by Jae
“Are you sure?” Liam asks, staring intently into my eyes.
All nervous and scared thoughts about Liam and I’s future go flying out the window as I nod my head. Liam stares into my eyes for a few more moments before hooking his fingers in the sides of my underwear and gently pulling them off. Even though I’ve been naked in front of Liam before, there’s something about this time that feels different. A part of me wants to grab the pillow behind my head and cover myself up, but there’s something about the way his eyes are scanning over my body that makes me feel like a shy, nervous little girl and a confident, sexy woman all at the same time. Things between us sort of just spiral from there - our hands and lips moving all over each other while Liam makes me his own.
“You’re so beautiful, Daisy.” Liam whispers and I close my eyes, feeling like I’m on could nine.
“I can’t believe our parents are going to be in our houses when we get home.” Ella squeals.
“Yeah, I know.” I agree, leaning my elbows on the counter the registers sit on and dropping my chin onto my hands.
“Okay, what’s up with you today?” Taylor asks while she and Zoie move to stand in front of us.
“What do you mean?” I ask and they all narrow their eyes on me.
“You’ve had that goofy grin plastered on your face all day.” Zoie says, rolling her eyes. “And we all know you’re not that happy your parents are coming home, so spill.”
“Well…” I pause, dragging out the suspense only because I know it will irritate them. “Liam and I…”
“You had sex!” Taylor shouts, pointing her finger at me while jumping up and down.
“Taylor!” Ella practically growls and my eyes grow wide when all the customers in the shop look towards us.
“I’m sorry.” She mumbles while looking down at her feet, feeling embarrassed.
“Is she right though?” Zoie asks, a small smile creeping on her face.
I smile and nod my head, causing Ella to throw her arms around me and all of us to squeal like little school girls as quietly as possible.
“Oh my God!” Taylor exclaims.
“How was it?” Ella asks.
“Oh my God!” Taylor exclaims again.
“It was… Amazing!” I beam as a few customers make their way towards the registers.
Zoie and Taylor walk away with huge smiles on their faces and Taylor pretends to fan her face with her hand. Ella and I quickly ring up the customer’s things, giving each other knowing smiles once they walk away.
“Amazing?” Ella asks, confirming what I said.
“Amazing.”
“There’s my girl!” My Dad shouts when I walk into the kitchen.
“Hey, Dad!” I laugh when he pulls me into a bear hug.
“Is Daisy home?” I hear my Mom yell as she comes running into the kitchen.
Before I can get a chance to say anything, my Mom pulls me away from my Dad and wraps her arms around me.
“We missed you so much!” She gushes, her hold on me getting tighter and tighter by the second.
“I missed you too.” I barely get out.
“You’re going to suffocate her.” My Dad says with a laugh, prying my Mom’s arms from around me.
“I’m going to go change really quick.” I say after looking at the time on the oven clock. “Liam’s game starts in an hour.”
I race up to my room with my parents following closely behind me. My Dad continues down the hall to his room while my Mom follows me into mine. I’m not at all surprised to see that she’s already dressed. That’s one thing I’ve always loved about my parents though, they both dress very fashionably. My Mom has on a nice white shirt with a rhinestoned chest pocket tucked loosely into a pair of black ankle pants with a thin gold belt, and pair of black suede Diane Von Furstenberg Rory booties.
“So,” My Mom starts after sitting down on a large plush chair in the corner of my closet. “How’s work going?”
“Pretty good.” I answer, glancing over at her. “I didn’t have to work all last week because they were remodeling, but I definitely made up for it this week.”
“That’s good.” She responds before shaking her head and scrunching up her nose at the nice dress I pull out. “Try for something a little more casual.”
I nod my head and keep flipping through my clothes. My parents have never said I had to get a job, but it’s something I’ve always felt like I needed to do. I’ve never wanted to be considered one of those spoiled rich kids that people hate. I like to work as much as possible for the things I want.
“Where are we going to eat anyway?” I ask after I pull out another outfit.
“You know that seafood place by the pier?” My mom questions, nodding her head at my choice of clothing. “That one you love?”
I nod my head again while I change into my clothes, keeping my back to my Mom.
“So tell me more about what’s going on with you and Liam!” My Mom suddenly exclaims. “Are you two officially together or is it more of a casual thing?”
I don’t even have to turn around to know she has a huge smile on her face.
“We’re officially together.” I confirm, a shy smile spreading on my face when I turn around to look at her. “I really like him, Mom.”
“Oh, Daisy!” My Mom gushes. “I’m so happy for you!”
I laugh while I look over my outfit in the mirror. I have on a loose black t-shirt that says ‘The Only Coke I Do Is Diet’ on the front in big white letters, black jeans, and a pair of black leather Jeffrey Campbell Lita heels. I leave my hair down in loose curls and touch up my dark smoky eye makeup from work.
“You guys ready to go?” My Dad asks after he knocks on the doorframe of my closet and walks in. He’s wearing a fitted white and thin black striped shirt, light olive paneled khaki pants, and a pair of brown leather Eddie Bauer Tempe Oxford shoes.
My Mom and I both say yes at the same time before we walk into my room and I shove my phone into my purse and then follow them out to the car.
The car ride is filled with my parents telling me about their trip and how excited they are to possibly go back again next summer. When we arrive at the arena and get out of the car, my Dad immediately interlocks his fingers with my Mom’s. Another thing I’ve always loved about my parents is how affectionate they are towards each other and how they aren’t afraid to show it in public. I know a lot of people whose parents hardly even look at each other; which makes me wonder how they ever had children or why they even got married in the first place. It makes me happy to know that my parents like to show other people they love each other. I trail behind and watch them smile at each other, their hands slightly swinging between them. After all these years, they still look so happy.
“You coming, Daisy Lynn?” My Dad asks, smiling back at me.
I nod my head and jog a little to catch up with them.
We get inside and find our seats just in time to see the teams jogging onto the court and beginning to shoot around.
“What’s his number?” My Mom asks, leaning over to look at me.
“He’s number three.” My Dad and I say at the same time as I point Liam out to her.
“Oh my Lord! Look at those arms!” My Mom exclaims, laughing when my Dad wraps his arms around her.
“I think the only arms you need to be worrying about are mine!” My Dad jokes while pressing a kiss to the top of my Mom’s head.
“I’m really glad you guys are back!” I gush, wrapping my arms around both of them.
“So are we, sweetheart!” My Mom smiles, my Dad kissing both of our foreheads before we pull out of our little family hug.
As soon as the game starts, my Dad puts all of his focus on the court. He shouts rude things to the refs when a bad call is made and cheers loudly every time USC scores. I do the same things too, just not quite as enthusiastically. My Mom on the other hand can’t be bothered to even know what’s going on, but cheers and boos when she knows she’s supposed to.
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��I don’t know much about basketball,” My Mom declares when the game is over and we walk down to the court. “But from what little I do know, Liam is very talented.”
I agree with her before grabbing a basketball and passing it to my Dad.
“Will you two knock it off before one of you gets hurt?” My Mom sighs when I throw the ball off the backboard for my Dad to do an alley-oop.
“Oh, stop your fretting.” My Dad laughs after he makes the shot and picks my Mom up, spinning her around a few times before pressing his lips to hers.
I smile even bigger than I already was when I turn around and see Liam walking into the gym. He’s wearing a loose black v-neck shirt with a black button up that has white dots all over it and is rolled up to his elbows over it, black jeans, and a pair of white Chuck Taylor All Star Converse shoes. His hair is styled in his signature messy curls that sweep across his forehead with a dimpled grin plastered on his face.
“Hey.” I greet him when we met each other at the half court line.
“Hello, beautiful.” Liam replies, dropping his gym bag to the floor and pulling me into a hug.
“You played a great game.” I tell him when we pull away from each other and he slides his hands to either side of my jaw.
“Thanks.” He responds before tilting my head up and kissing me.
The kiss doesn’t last long, but it’s still perfect. When we pull away from each other, I lace his hand with mine after he picks up his gym bag and pull him over to where my parents are standing by the hoop, watching us.
“Mom, Dad, this is Liam.” I introduce after I let go of his hand and Liam sets his gym bag down again. “Liam, these are my parents.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Liam smiles while shaking my Dad’s hand, and then wrapping his arms around my Mom when she pulls him into an unexpected hug.
“You can call us Tim and Lori, dear.” My Mom says after she releases him.
Liam nods his head while picking his gym bag back up. My Dad instantly claps a hand on Liam’s shoulder once he’s standing straight again and steers him out of the gym. I can hear them talking about the game while my Mom and I trail behind them.
“He’s even cuter in person!” My Mom winks while linking her arm through mine and I wink back at her while we walk out of the arena.
I get my short height from my Mom. My parents always thought I would be a more average height since my Dad is tall, but that obviously didn’t happen. I stare ahead and realize that my Dad is no more than half an inch taller than Liam.
“I’m going to ride with Liam.” I announce when we get to the parking lot. “We’ll follow you guys there?”
“Sound good to me.” My Mom agrees, unlinking her arm from mine and lacing her fingers with my Dad’s.
Liam wraps his arm around my shoulder as we make our way to his car. I get in the passenger seat while he puts his bag in the trunk and then hops into the driver’s seat.
“Your parents seem really cool.” Liam comments after he backs out of his stall and I direct him to which isle my parents are parked in.
I agree with Liam while we watch my dad pull out and then proceed to follow him out of the parking lot. “Sometimes I think they overdo it a little bit because they feel sort of guilty for always being at work.”
“That’s understandable.” Liam shrugs when we stop at the first red light. “Should I be worried that your Dad is being so nice to me?”
“No.” I laugh and look over to see he’s staring at me with nervous eyes. “Normally he’s pretty mean to my boyfriends. You know, giving them the evil ‘I’m her Dad and will crush you like a bug if you hurt her’ stare?”
Liam nods his head, pressing on the gas pedal when the light turns green.
“So, I guess, consider yourself lucky that he’s being nice right off the bat. It must mean he likes you.” I tease. “And I’m sure the fact that you play college basketball helps too.”
Liam nods his head again with a laugh this time.
We drive in a comfortable silence for the rest of the car ride. When we pull into the parking lot, Liam pulls into the open space next to my parent’s car, then quickly gets out and opens the door for me. I can tell by the look on my Mom’s face that she’s very impressed by this. Liam and I link our fingers together while we walk out of the parking lot and towards the pier with my parents.
“I hope you like seafood, Liam.” My Mom says, looking up at him.
“I do.” Liam confirms with a smile.
Truthfully, I don’t know if Liam is lying or not. But I do know that even if he is, he will happily eat the food anyway and not think twice about it.
“Do you have a reservation, sir?” The young hostess asks my Dad, her eyes quickly scanning over him and then flashing over to Liam.
“Yes,” My Dad responds and I stifle a laugh when I see my Mom roll her eyes, clearly noticing the hostess’s wandering gaze. “It’s under Fields.”
“Perfect!” She smiles before grabbing some menus. “Right this way.”
We follow her to our table and I watch her linger a little longer than necessary before finally walking away.
“The price we pay for being with good-looking men.” My Mom whispers to me from across the table, rolling her eyes again.
My parents had me when they were twenty-three. I wasn’t exactly planned, but I wasn’t really an accident either. My parents always wanted kids and talked about it often, they were just surprised that it happened so early in their marriage and careers. They’re both forty-one now, but don’t look a day over thirty.
My Dad is tall and lean, with decently muscular arms and a toned body. His brown hair is cut short and his eyes are a piercing sky blue color. My Mom is short and petite, but you can tell she is definitely in shape. Her brown hair comes a little past her shoulders and is parted on the side. She never wears heavy amounts of makeup, only enough to get her point across and make her light blue eyes pop. Both of my parents are very attractive people. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder how neither gets overly jealous when people try to flirt with them. But I guess when you’ve been together for as long as they have, you eventually learn how to deal with it.
“Have you ever been here?” I ask Liam after our waiter, who I noticed was eyeing both me and my Mom, takes our drink orders.
“No, I haven’t.” He replies before we all open our menus.
“I’m sure Daisy can help you out.” My Mom offers with a smile. “This is her favorite restaurant.”
“So is that sushi place she and I always go to.” My Dad mentions with a cheeky smile, making all of us chuckle.
I close my menu and push it to the side while Liam sets his on the table for both of us to look at. I point to different options on the colorful pages, explaining to him which ones I like and what I’ve heard is good from other people. Liam nods his head and never asks any questions until I’m done talking. A small smile forms on my lips when I feel him place his hand on my knee before slowly sliding it up to my mid-thigh. I cover my mouth and let out a small cough to cover up the slightly explicit sound that nearly escapes my mouth when he begins to rub his thumb around in soothing circles. This reaction causes a sly smirk to form on Liam’s lips before he hands me my glass of water and I take a large gulp from it.
“So Liam, what are you studying in school?” My Dad asks after our waiter takes our orders.
“I’m studying law and business.” Liam answers, taking a sip of his water.
My eyes grow a little wide in surprise. I never knew that about him. Then again, I never did really ask.
“Oh, wow!” My Mom exclaims, leaning one of her elbows on the table. “I’m sure Daisy’s told you we’re Criminal Defense Attorneys. Do you want to do the same thing?”
“I’m not really sure yet.” Liam responds with a small shrug of his shoulders. “My dream has always been to go to the NBA, which I think I have a shot at.”
“I would agree that’s a very big possibility.” My Dad nods his head.
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nbsp; This then turns into a full on conversation about basketball; which then turns into a conversation about sports in general. I can tell my Mom has no idea what they’re talking about, so I try my best to talk to her about more girly things; which turns into planning a girls day together and maybe inviting Ella and her Mom too.
“This is going to be so good!” I say with a huge smile on my face and start to bounce up and down in my seat like a little kid when our waiter brings out four Classic Flavored Steam Pots and two extra buckets of crab legs.
My mom and I squeeze the juice from the lemons into the butter and stir them a little bit with our forks. Liam lets a small chuckle slip through his lips at our actions before removing the lid from his steam pot and pulling a crab leg out. I watch him easily crack the hard shell of the crab leg and pull out the meat. To be completely honest, I can’t help but feel a tad bit of jealousy surge through my body.
“I wish I could have big muscles like you.” I somewhat whine while poking Liam’s arm with the claw of my crab leg.
Letting out another chuckle, Liam takes my crab leg from me and easily cracks it before giving it back.
“Aww thanks!” I gush and kiss his cheek, making him blush the tiniest bit.
“What do you think?” My Dad asks Liam after he swallows his first bite.
“It’s really good!” Liam exclaims while dipping his next piece into the lemon-butter him and I are sharing. “I can see why it’s Daisy’s favorite.”
“Have you guys been spending a lot of time together these past few weeks?” My Mom asks us after a few moments of silent eating.
“Mom.” I groan, rolling my eyes while Liam laughs.