her I don’t like it, either that or I'm gonna chuck it at her head."
"You know, you're lecturing me about telling Brady the truth and you're still pretending that you don’t totally hate the color pink."
"I'm trying not to hurt her feelings." I stick my finger up to hush him before he opens his mouth. "Me pretending to like a color so that I don’t hurt your Mother's feelings is not the same as you causing a total shitstorm by pretending you're going to college in the Fall when you've actually got no intention of it."
"I know you're right, after Thanksgiving I'll tell him. I better go before he starts calling me ten thousand times to see where I am. I love you." Noah gives me lingering kiss that I'm sure makes my blood pressure go through the roof
"I love you too." His whole face lights up just as it does every time I utter those three words.
"Now go before I get the blame from Dickwad for you being late."
He winks at me which sends my insides to mush, as per usual. I can't help but stare at his butt as he walks out the room, he sure has got a nice ass. I look behind me and notice the defecated shoe, that cats really gonna fucking get it. I snatch a few makeup wipes from the packet and grip the back of the shoe, keeping my hand covered by the wipes. Holding it at arms length, I leave the room to go in search for my Dad.
I find him in the kitchen, humming some kind of tune under his breath while flipping bacon in the frying pan. I decide against dropping the shoe in front of him, instead sticking it in front of his face.
"What's that smell?"
"Your damn cat. I need new shoes."
"He doesn’t mean it Liv, get some cheaper taste in shoes and I'll buy you some."
"Listen here, either you buy me new shoes or you're gonna have to buy your wife a new cat. Either way it’s a win win for me so make your decision. I accept Visa, Paypal, check, or just cold hard cash."
With that, I drop the shoe in the trash can before walking out, my nose in the air.
"By the way, I'm going shopping with Pam later so I'll need the money by then." I shout behind me.
"Where are you going?"
"Savannah."
Oh yeah, an hour there and an hour back with Pam in the car, that should be fun. Not.
***
"Oh I'm so happy we could do this sweetheart, it's so nice to have some girl time."
I offer Pam a tight lipped smile in reply, my attention solely on the wall of very nice and very expensive designer shoes. The glass shelves in which the killer heels sit on, a backlight shining on the them, I'm in heaven. I'm more than surprised that as soon as we parked up, Pam headed straight here, babbling on the way about how I just had to see this store. I liked Pam before, I love her now.
"So I was thinking, we have your Dad's credit card." Pam waves the little piece of plastic in the air. "He said to buy you a new pair of shoes but he didn’t say anything about price limit."
Ok, I love Pam. I'd ask her to adopt me if I wasn’t, you know, sleeping with her son. I let out an excited squeal that I'm grateful nobody else can hear. Damn, I sound like a right ninny but I can see red soled shoes in my future and that’s all that matters right now.
A brunette sales woman comes over to us as I stand there drooling over shoes that cost the same for one pair as probably twenty pairs do at another store.
"Can I help you ladies with anything today?" She asks in a professional voice which more than goes with the career obsessed persona she trying to show.
I look at her outfit, the stylish white lace pencil dress impressing me. I'd never take advice from a store clerk that doesn’t have any fashion sense, that'd be just stupid.
"You're looking at those, aren't you Liv?" Pam points to the black patent heels that I've barely been able to drag my eyes away from.
"Oh those are our Bianca Louboutins, they're eight hundred and seventy five dollar and they come a choice of black or nude."
I look away from the shoes sadly, my Dad might not have set a spending limit for our little shopping spree but I know for a fact he'd have a stroke if we spent nine hundred dollar on a pair of shoes.
"We'll take them, oh and these aswell." What the fuck?!
My head snaps up like an elastic band as I watch Pam pass the lady a black glitter pump with the same recognizable red sole.
"Ok ladies, so that’s a Bianca and a Completa, I'll put your purchases behind the check out for when you're done."
"Pam that’s almost two thousand dollars in shoes, I'm all for driving my Dad nuts but I'm pretty sure this might kill him."
"Oh Liv, these are my treat, we haven't spent much time alone since you moved in and well, what can I say, I'm a lover of shoes, especially Louboutins."
"That’s really nice of you but I can't accept them, they're way too much."
"Oh shush sweetie, like I said, it's my treat. Anyway, Sylvester has ruined a lot of your shoes so it’s the least I can do. He can't help it, bless him, he used to do the same when your Dad and I first moved in together. Of course, he never did it in his shoes, he always did it in Phil's side of the bed, he actually laid in it a few times. Don’t tell him I told you though, he'd be horrified."
"Wait, wait, wait, my Dad laid in cat crap, is that what you're telling me?" Oh this is good, this is leverage.
"Come on, let's go pay, I have a few more stores to show you with the cutest purses in, may as well get some use out of your Dads card."
I think I may have just made a new best friend.
***
"We better go soon, the boys'll be wondering where we are. We don’t want your Father and Noah worrying." Pam gives me a look with her eyes that I can't even begin to understand.
Wait, what does she mean my Dad AND Noah. I look at my Step Mother with what I'm sure is a suspicious look before putting my question away to look at later, no point looking for trouble. I spear another piece of broccoli into my mouth as Pam carries on as if she hasn’t spoken. I shrug, who cares, it's not like she knows about me and Noah, I'm sure there'll be hell to pay when she and my Dad find out though.
"You'll have to wear your new shoes for Thanksgiving, I'm sure your Mom'll be green." I say, with a mischievous smirk.
Yes I can just imagine Martha's eyes popping out of her head on seeing Pams hot new heels.
"I'm sure she'll pick fault with them somehow." She sighs.
The sad tone of her voice, as well as the look on her face has me feeling uncomfortable. I'm not really into sharing shit, the way she looks though pulls at my heartstrings. I may not care what the Bitch thinks now, I may not care if she's at the bottom of a cliff or under a train, I remember a time when I was little though, when all I wanted was her affection and attention. I think myself lucky that I grew out of that shit, Pam obviously hasn’t though.
"Who cares what she thinks? Listen, are you happy with your life?" I ask, looking her straight in the eyes, one eyebrow quirked.
"Of course, I love your Father and the boys, and you of course."
"Then what does it matter what she thinks about it?"
"When did you get to be so smart?" She laughs.
"Never, I do know what it's like to have a grade A bitch of a mother though, the best thing you can do is just ignore it or cut it out."
She looks at me for a few seconds and I feel more than awkward under her gaze, as if she's dragging all my secrets out into the open. I can see where her son gets it from now. I've never mentioned the Bitch to Pam, never really discussed her at all with anyone in Franklin apart from Noah. My Dad knows my feelings, if he tries to push his luck in forcing her on me, I remind him. I know now with more certainty than ever, she has no part in my life here, not at all. Pam's next words quickly jar me out of my thoughts.
"Noahs very lucky to have you." SHIT!
"W-what? I don’t know what you mean." I'm a stuttering, spluttering mess, I know.
She raises her eyebrows smirk.
"How did you know?" My voice is small and there's ringing in my ears.
This is it. She's gonna tell my Dad, he'll probably send me back to live with the Bitch, me and Noah will end and my life right alongside it. I can feel my chest tightening and my heart beating out of my chest, I'm sure I'm as pale as ever.
"Oh sweetie, don't worry." Pam grabs my hand, giving it a slight squeeze, I'm sure in a bid to comfort and calm me down.
I nod my head, breathing deeply and grabbing the tumbler of water on the table next to me before gulping it down, water escaping down my chin.
"Are you gonna tell my Dad?" What the hell am I saying, of course she is, he's her husband."
"No, but you are, after Thanksgiving."
"He won't allow it though, he'll try and split us up, he won't understand." The recent calmness is quickly dissipating, sweat slicking my forehead at the thought of what my Dad'll say when he finds out I'm with my step brother.
"When did you find out?"
"Savannah, dinner with Ada and Trina."
"But that was-"
"Weeks ago, I know. I wasn’t sure at first, it all clicked into place when Noah went to check on you at dinner, the concern on his face, he was genuinely worried. After watching you both more closely, I could've kicked myself for not noticing before. You spend practically all your time together, I've noticed more than once how Noah looks at you but I just thought it was a little crush. After watching you the past few weeks though, the way you look at , the way you smile at each other, the way my sons so settled and happy. He hasn’t been like that since his Father was alive, it’s a joy to watch."
I blink away the wetness that I gathering in my eyes, I'm touched as well as a little relieved. It's like the breath that I didn’t even realize I've been holding in for the past few months has just been released.
"Are you mad?" I ask, not so much for me but for Noah's sake since I'm sure it would be him getting the earful.
"No, I was a little shocked at first before I saw how much you mean to one another. I wish you both would have felt like you could have come to me but I understand why you couldn’t. I don’t see a problem with it though, you're both practically adults, you aren't related and you really only just met. As long as you are both serious about each other since this may ruffle a few feathers, I don’t see a problem. The sneaking around will have to stop of course and a few ground rules will have to be set but I don’t see why we can't all work with this development."
"I love him." I don’t know what possesses me to say it, I just feel like she needs to hear it though.
"Oh honey, I never doubted you did, you can see it in your face, both of your faces. Personally I think you both have very good taste."
I stand up from my seat, scraping my chair back which causes the legs to squeak against the floor, causing other diners to stop with their meals and look. I walk over to Pam and wrap my arms around her shoulders, unbelievably grateful for her understanding and support.
Forever Love Page 21