The Shy Girl

Chapter 8

(Tamsin's POV)

I had so much fun with the girls. I came up with great outfits for each of their pairs. I was a little worried about Tyler and Mia, but Mia ended up being more comfortable in clothes Zayn would like. When everyone was finished and ready, we were off.

When we reached the boys, they were facing away from us. I didn't notice the other boys, though, I only took in Liam.

I realized that I would be the only one who could say something to get the boys' attention.

"Hey guys!" I say excitedly. They all turn around. I'm almost certain that every one of them smiled, but I can only put my money Liam.

"Wow," I hear them say in unison. They walk towards us, all changing directions. I realize that I have to do an introduction, just as Liam stopped in front of me.

"Harry, this is Emerson," I say, feeling like I'm in a trance looking at Liam.

"Hi," Liam smiles, "how are those reporters?" We had started walking, so it took me a second before I realized that he was teasing me. I smirk.

"I forgot that you saw that." He laughed. And, as usual, the sound made me smile. But, on top of that, it made my insides really fluttery.

"Well, I did tell you that I have found it quite amusing when you get impatient." He smirks down at me, and I scoff.

"I do not get impatient! I'm a very patient person," I say stubbornly. He laughs out loud, a loud and obnoxious laugh that indicates that what I said was the farthest thing from the truth.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England." I cross my arms and don't reply. "Hey." I don't answer. "C'mon, Tammie!" He stops me from walking by grabbing my hand. "You know in just kidding. "He tugs in my arm so that we're face to face. "I think you outburst was adorable," he says, his tone serious but his little smile saying otherwise. I smiled and started walking, not taking my hand out of his.

"Well I had to do something for Emmaleigh." I looked up to see him smiling at me. "She practically has an attention phobia, ya know."

"But she got it anyway. From the reporters saying that Niall liked her." It was a statement, but Liam said it as a question. I nod. Liam snorts before saying "it was quite obvious though." I smile.

"She knew it was going to happen. I mean, we met you guys, so that should be attention grabbing enough. But now everyone knows that Niall MAY," I wink at him, and he laughs. "That Niall may have a thing for Emmaleigh. So she's scared of the results of it." I look to the ground. Liam notices my change of mood.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy that your best friend's idol has a crush on her?" Liam asks seriously. I look at him like he's crazy. At the same time, I laugh at how silly his question was.

"Well, of course I am!" I exclaim at him, smiling. "But.. But I know that she hates attention. When I went out there, I was trying to protect her.. From the attention she didn't want. Instead, I have her more of what she hated." I looked at the ground again, realizing that I probably made my best friend's life exactly what she didn't want. "I failed at what best friends should do best," I say, mostly to myself. The statement makes me depressed.

Liam stops our walk an pulls my head up to look at him. "That's the farthest thing you have done for her, Tamsin," he tells me, doubtlessness clear in his voice. He laughs a little bit to himself. "First of all, it's NIALL'S fault. Those creepers dug into his personal messages on twitter. Most likely a girl read through them, because only a girl can find out the feelings of a boy to a girl through any and everything."

I laugh at his little speech that he has started. He just continues, not even noticing a sound that came out of my mouth.

"By far, you are the BEST best friend I have ever met." Liam smiles down at me. "You try, and it is clear that both of you love each other like sisters."

"Of course," I sigh, "I don't know what I would do without her."

"Then that's all that matters." We start walking again, hand in hand. I scoot a little bit closer to Liam, feeling uncomfortable with the cold wind against my face. I mutter a quiet "I guess so."

"So where are we going anyway?" Liam asks me after a moment of silence. I smile up at him.

"To my favorite part of the woods," I say excitedly.

After another 15 of constant and pointless talk, Liam and I reached the lake.

"I found this place with my brother way back when. It was our hangout, our secret. And then we promised that we could show one of our best friends, seeing as I would have him to go to the lake with for two years." The lake over looked everything. Behind the woods were docks, houses, apartments, even a small college. On each side of Liam and I, there was the edge of the forest.

"Wow," Liam blows out. "I would say that I've never seen anything more beautiful, but then I would be lying." I laugh.

"And what would be the first?" I asked him, looking up. He smiles the sweetest smile down at me.

"That," Liam starts, "another conversation, love." I smile at the British nickname given to hundreds of girls by our accented boys.

"So, how did you find this place, Tamsin?" Liam asked me, pulling me down with him to sit down.

"Two years ago, when my brother still came - a drove me - to school, we had to stay later. So we went to the park and went exploring." I put air quotes around 'exploring', laughing when I remembered that day.

"Are you and your brother close?" Liam asked, and I looked at him as if he had shot me or something.

"Of course," I smile at Liam, "he was my first best friend. I told - correction: tell - him everything. He's my bro, I love him." I look at Liam and see admiration on his face. "What about you?" I ask him, changing the subject to him. "You have siblings, right?" Liam nods his head.

"Only little sisters. I love them so much." I can only imagine Liam playing with Barbie and having tea parties to make them happy. I laugh at the image. "What?" he asks, confused but smiling.

"Nothing," I shake my head, still smiling but now looking at the lake.

"What do you like to do?" The question caught me off guard. I looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Well," I start, "I like music. I love playing the viola and singing. Oh! And baking, reading, and writing." He smiles at me.

"I want to hear you play and sing," Lima announces. I shake my head. I'm not that good! "I will hear you, Tamsin," he says, sure of himself. I mod my head, letting him believe what he wanted.

I turned my head toward him. We sit there, content with our surroundings and company. After, I don't know how long, I look away and sigh.

"We should probably go and see what the others are up to," I say. Liam looks around before sighing as well.

"Yeah, you're right," he says, getting up and grabbing my backpack. Confused, I followed his lead, and he came behind me and put my backpack onto my shoulders. After, he stands beside me to grab my hand, intertwining our fingers so that my hand was behind his.

Liam stands still for a moment, looking at the lake before turning to me.

"We're coming back here, right?" Liam asked me, hope clear in his voice. I smiled widely at this awesome person.

"Of course we will," I say before we start for the dirt path.

"You know we're matching right, Tam-Tam?" Liam states, smirking. "I think it's pretty cute."

"I did notice that," I reply. "Great minds think alike, now don't they?" I smirk up at him, and we both start laughing.