Liam shakes his head. “You’re not my friend. I don’t think you ever were.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that because I know you are fucked at the world over Hayley but that’s on you. All you had to do was forgive her. You could be moving in with her, you were too chicken to ask the question.”
“Fuck you, Killian. Just fuck you.”
I laugh and pay for my stuff.
“Maybe you didn’t really love her, because if you did you would have fought for her.” I turn around expecting a punch in the jaw, but he’s gone.
I pay for my stuff and hurry back home to my girl and hope she’s still there. I would leave me if I were Liri. I just left her laying there and didn’t even ask if she wanted to come with me or if she needed anything. I hit the drive-thru of a fast food taco place and get us something to eat. When I get back to the apartment Liri is asleep. I think about waking her to have a taco picnic in the living room floor with me, but she looks so peaceful. Her lips are swollen and parted. Her breaths coming out and in is a soothing rhythm. The silky dark brown tendrils of her hair are fanned out around her head. She looks like an angel. A properly fucked and sated angel.
And she’s mine.
She gave herself to me. Liri has no idea what that means to me. That she chose me despite all the shit I seem to put her through. I’m a fuck up, but she makes me want to try to be better. I open the comforter up and lay it over her. She rolls to her side and pulls it up over her shoulders and smiles. I lean over and kiss her temple then go eat tacos while sitting cross-legged on the hardwood of the living room floor.
After I go down to my car and start bringing up all the crap I bought. I can’t help but think of Liam and feel a little guilty that he wanted this with Hayley, and I talked him out of it. I think I was jealous of what they had. I knew I would never find it or at least I believed I wouldn’t but then Liri happened.
Chapter 36
Liri
Killian and I have been living together for two weeks now. By some miracle I have been able to keep my mom and Theo from finding out that I live with a guy. Not merely any guy but my boyfriend. I kept things vague and told them that living with Hayley wasn’t working out, and I was more comfortable in a place of my own. They bought my partial truth, but the only problem is now they want to come see my apartment. I keep trying to come up with an excuse to put them off only long enough until I come up with a way to tell them about Killian without them freaking out on me.
The last of our new furniture arrived three days ago. We finally have a living room set that we both could agree on and a TV. No more watching movies on my laptop in bed together though I loved snuggling up with him.
I’ve only tried to bring his father up once and he shot me down fast. I know I told Susie I would try but if what I know of them is true, I’m not sure Killian should be around them. I guess I could randomly suggest we stop there to eat the day of the party. But
if he finds out that I took him there under false pretenses he will be upset with me.
I keep putting it off, but the party is next weekend.
My writing assignment has been going better. I have Killian to thank for that. He suggested that I alternate my chapters between Camille and Grayson. He reads over my work and helps me edit and even helps me with the research side. Hayley and I no longer speaking. When I told her that I moved in with Killian she told me that it was mistake and that it was only going to end with me begging to move back into the dorm with her. I ended the conversation there before either of us said something we would both hold a grudge over.
Even Killian and Liam aren’t on speaking terms anymore. We stopped eating in the cafeteria and come home for lunch when we have time. He’s supposed to be meeting with someone new to work on his car. There’s a race this weekend that could be big money for him. I don’t want him to do it. The thought of him getting hurt terrifies me, but I won’t tell him not to do it. I won’t make him choose though I wish he would choose me.
I’m exhausted from my dance class and can’t wait to soak in the tub. I think even my eyelashes hurt. If that is even possible. I hope Killian picked up something for dinner because I do not want to cook tonight. He is decent about helping keep things clean to a point. It’s when he gets in his gaming zone that he drives me crazy. Last week some car racing game released, and he sat in the recliner for a good solid six hours slurping on soda and eating junk. I thought I was going to have to stage an intervention. I take that back he got up twice long enough to go the bathroom. I was certain if I wasn’t home at the time, he might have been lazy enough to piss in a bottle.
I unlock the door and find a scene I was hoping to avoid at all costs. My parents are sitting on the couch and Killian is sitting in the recliner. They all look at me, and I let out a squeak that somewhat sounds like, “hi.”
“We were in the area and thought we would surprise you,” my mother tells me, and I can tell by the harsh tone of her voice she is not happy.
“I’m surprised.” I close the door behind me and put my bag on the counter. “You couldn’t have called first?”
“What’s the fun in that?”
“This wasn’t my idea. I wanted to call.” Theo looks like his head is about to pop off his shoulders his face is so red.
I move around to the back of the couch so my mother can’t see me, and I mouth to Killian, “Do they know?”
His brows knit and he gives me a weird look but doesn’t answer me. I sigh and roll my eyes. I move to where Killian sits in the recliner and stand next to him. “I guess you have introduced yourselves to Killian.”
“I thought we could take you two to dinner and talk about the fact that you have moved in together so quickly,” my mother gets right to it.
“Dinner sounds great. You can get to know Killian, but there is nothing to discuss about us moving in together. I love him.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t know what love is. You’re eighteen. We both know where that got me at your age.” She is about to start in on me, but I don’t want to hear it.
“I’m not you. Killian isn’t James.”