by Jae
A hint of humor splashes into Coach’s eyes.
“The day I scrimmaged with Liam and the guys and my friends, I got the feeling I used to get.” I tell him, sitting back in my chair as I stare off into space, trying to recall my memories of the past few months – basketball wise. “And also during the first practice I came to, when I was walking around the court dribbling the ball before I ran into you.”
“What’s that feeling like for you?”
“I don’t really know how to describe it.” I respond, squinting my eyes and hoping the answer will pop up somewhere in the air. “It’s like my heart just swells and beats a million miles per second and my head is in another universe and I’m just completely on cloud nine.”
This answer makes a small chuckle escape from Coach’s lips.
“Did that even make sense?” I ask, shifting my eyes back over to him.
“Believe it or not, it actually did.” Coach tells me while nodding his head. “That description sounds a lot like what most people’s description of being in love is.”
This response surprises me.
“I have been in love with the game for a long time.” I confirm.
“That you have.” Coach agrees. “But sometimes not all loves are meant to last. Sometimes we have to end one love so we can start a new and normally even better one.”
I take in his words and try to figure out how to apply them to my situation.
“I think if basketball really is still your passion, then this decision wouldn’t be that hard for you.” Coach continues, pulling me out of my thoughts again. “You’re an extremely talented basketball player, Daisy, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep playing forever; especially if your heart isn’t in it anymore. And it also doesn’t mean you aren’t or can’t be talented at other things.”
I nod my head while we sit in silence for a few minutes.
“I just don’t want to disappoint my Dad or Liam.” I tell him in a small voice that nearly gets caught in my throat. “They really want me to continue with basketball.”
“I’m sure they’ll be a little sad if you choose to give up basketball,” Coach answers with a small smile. “But it isn’t going to make them love you any less. I promise you they will support whatever you decide.”
“How can you promise that?”
“They love you, Daisy. We’ll do anything for the people we love, even if we don’t always like it.”
I nod my head again.
“I’m scared of losing Liam.” I add softly, my eyes beginning to sting with tears. “I know he isn’t what most people would consider perfect by a long shot, but he’s perfect to me. I’ve never met anyone like him before in my life and I don’t think I ever will again.”
Coach stares at me silently for a long moment and I swear I can see the gears in his mind turning, trying to form the right words to respond with.
“Liam is the most stubborn and hard-headed person I’ve ever met.” Coach finally responds. “I wouldn’t change that about him though because it makes him work hard and keeps him focused on what he wants. But at the same time, being that way has gotten him into a lot of trouble outside of this place.
“Since meeting you, Liam has come in here with a lot less cuts and bruises on him. He’s working even harder and has become even more focused on the court. I’m not sure if you realize it, but you are helping him become the man that I think he’s always wanted to be; he’s just had a hard time finding it until now.”
Coach’s words leave me speechless for a moment and I have to try really hard to put my thought process back together.
“Do you think he’ll want to end things between us if I choose to leave?”
“No.” Coach answers without any hesitation, shaking his head. “I think he’ll be hurt and not understand at first, but that’s all. It may take a little time, but he’ll come to his senses and realize that you’re leaving because of you – not him.”
I turn my head to look out the large glass window behind me when I hear the basketball team entering the locker room, then I glance at the clock above the window to see Coach and I have been in his office talking for two hours. Tony and Jack make funny faces at me when they walk past the window, making me chuckle before I turn around to face Coach again.
“You’re a very wise man, Coach.” I say as we both stand up.
“When you’re an old man like me, you learn a few things here and there.” He responds with a chuckle before pulling me into a hug. “Don’t be a stranger, Daisy.”
“I won’t.” I promise him, my eyes beginning to sting with tears again as we pull away from each other. “Thank you, again, for everything.”
Coach nods his head before he opens his office door for me to walk out.
I lean against the wall across from the locker room door, greeting the guys when they exit while I wait for Liam.
“Figures you’re one of the last ones to walk out.” I joke when my favorite curly haired boy appears in front of me.
“I have to make sure I look good for my girl!” Liam grins while sliding one hand to the back of my neck and slipping his other arm around my waist.
“That’s very true.” I smile while he pulls me as close as physically possible before pressing his lips against mine.
“I love you, Little Miss Daisy.”
“I love you too.”
“So, how was your talk with Coach?” Liam asks after he laces his fingers through mine while we walk out to the parking lot.
“It was better than anything I could’ve ever imagined and hoped it would be.” I respond. “Coach… He’s really something else.”
“That he is.” Liam agrees. “What did you talk about?”
I shrug my shoulders and giggle as I pull my hand from Liam’s and run the rest of the short distance to his Rover.
“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” Liam laughs, chasing after me.
“Liam, don’t take this the wrong way,” I begin to say him later the same night while we’re lounging on his couch. “But how can you afford all this stuff?”
“What do you mean?” He chuckles, looking over at me.
“Like, how can you afford to live in this place and drive a Range Rover?” I somewhat elaborate. “I know you help train at the gym, but there’s no way they pay you enough to afford all of this. Do you sell drugs or something?”
This makes Liam’s chuckle turn into an actual full blown laugh.
“Liam, I’m serious!” I whine, sitting up and bending my legs underneath me.
“I’m sorry. I know you are.” He says while running a hand over his face, trying to die down his laughter.
“Liam.” I whine even more.
“Okay, okay.” He sighs, his laughter turning into a smirk. “I don’t sell drugs or anything like that.”
“Then what?” I press.
“My Grandparents on my Dad’s side died right before I turned eighteen and moved out here, so I inherited some money from them.”
“Some money?” I ask skeptically.
“Okay, a lot of money. They weren’t very big fans of how my Dad decided to live his life and left everything to me and my Mom.”
“How much is a lot?”
“Enough to be well off for the rest of my life if I don’t act like an idiot with it.”
My mouth drops open at his words. I definitely was not expecting that.
“I think you’re drooling.” Liam jokes after he tackles me down on the couch.
“Okay, money-bags.” I joke back.
My heart leaps in my throat when his lips spread into my favorite smile before they become attached to my neck.
God, he’s so beautiful.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I want to do something special for Liam’s birthday on Saturday.” I tell my Mom. “Like a surprise party or something along those lines.”
My Mom tilts her head over to me from her floating position in our pool. I’m sitting on the edge of the pool in my mint col
ored bikini with my feet dangling in the water.
“Today is Sunday, right?”
I nod my head.
“I think we can put a surprise party together by Saturday.” She agrees, tilting her head it back up to the sun. “He’s going to be 21, right?”
“Who’s going to be 21?” My Dad asks, appearing next to me.
“Liam.” I answer. “His birthday is on Saturday, so we’re going to throw a surprise party for him. Maybe you could take him golfing during the day?”
“I can do that.” My Dad agrees.
“Are we going to have it here or should we rent out some place?” I ask.
“What if we had it at Lucky Lanes, you know that place that’s a bowling alley on one side and a bar on the other?”
“Oh, that’s perfect!” I smile. “Ella and I can go down there later today to see if we can rent it out for the night.”
“Lydia and I can make Sloppy Joes and get different bags of chips to eat.” My Mom offers.
“That sounds good!”
“We should order a really cool cake too.” My Dad adds.
“This is going to be so awesome!” I exclaim, making my parents laugh.
I can barely contain my excitement a few hours later when Ella comes over and I tell her the ideas for Liam’s birthday and then we leave to go see if we can rent out the bowling alley and to order a cake.
“Liam is going to love this!” I beam when we pull up to Lucky Lanes.
“Where is he anyway?” Ella asks after we get out of my Jeep.
“At work, I think.” I shrug my shoulders.
“I didn’t know Liam has a job.” Ella responds in surprise. “Where does he work?”
“You know that huge gym around the corner from Picture This?” I ask, continuing after she nods her head. “He’s a boxing trainer there.”
“Why am I not surprised?” She jokes.
“How can I help you ladies?” An older tattooed guy asks me from behind the bar.
“I was wondering if I could talk to the manager.”
“Well, darling, it’s your lucky day – I’m the manager.” The man smiles while sticking his hand out to me. “I’m Roger.”
“Hi, Roger.” I smile back, taking his hand. “I’m Daisy and this is Ella.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Roger nods after shaking Ella’s hand. “Now, what is it you’d like to talk to me about?”
“My boyfriend turns 21 on Saturday and I want to throw him a surprise party.” I explain as a small smile forms on Roger’s lips. “I was wondering if I could rent this place out for it.”
Roger tells me to hold on one second before disappearing from behind the bar and through a random door. A few moments later he comes back with a black book in his hands. I realize it’s a daily planner once he opens it up on top of the bar.
“You said Saturday?” He asks, flipping a few pages.
I nod my head.
“Do you want just the bar side or the bowling alley too?”
“Both, if that’ll work?”
Roger nods his head. “How does 8:00PM till close, which is 2:00AM, sound?”
“That’s perfect!” I smile, watching him pencil us into the book. “Also, I know you guys have your own grill but would it be okay if we provide our own food?”
“That’s perfectly fine.” Roger nods his head. “It’ll be $60.00 to rent out both sides. You can give me a $30.00 deposit now and pay me the rest the day of if that works best for you.”
“Can I just pay for the whole thing now?”
Roger nods his head and I immediately dig around in my purse for my wallet. Once I find it, I hand him my credit card.
“I’ll have this place cleared out by 7:00 so you guys can come in and set up whatever you need.” Roger tells me after he hands me my card back.
“Thank you so much!” Ella and I exclaim before we exit the building.
“How can I help you?” The woman behind the counter at The Cake Shop asks Ella and me when we walk inside.
“Could we look at a book for birthday cakes?” I ask, once we’re standing at the counter. “Specifically for a 21st birthday.”
“Absolutely!” She exclaims before crouching down and reappearing with a huge book. “These are all of our birthday cake designs. The ones for a 21st birthday are bookmarked towards the middle.”
I thank her after taking the book in my hands and then walk over to a tall empty table with Ella. We flip through the books, pointing out the cute designs for a little girl’s birthday before we finally get to the section that we’re looking for.
“How many people are you going to invite?” Ella asks me after grabbing me an order sheet to fill out.
“A lot.” I chuckle. “The basketball team, his frat brothers, you and your parents, my parents, the guys he works with, the guys from The Ouch Shop, Zoie and Taylor and their parents.” I list off, staring off into space for a second. “And whoever else I can’t think of right now.”
“We should probably order a sheet of cupcakes too then. These cakes are really cool and taste amazing, but they don’t feed that many people.”
“That’s true.” I nod my head, still flipping through the book of cake designs. Eventually I decide on doing a three-tiered cake, the top and bottom vanilla and the middle chocolate, with a white and black frosting theme. There will be a large candle in the shape of the number 21 sticking out of the top and Liam’s name printed on the side of the middle tier and enough space around the bottom tier for us to add mini-shooters to it. I also got a full sheet of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with white frosting and black plastic 21’s sticking out of the top of them. After I pay and tell the lady I will pick them up on Saturday, Ella and I leave.
I stop my actions of shifting my gear stick from park to reverse when I hear my phone start ringing. Taking my foot off the brake, I dig around my purse for my phone. I smile when I see Liam’s name on the screen once I’ve found it. I raise a finger up to my lips, signaling for Ella to be quiet, before I accept the phone call and put it on speaker.
“Hello?”
“Little Miss Daisy!” Liam’s deep voice sings songs. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.” I answer too quickly, causing Ella to instantly cover her mouth with her hands to stifle her laughter.
“Right.” Liam responds, skepticism clear in his voice. “Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and I’ll make you dinner.”
“Yes, definitely.”
“I’ll see you after a bit, then.”
We say our goodbyes before I hang up the phone and Ella bursts into a fit of laughter.
“It’s a good thing this party is on Saturday!” Ella declares. “Any longer and you just might let it slip yourself!”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes. “Can you take care of inviting people?”
“Yes, I can do that.” Ella responds. “If you remember anyone else besides the people you rattled off earlier, let me know.”
“I don’t know what I would do without you.” I grin, backing out of my parking space.
“I know.” Ella grins back, turning up my radio.
After knocking on Liam’s door, I stare down at my outfit which consists of a white muscle tee with a huge black triangle on the front, black and white comic graphic leggings, and a pair of black loosely tied up combat boots. I nervously tug at the hem of my shirt while I wait for the door to open. I feel like Liam is going to take one look at me and just know that I’m putting together a party for him. My head snaps up when I hear the locked bolts of his door turn. Okay, Daisy, calm down. There’s no way he’s really going to know. Just act casual and everything will be fine.
“Hey, pretty girl!” Liam smiles when he finally opens the door.
“Hi!” I smile back, taking in his appearance. He’s wearing a loose grey t-shirt with a pocket on the left side of his chest that has a red heart on it, black jeans, and a pair of white Chuck Taylor All Star Converse shoes. His curly hair i
s messily pushed off his forehead and the dimple in his left cheek is getting deeper the longer I stare at him.
“What?” Liam asks after pulling me into his apartment and closing the door behind us.
“You’re really cute.” I answer, receiving a small chuckle while I’m led to the kitchen.
“Well, thanks.” He says, pecking my lips and then pulling a chair out for me at the table.
“Oh, you’re such a gentleman.” I tease, making Liam slightly blush.
I watch him move over to the stove to check the pots on it. Everything about Liam makes butterflies erupt in my stomach every time I merely just think about him. Once you get past the dark exterior, you’ll learn that he has the greatest heart of anyone you’ll ever meet. And the fact that he always looks effortlessly attractive is just a bonus.
“What are you making?” I ask, never letting my eyes leave his long body. “It smells really good.”
“Chicken Parmesan.” Liam answers, glancing over at me with a small smile.
I watch him turn off one of the burners before picking up a large pot that was on it and carrying it over to the sink. I listen to the water and noodles splash into the strainer when he slowly tips the pot over. Liam shakes the strainer in the sink a few times before pouring the noodles back in the pot. It isn’t much longer after this that the food is completely done and being dished out onto our plates. I fight a satisfied moan after I taste the first bite of the chicken, noodles, and sauce mixed together.
“Please cook for me for the rest of my life.” I request, making Liam chuckle.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He smiles, his emerald green eyes shining bright.
“How was work?”
Liam is just about to answer me when his phone suddenly starts ringing on the counter. He gives me an apologetic look as he stands up and moves to pick it up. My eyebrows slightly come together in confusion when a small smile forms on his lips and his eyes slightly roll as he reads the name on the screen before answering it. I’ve noticed this happening a lot lately; Liam taking ‘secret’ phone calls and normally walking out of the room if I’m in it. To my surprise though, this time he remains on the opposite side of kitchen.