by Jae
“What are you doing?” I ask when he bends down and picks up my clothes and shoes.
“You’re going home.” He says firmly.
“What? No I’m not.” I protest as I try to grab my things, but Liam moves them out of my reach behind his back.
“Liam, knock it off.” Ella sighs.
“Hey, man, just give her stuff back.” Travis says while he rests his hand on the back of my neck.
I can instantly see Liam’s jaw clench tight and the dark look in his eyes turn lethal from Travis’ actions.
“Okay,” I say, stepping in front of Travis to get Liam’s attention away from him and back on me instead. “I’ll go.”
“What? No, Daisy, don’t go.” Travis shakes his head while grabbing onto my hand which ends up being a horrible idea.
“Liam, stop!” I exclaim, pressing my hands against his chest when he moves toward Travis. “Please don’t hit him! He didn’t do anything!”
“Daisy!” Ella shouts when Liam grabs my arm and pulls me with him towards the parking lot.
“It’s fine! Call me later!” I quickly respond before we get too far apart.
When we get to Liam’s Range Rover he lets go of me and hands me my clothes and shoes. I quickly put them on and then slide into the passenger seat. The car ride is silent between us, the only noise coming from the music playing on the radio.
“Thanks for the ride.” I mumble while getting out of his car.
I stare at the ground and fiddle with my fingers as I walk towards my front door. Suddenly I jump, startled, and turn around when I hear Liam cut the engine and get out, slamming the door shut.
“What the hell were you thinking?” He snaps, the look on his face and the fire in his eyes showing how furious he is.
“Excuse me?” I ask, taking a step back.
“What the hell were you thinking getting into the ocean after you’ve been drinking and from what I can tell smoking too?” Liam shouts. “Why do you always have to be so damn reckless?”
“Why do you care?” I shout back and then let out an irritated groan when he doesn’t respond.
“You don’t get to come here and tell me what to do and act like my protector after ignoring me for the past week, Liam! You, of all people, don’t get to do that to me!” I yell shoving his chest before turning around and storming the rest of the way to my front door.
“Daisy.” Liam growls. “Get back over here.”
“For what, Liam?” I question, turning back around to face him. “You’ve made it pretty clear that we’re done, so what the hell for?”
Liam opens mouth like he’s about to answer, but then shuts it again.
“I don’t know what you want from me, Liam.” I sigh, running a hand through my wet hair. “I don’t know how many times I called you and left messages begging you to call me back. But you never did – you never called.”
Tears form in my eyes when Liam doesn’t respond again. Eventually I shake my head at his silence and walk into my house, pressing my back against the door once I’ve closed it. I slide down to the ground and let the tears freely fall down my face when I hear Liam’s car start up and back out of my drive way.
“Daisy!”
“Daisy, wake up!”
“It’s a brand new day! Get up sunshine!”
I slowly open my eyes and roll onto my back at the sound of my friend’s voices while they jump up and down on my bed with music blaring on a portable iPod dock.
“What time is it?” I yawn.
“Almost one o’clock.” Ella responds, turning the music down.
My eyes widen in surprise at her words. I must’ve crashed pretty hard last night.
“We’re going to have a spa day before we go out again tonight.” Taylor informs me as her and the girls settle in around me.
“Oh, that sounds perfect!” I smile, sitting up and stretching my arms above my head.
“There’s nothing like a little bit of pampering to rebut a girl after a night of partying!” Zoie declares, making all of us laugh.
“Amen, sister!” Taylor shouts.
After the girls give me more details of what where going to be doing at the spa, I climb out of my bed and move into the bathroom to take care of my business and brush my teeth. I pull my hair up into a messy bun and then go into my closet and get dressed in a loose fitted white tank top, black yoga crop pants with an animal print design around the waist, and black flip-flops. When I walk out of my closet, I realize the girls are dressed in very similar outfits.
“Hello, ladies!” Mom greets when we walk into the kitchen.
We all say our hellos while giving her and Dad hugs and kisses on their cheeks.
“What are you guys planning on doing today?” Dad questions, handing out freshly made smoothies.
“We’re going to the spa.” I answer.
“Ahh, looking for a happy ending?”
I nearly spit my smoothie out at his joke while the other girls start laughing their heads off.
“And on that note,” I say, playfully shoving Dad’s shoulder. “We’re leaving.”
When we arrive at the spa, we’re greeted by two ladies dressed in white uniforms holding tall glasses of cold cucumber water on black circular trays. They lead us back into a group room that we requested and help us get situated before informing us that our masseuses will be in shortly. After they leave the room, we girls get undressed and then lay under the sheets on top of the cushioned tables.
“What happened with Liam after you guys left?” Taylor asks me after our massages have started.
“He gave me my clothes and shoes back when we got to the parking lot and then he drove me home in silence. When we got to my house I thanked him for the ride and got out thinking that was the end of it, but when I made it around the front of his Rover he got out and started yelling at me.”
“Why?” Zoie asks, voicing the question everyone in the room is thinking.
“For drinking and smoking and then getting in the ocean. He asked why I’m always so damn reckless.” I roll my eyes.
“Then what happened?”
“I asked why he cared and he didn’t answer so I yelled back about how he can’t just swoop in like that after ignoring me for the past week.”
“What did he say to that?”
“Nothing.” I sigh, closing my eyes and perfectly picturing the hard expression on Liam’s face. “He didn’t say anything, so I just went inside and he left.”
I look over at Ella and give her a small smile when she reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“It’s kind of hard to believe he proposed to you.” Zoie says sadly.
“Wait,” My masseuse says, making all of us look at her. “I’m sorry, but he proposed to you?”
I slowly nod my head.
“And then ignored you for a week?” Ella’s masseuse asks.
I nod my head again.
“I am so confused.” Zoe’s masseuse declares.
“If you don’t mind, could we have some background information?” Taylor’s masseuse asks.
I look at my friends, unsure if I should divulge into Liam and I’s story to complete strangers, but from the looks on their faces and the shrugs of their shoulders I decide it’s alright. Besides, having a few outsiders’ points of view wouldn’t be too bad. It takes me nearly our full hour to explain the jist of me and Liam’s relationship, the girls adding a few things here and there, and by the time I’m done, our masseuses look oddly conflicted.
“Do you have a picture of him?” Zoie’s masseuse asks.
I nod my head and ask her to hand me my purse. I pull out an envelope of pictures from Liam’s birthday party that I got developed a few days ago. Everyone’s favorites are one that’s a close up of me and Liam – he’s wearing these silly sunglasses that someone had given to him and is smiling with his tongue sticking out and I’m leaning against the front of his shoulder with a laughing smile on my face. Another is of him whispering in my ear while everyone was
singing him happy birthday and also one of me licking the frosting off of his nose. There are tons of pictures of us, him and his friends, his Mom and Grandma, and my parents. But out of all those pictures, my favorite is one that was taken through the windshield of him sitting in the car after the party was over. He’s sitting a little crooked in his seat and has a sleepy drunk look on his face. To me, he looks like the Liam that not many people get to see; relaxed and content. He doesn’t look like this big intimidating guy, but more like a 21 year old that simply just had a good night out.
“Wow,” Taylor’s masseuse says, shaking her head a little. “He’s gorgeous.”
“You guys look so happy.” My masseuse adds.
“We were.” I smile sadly, taking the pictures back and putting them safely in my purse.
After our massages are over, we go get our nails done. We all choose to do plain colors without any designs. I choose a periwinkle color, Ella chooses black, Zoie chooses red, and Taylor chooses pink. After that we all get facials. By the time we’re done at the spa it’s just after 5:00. We choose to pick up a pizza on the way back to my house and eat it before we shower and get ready.
Ella applies a dark smoky eye for her makeup and pulls her hair up into a messy ponytail. She’s wearing a white French terry muscle tank that has a shredded back and the phrase ‘Day Off’ in black letters on the front, cream/black bold vertical stripped skinny jeans, and a pair of black faux leather sleek biker boots. Zoie applies a thin winged eye for her makeup and curls her hair. She’s wearing a plain white crop top, high waisted day tripper joggers with a blue/green ornate boho print, a pair of clear studded peep-toe flats, and ties it all together with a classic black fedora. Taylor applies a brown based smoky eye for her makeup and straightens her hair. She’s wearing a black tie-front romper with white and burgundy arrow prints and a pair of black faux leather booties with multiple buckles straps decorating the front. I apply a sheer color eye shadow and a thin winged eye for my makeup and curl my hair into messy waves. I’m wearing a plain white swoop neck tank top with one of Liam’s light blue denim button up shirts with the sleeves rolled messily to my elbows over it, black skinny jeans that are destroyed at the knees, and a pair of black faux leather off-duty biker boots.
While I’m adjusting Liam’s shirt in the mirror, I catch sight of my tattoo and feel a slight pang in my chest at the meaning of it and knowing that no matter what a piece of Liam will always be a part of me.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The party is at a frat house I’ve never been to on campus and is probably one of the most intense parties I’ve ever walked into. The entire house is packed from wall to wall and the music is so loud I can hardly hear myself think. We make a bee line for the kitchen like always and find the girl’s boyfriends and Travis in there.
“Finally!” Connor shouts when he sees us and I can’t help but laugh.
“You look great.” Travis whispers in my ear when we hug.
“Thanks.” I smile, taking in his red t-shirt, dark jeans, and black Canvas Authentic Vans shoes. “So do you.”
“Shots!” Taylor shouts, causing me and the other girls to stand next to the counter and drown two shots each.
At some point Travis picks me up, sets me on the counter, and then stands between my legs while I sip on a beer. We talk about random things like superheroes and how long I’ve known the girls.
My heart nearly stops when I see Liam appear in the doorway. He’s wearing a white long sleeve shirt that I can faintly see his tattoos beneath with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and black jeans with a pair of all black high-top Chuck Taylor All Star Converse shoes tucked underneath them. I’m a little surprised to see his necklace on the outside of his shirt since he always wears it underneath, but even more than that, I’m surprised to see the pendant I gave him is still on it. I watch him run his hand through his hair, pushing the messy curls off of his forehead, and I know if I was standing my knees would’ve felt like jelly from the action. How is it I haven’t seen or heard from him in a week and now I’ve managed to see him two days in a row? Hopefully we won’t have a repeat of yesterday.
“Let’s dance.” I tell Travis while hopping off the counter, grabbing his hand, and then maneuvering us out of the room after Liam has made it an avoidable distance in.
We make our way through a few rooms before finding the area that’s been transformed into a makeshift dance floor. We push our way into the center of the grinding groups of people and then follow suit, pressing our bodies together and moving along to the music. Five songs pass before Travis leans down to my ear and asks if I want to go find somewhere quieter. Nodding my head, I let him take my hand and follow him out of the room. When we get to the top of a flight of stairs, I glance over the railing and my eyes briefly catch Liam’s.
As soon as we find an empty room, Travis slides Liam’s shirt off of me and tosses it on the ground before gently pushing me back on the bed by my shoulders. When I hit the mattress, he tugs off my boots and the pulls his shirt off over his head. I smile when he places his hand on the side of my neck before kissing me. We make out for a few heated minutes and then I let him take my tank top off. I let out a small giggle when he brushes his lips against my stomach, trailing small kisses back up to my mouth. I can barely catch my breath when he leans back and pulls me up on my knees, pressing our torsos together as he catches my lips again with his. I fall back onto the mattress, taking him with me, our legs tangling together in a mess. When he moves to unbutton my jeans, it’s like I’m suddenly snapped back into reality and the image of Liam’s pained face when I followed Travis up the stairs flashes bright in my mind.
“Wait! Wait!” I exclaim while pushing Travis’ hands away.
“Are you okay?” He asks as I scramble out from underneath him.
“I’m sorry,” I say and start putting my clothes back on. “But I can’t do this.”
“Oh.” Travis responds, a disappointed look on his face. “Did I do something wrong?”
“What?” I ask, nearly tripping over my feet as I hastily pull my boots on. “Oh, no - no, it isn’t anything you did. It’s me, I swear.”
Travis gives me a confused look.
“There’s this… I just… I mean, you’re not…” I try to explain, my brain scattering due to the alcohol running through my system. “I just can’t. I’m sorry.”
I unlock the door and quickly push through it, trying to put as much distance between Travis and me as possible before he tries to get a better answer out of me. When I get to the bottom of the stairs and turn to go towards the kitchen, I run into a large, rock solid frame.
“Sorry.” I say quickly, grabbing onto their arms when they turn around to settle me.
“Daisy?”
My eyes shoot up and lock with Liam’s. Of course, out of all the people at this party, he’s the person I smack into. I watch as his eyes begin to grow darker by the second at my disheveled appearance.
“What happened? What did he do to you?” He asks, his hands gripping my shoulders tighter.
“What? Oh, nothing. He didn’t do anything.” I respond, wincing under the pressure of his fingers. “Liam, you’re hurting me.”
Liam immediately releases his hands from my shoulders, causing my hands to fall from his arms. I can’t help but reach out and touch the cool silver of the pendants on his necklace. Not even thinking about it, I slightly pull back the collar of his shirt and place the necklace safely underneath the thin material. I ache to wrap my arms around him and press my face to his chest after doing this, but instead I drop my hands to my sides again and take a small step back. Looking up, the air is knocked out of me due to the emerald green color of Liam’s eyes that I love. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen that beautiful color shining bright in his eyes. But all too soon they disappear into the darkness that I hate and focus on something behind me.
“Is this why you left?” I hear Travis ask as he grabs my arm and spins me around t
o face him.
“Let her go.” Liam demands before I can respond, taking a step closer and I feel his body brush against my back.
“Or what?” Travis asks tightening his hold on me.
No more words are exchanged between them as Liam quickly grabs me and puts me behind him before punching Travis. Travis immediately retaliates, socking Liam in the stomach.
“Stop!” I yell and I try to move between them, but Travis tackles Liam to the ground. “You guys, stop it, now!”
Everyone in the room spreads out into a circle around the boys and I’m pushed back against a wall. Not knowing what else to do, I rush out of the room in search of my friends.
“Tony!” I yell once I reach the doorway of the kitchen. “Connor! Jack! Someone!”
“What’s going on?” Ella asks me when I finally reach the counter, none of the boys I need anywhere in sight.
“Where are the guys?”
“On the patio.” She answers, pointing towards a door that leads outside.
I quickly rush out and grab Tony, Connor, and Jack, and tell them they need to get inside and break up the fight before it gets even further out of hand. When we get back into the front room, Liam and Travis are back on their feet, taking constant swings at each other. Everyone is yelling and cheering each of the boys on. I push my way towards the center of the circle with Tony, Connor, and Jack following closely behind me. I watch with wide eyes as Travis lands another blow to Liam’s stomach, causing Liam to forcefully shove him away.
“Liam!” I yell as Tony and the other guys move around me.
Liam’s eyes lock with mine and I realize that my word only causes an unintended distraction and gives Travis the opportunity to hit Liam’s jaw hard. My hands cover my mouth in shock as Liam takes a stumbling step back before readjusting his eyes on Travis and then taking him down to the ground. Liam lands two solid punches to Travis’ face before Tony and Connor pull him off while Jack and another guy from the basketball team pick up Travis and hold him back. I quickly put myself between the two huffing guys while Liam struggles in Tony and Connor’s arms.