The One For Me

by Layla James

  “I thought that was a wedding not a dance.”

  “Close enough.” I wave him off.

  “Getting married and going to a dance is close? Do I get a honeymoon stage afterwards?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

  Ugh, here we go again. “Stop,” I say.

  He throws his head back then laughs. “Why were you so embarrassed to talk about that today?”

  “Who wants to talk about sex? It’s humiliating.”

  “Only if you let it be.” You’re the one that freaked out about it at the beach. “Why is Jennifer so worried about it anyway?”

  “She is fascinated with it, because her mother won’t let her date at all. She won’t get any until she goes away to college. Which is sad.”

  “What a bummer. That’s sucks.”

  I nod, glancing out the window. Since he is in a good mood I decide to go in for the kill. “Given any thought to searching for your mother?”

  Liam ignores me. “Oh look, we’re at your house, time to get out.” He pulls over to the cull de sac and parks.

  “It’s your lucky day,” I say, opening the door.

  “It’s always my lucky day, see ya tomorrow, little bear.” He says before speeding off.

  Jen calls me ten minutes later, reminding me we have the stupid Science test in the morning. She invites me to her house. I hate her house. I say my mom won’t let me out; she will have to come over. Her parents watch us through the doorway the entire time, making sure we’re not watching porn or looking at Taylor Lautner with his shirt off. She was grounded for a week for looking at him. I told them I done it, then they said I had to go home because I was a bad influence. Jeez, since when did Taylor Lautner bring anything other than pure joy?

  Two hours later I hear a knock on the door. “I brought cookies,” Jen says, when I open the door. I stop mid step and look behind her.

  “And Liam,” I say, glancing back at him.

  “I brought the booze.” He smiles. “Just playing, I brought Cokes,” he says, pushing his way through the living room. “Hey,” he says to my mom who smiles at him.

  “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

  “Great now,” he says, glancing at me. I give him a small smile. He plays his part at being a boyfriend great for a guy that has never been one.

  Jen walks up to my room like it’s her house. “We’re just going to study, Mom,” I say.

  She nods, sipping on her cup of coffee. “That’s fine, sweetie, go ahead.” I will never understand why she never cares if I’m alone in my room with Liam. I’m trying to send my mom telepathically, messages to say we need to study downstairs. “What’s wrong, are you feeling okay?” she asks, touching the back of her hand to my forehead.

  Useless. “Yes,” I say and walk up the stairs. Liam is behind me and I hope that he isn’t looking at my butt.

  “Liking the view, girlfriend,” he says, when I get to the top. I flip him the bird behind my back. “Dirty birdie,” he whispers.

  Jen is laid out on my bed, cookies open, books opened and a smile on her face. “Can I speak with you real quick?” I ask.

  “I’m kind of busy, Katy.”

  “Now,” I grumble.

  Jen rolls her eyes and follows me into the hallway. “Why didn’t you tell me Liam was coming?”

  Jen sighs and rolls her eyes. “I didn’t think it mattered, since he is your boyfriend and all.” She crossed her arms across her chest.

  “It doesn’t, but normally ya warn somebody, ya know.”

  “You’re super weird, ya know that?”

  Says the girl in a reindeer sweater. That’s only okay when Rachel does it.

  “I would die to be able to spend time with a boy. The only boy I see is my dad and our mail man.”

  “Yeah, I guess I kind of am.” I point for her to go back inside. She does.

  “So, ladies, let’s get to studying,” Liam says, kicking off his boots and placing his feet on my bed. “I’m trying this new thing…actually try and pass my classes.”

  “That’s a start,” I mumble.

  We study for an hour before Jennifer gets a call from her Mom. “I have to let your mom talk to my mom. Ugh, Asian people,” she mumbles jumping off the bed and running downstairs.

  Liam is quiet for a few minutes. “Katy, I wanted to talk to you about the other day.”

  “What day?” I ask, picking at a string at my bed.

  “At the beach,” he says. I feel his warm hand on my thigh. “Look at me, this is serious.”

  I look up and smile. “Serious? Liam Erickson is being serious? What is happening to the world? Our fake relationship has taken a toll on you.”

  “It has, in more ways than you would understand.”

  My body freezes. I can’t make myself move. Liam licks his lips. I envy them. I wish he would put his mouth on mine. I’m not sure why I feel the need to jump him but it is running through me. Liam clears his throat and moves closer to me. “Katy,” he whispers. My name coming off his lips is memorizing. His calloused hand spans over the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “I really…”

  “Damn, Momma asked about everything but your mom’s social security number,” Jen says, bursting through the door.

  Liam and I jump back. I straighten my papers; he scratches his non itchy neck. I can barely feel mine; the heat from his hand is still lingering on my skin. “Let’s study this stuff people,” Jen says, grinning.

  I nod and glance at Liam. He is staring at me. I focus on my paper. You have got to get a grip.

  Jen and Liam leave around seven. I sit in my room and study more after they leave. I take a long bath, then play Angry Birds, until my mom tells me I have to go to sleep. When I am about to doze off, after hours of trying to force my eyes close, I hear a peck on my window. I sit up in my bed. I’ve never been one to like the dark, or anything in it. So I jump up and grab my baseball bat. I can’t see through my window for the green curtains, so I peek outside. Someone is hanging on to the trellis for dear life.

  “Who is it?” I whisper, my voice cracking.

  “Your sexy, pretend, boyfriend coming to make you bear his children, get back woman,” he whispers back.

  Ugh. I step back and open the window, letting Liam in. “What are you doing here?” I ask, shutting the window behind him.

  “What? Can’t a boyfriend pull a Romeo for his girl?” I’m almost awake enough to consider how romantic that is. Almost. “I thought girls were supposed to be the romantic ones, jeez.” Liam pushes his hands inside of his hoodie.

  “I know, I’m super unromantic, now what is going on? It’s,” I look at the clock, “one thirty in the morning.”

  Liam sighs, kicks at my carpet. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “So, you come make it where I can’t sleep?” I ask, crossing my arms. I’m suddenly reminded; I’m in sleeping shorts and a shirt with no bra.

  Liam runs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. I thought we could talk.”

  I know he wants to finish his conversation from earlier, but I’m scared. I bite my lip and try to think of a way out of this. This is pretend! I want to shout. “Um, okay,” I say shakily. I eye my bed, but I know we shouldn’t talk there. It’s too tempting.

  Liam looks down at me. “There is a hammock in the back yard, right? Why don’t we go there? Since you don’t want to sit on the bed.”

  “Why would you think--,”

  “I know you better than you think, Katy. Come on,” he says, tossing his head toward my door. I open my door gently, walking down slowly; we tiptoe outside toward the hammock. The sky is dark, but there are streetlights positioned around the back of my house.

  I sit down on the hammock, awkwardly; swinging when Liam sits down beside me. “So,” I whisper.

  “I want to find my mom,” he says.

  Oh. This isn’t what I’m expecting. “Well, we should do it.”

  “Now?”

  “No, it’s one in the morning. In the next few days. I’ll help you look.
”

  “I’m scared,” he whispers. “She might be dead…or hate me…or not want to see me. What if she has an entire new family somewhere?”

  I touch his hand, he doesn’t move. “I’ll help you. We’ll find her, I promise,” I say. He nods and lies back on his back. I lay beside him. I don’t know how long we lie there.

  “Katy,” he mumbles.

  “Hmm.”

  “Thank you.”

  “That’s what girlfriends do. Pretend or not.” I don’t remember falling asleep, but soon I’m deep in a Liam filled sleep.

  When I wake up, Liam is gone. I have his hoodie draped over my legs and I’m grateful. It has to be around six in the morning. The sun is barely shining over our little house. The light in the kitchen isn’t on, so I race upstairs to my bedroom before Mom gets up.

  “Mom do I look okay?” I ask.

  She smiles, her eyes crinkling around the corners. “Of course you do, sweetheart. You look, beautiful.” She pushes my long curl behind my shoulder. “Liam is a lucky guy.”

  Too bad we’re pretending. Last night has been replaying in my mind all day today. Liam didn’t act any different today at school. He picked me up, ate lunch with me, but didn’t mention the ‘bed’ incident or the hammock. He did say I snored, but that was it.

  “Here stand over there; I promised your father I would take pictures.”

  I try to smile. She shouldn’t have to take pictures, he should be here. “Okay,” I say. I stand next to the front door and smile. Mom takes several different pictures before the doorbell rings. My hands begin to sweat. I wipe them on the bottom of my dress. Jeez, get a grip, Katy. It’s just Liam.

  Mom giggles like a school girl. I fight the urge to roll my eyes at her. She seems more excited than I am. “I’ll get it,” she yells. I hurry to the living room and take a deep breath. “You look great, Liam.” I head Mom shut the door. I hear Liam mumble something to Mom, but I can’t make it out. She giggles.

  I take a few steps and watch as Liam walks into the living room. My breath catches. Liam is always so grungy, with combat boots, t-shirts and ripped jeans. This is…different. A greatly hottish different. The dance is semi casual. The girls wear suitable dresses and the boys dress up, no suites. I feel a blush riding on my cheeks, I look down, determined not to let Liam see me blush. It’s the first time I’ve seen him dressed up and it makes my stomach tingle. All the distance that he had at the beginning of the week has vanished. He seems so close to me even standing a few feet away.

  He clears his throat. “You look…great,” he says, his eyes travel down to my bare legs, then back up to the skin of my side. “Beautiful.”

  I watch him tug on his button down black shirt. “So, do you,” I say. “Um,” I shake my head, “I mean handsome, you look handsome.”

  Liam takes a step closer and smiles. “I knew what you meant.”

  “Picture time! Pictures, pictures!” Mom yells. “Get together,” she says, motioning us together. I walk carefully, not to fall in my heels that Jen insisted I wear, over toward Logan.

  He is warm. All the heat in the world transports to the one spot where his hand rest on my side. I regret getting this dress, with any other one; I wouldn’t be able to feel his calloused hand on my bare waist. I stiffen. He is smiling. “You look good enough to eat,” he mumbles at my ear. There is the real Liam. He’s back. I’m more than happy to welcome him back.

  “Okay, Hannibal Lecture, let’s keep this PG-13, at least in front of my mother.”

  He laughs and smiles for my mother. He turns toward me, rest his mouth above my ear. “If your mother was smart, she would have locked you in your room, dressed like that. I might have to pretend to take you home with me.”

  Shivers runs up my back. I smile up at him. I try to pretend I don’t like that.

  “Okay, these are great,” Mom says. “You guys go and have a great time.”

  “What time should I have her home?” Liam asks, locking eyes with me. Something is written all over his face, while he waits for my mom’s answer. I’m not sure what it is. Eagerness? I want to kiss him, but I don’t. Pretending, remember, Katy?

  Mom strokes her chin then throws her arms up in the air. “No later than two,” she says.

  Two? She’s never let me out passed twelve? Mom must be smoking the pipe while I’ve been at school. My mouth is open but I close it. I don’t want her to think she is wrong. Let her believe I’m mature enough to come home at two. The truth is, being with Liam, I’m probably not.

  Liam cocks an eyebrow. “Very trustworthy, Mrs. Taylor.”

  Mom puts the camera down. “Should I not be, Liam?”

  “Of course you should,” I interrupt.

  She rolls her eyes. “Get out of here before I change my mind.” Liam wraps my arm around the crook of his elbow and escorts me out.

  When we get outside, I feel giddy. “Well, my pretend girlfriend, you ready to go get jiggy with it?”

  “If you don’t say that ever again, I am.”

  He laughs. He holds his hand out and helps me into his Jeep.

  “A gentleman,” I say.

  “Tell me that at the end of the night.” He smiles and shuts the door. He walks around the Jeep to the driver’s side. I intertwine my fingers and squeeze. I’m nervous. I hate dances, but getting dressed up makes me feel…pretty…wanted.

  “Nervous?” Liam asks, starting the engine.

  I nod. “I’ve never been. I normally wouldn’t even think about going, but we have to be believable, right?”

  “You never went with Hayden and you dated for how long?”

  I shake my head. “A while and no I never went.”

  This makes him smile. “Did he never ask you?”

  I look out the window. “Yeah, but I’m just not a big dancer.”

  “So,” Liam coughs, “you told him no?”

  I nod. “Pretty much. I faked sick for Homecoming last year, and said I was cramping for prom.” I laugh.

  “So, I should feel privileged?” Liam asks, eyebrow rose. His dimple is dented in his cheek. It’s adorable.

  “Oh, most surely. It’s a rare gem to get me in a dress, let alone a dance. Write this date down.”

  Liam smiles. I feel the warmth of his hand on mine. “No one is watching,” I whisper.

  He turns toward me. “It’s good practice.”

  When we get to the dance, the entire place is swamped. Oh, shit. It’s like a mad house outside. There are teenagers, taking pictures, strutting around and fixing their dresses.

  “Wow, didn’t know so many people come to this,” I say.

  “It is homecoming week. Tomorrow is the big game, ya know. It’s kind of a big deal. This is high school. The only good thing that ever happens in high school is the games and dances.”

  Yeah, I know. “Oh, God,” I say, breathing in and out.

  Liam laughs, reaching over to pat my leg. “Calm down, it’s going to be fine, I swear. Come one.” Liam gets out, comes around and helps me down. I watch all the other couples walk in, whispering in one another ears. “Would you like me to whisper sweet lines in your ear, little bear?”

  Yes. “It’s not necessary,” I say.

  Liam wraps his arm around my waist. “But, this is right?” His breath is warm on my neck.

  “Yes,” I say, breathless. I wonder if he can tell he is making my heart beat like crazy against my ribcage.

  He pretends to bow. “Shall we?”

  “We shall.”

  We walk up to the ticket booth. “I need two tickets,” Liam says, pulling out his wallet. A tall, dark haired boy is sitting behind the desk staring at me. A slow grin crawls up his face.

  “You’re Katy, right?”

  Liam looks down at me. I nod. “Yes.”

  Tall boy laughs.

  Ah hell. “What’s so damn funny,” Liam says, snatching the tickets out of his hands.

  He raises his hands in surrender. “Nothing, bro. Just joking. Nothing is funny.”
/>   “I didn’t think so,” Liam says, grabbing my hip and pulling me into the gym. “People are never going to grow the hell up are they?” he asks.

  I shake my head. Probably not. I don’t even want to know what he was laughing about. I can only imagine.

  There are tables full of punch, finger sandwiches, chips and cookies, when we get into the gym. I want to crawl underneath one and hide. The middle of the gym has been transformed into a dance floor, where most of our classmates are grinding on one another.

  Liam pulls at the collar of his shirt, his grey eyes darting down to me. “Want some punch,” he asks. “I promise not to spike it.”

  “Yes,” I say. “My throat is suddenly very dry. And maybe you should spike it.”

  He laughs. “I know exactly what you mean. You grab us some seats and I’ll grab us something to drink.”

  I nod. I push my way through the cluster of kids, while my head pounds to the rap music that’s blaring through the gym. No one seems to even know I’m pushing through them, they barely move to let me through. I spot a table and walk quickly, then sit down. I face the dance floor and watch as everyone starts jumping up and down to the ‘shots’ song.

  “Well, it was a mad house but I finally got you something to drink,” Liam says. He hands me my punch and I take a large gulp. “Wow,” Liam says. I look up; he is staring at the group of swaying kids. “It’s like a zoo when everyone is in heat.”

  I laugh, spilling some drink on the table. “Stop, I’m gonna spill this all over me.”

  Liam laughs. “Better not, I don’t think my shirt would go good with that dress.”

  “Definitely not.”

  I glance up and over the dance floor when I notice Holly dancing. She is swaying her hips, then I meet eyes with Hayden, who is staring at me. His green eyes look like The Green Goblin’s. His jaw is set, hands on Holly’s waist and crotch against her ass.

  I look away. I don’t want another replay of Liam getting upset because I’m looking and getting pleasure out of making Hayden mad. Which makes me wonder why he would be mad in the first place? This is just a pretend relationship right? We only kiss and hold hands for show? Liam picks me up for school because it’s the right thing to do? He doesn’t really care about me, does he? Do I care about him?