I'm falling for you, Professor | ✔️

Sixteen

*** TW: mention of bullying and brief mention of attempted suicide and death (Not by suicide.) It'll be a bit of an emotional one ***

William Barlowe

Classes were cancelled for a week starting today while they repair the building from the storm. It's been three days since I've gotten to Liam's house. I was going to try and stay with my parents a few hours away, but all highways were closed due to mudslides and flooding, making it basically impossible to go anywhere.

Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Liam, and honestly there's no other place I'd rather be. I just feel like i'm intruding on his personal space. If it weren't for the storm, I don't know if our relationship would have gotten to this... Level. I'm sure I would have given in and messaged him though, it's just be beingy stubborn self.

The power came back on yesterday, thank god because the generator was almost out of gas. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

We both decided to sleep in late today, and made waffles and bacon for a late breakfast. It felt really good to be here, waking up next to him and doing all these things normal couples would do.

These last few days have been a blissful dream. Seriously, it feels like i'm floating in the clouds when i'm with him. Once we actually put our differences and issues aside, we actually get along really, really well.

We spent the rest of the day watching movies and cuddling together on the couch. Liam let out a sigh, making me think something's on his mind.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's just... I thought I'd explain something to you, but it's a little embarassing." He rubbed the back of his neck, taking another deep breath.

"You can tell me anything, Liam." I said, turning to sit cross legged on the couch beside him. I reached for his hand, holding it tightly in mine, hoping it would give him some sort of comfort.

"Well... When I was younger, I kind of had a problem with my speech. As you k-know, my um... Stutter, I don't do it voluntarily." I squeezed his hand again, slightly nodding my head for him to continue. "I have a speech impediment, it was really bad when I was young. I'd get bullied by all the kids at my school, younger and older. It got to a point where I considered homeschooling, but my parents wouldn't let me. They always said to not let what other people think of me bother me, but thats obviously easier said then done."

His eyes went to the window outside, continuing again. "One day, when I was just getting into highschool a group of the seniors cornered me in the locker room, started to beat on me and call me names, I think the worst of all was when they called me handicap... and retarded, and just a bunch of nasty things. I think those are the worst things you can call a person. It's not like people choose to have imperfections. They don't choose to be the way they are. There's nothing wrong with people who have medical conditions. It got so bad that I was almost at the point of taking my own life. I got extremely depressed, wishing I could just have been normal. Luke helped me a lot, once he noticed how I was. He was always there for me. It may have been annoying at the time, but I'm thankful for all the days he forced me to go out and do things with him."

"I'm so sorry you went through that, Liam..." I spoke quietly, being the tears beginning to form behind my eyes.

"Anyways, the first year was rough. Once I got into 10th grade and they were gone, things got a little better. I made a few friends, none who i'm close with anymore, but I spent years going to speech therapy. Everyday after school until it was almost non existent. The only time it comes out now is when i'm nervous. Which is only when i'm around you. It um, happened with Antonio but that was years ago. That's how I know I was completely taken by you."

Antonio? "Who's that?" I questioned nervously.

"Shit," He mumbled under his breath. I probably wasn't supposed to hear that but I did.

"He's uh... He was supposed to be the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"I met him after I finished university. We travelled everywhere together. All around the world as archaeologists. They were the best times of my life. We fell deeply in love with one another... I... I was going to propose to him, the day he died. I never got the chance to. It was too late. It should have been me that day, he didn't deserve to lose his life."

"You don't deserve to lose yours either." I said quietly.

He shrugged his shoulders sadly. "We made a crazy discovery and we were so close to getting it, but we think one of the stones in the pyramid came loose, he fell... And his harness broke. He hit his head when he landed and died upon impact. It was the worst day of my life. I waited there for him to come out, I had the ring ready in my back pocket waiting for him, but he never came out. It was supposed to be me who went down there. Not him. But he insisted and I didn't fight him on it. I should have. I shouldn't have let him go in there. I regret it every single day."

"So instead of proposing to Antonio, I got to burry his dead body. My life imploded in front of my own eyes." He looked around the house sadly, "Now i'm left alone, in this house that has no meaning to me and a shitty job that I absolutely hate."

Liam stopped speaking, and that's when I realized he had tears streaming down his face as he sat there with his eyes closed.

"Liam... I'm so sorry. I... I know no words can make it better or take away the pain, but I don't think you deserve to die, and that's not me being selfish. He didn't deserve it either, and unfortunately an accident had happened, and it breaks my heart you've had to go through all that pain... By how much I can tell you loved eachother, I guarantee he's always watching over you and looking out for you." I wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"You deserve to be happy, and I bet Antonio wanted you to be too. Whether you find that with me, or someone else, he wouldn't want you to not live your life anymore."

He sniffled a few times, pressing his head into my neck before whispering quietly in my ear.
"Thank you, Will."

"I'm sorry for springing my entire life story on you... God i'm a mess." He chuckled slightly. "You ready to run from me yet?" He raised a brow, looking at me with his bloodshot eyes.

"I'll never run from you, Liam. I promise I'll prove it to you everyday until you believe me." I shifted my body to straddle his lap, wiping the tears again and laying a gentle kiss to his forehead.

It was silent for a few minutes before he got the courage to speak again.

"He'd like you, you know."

"You think so?" I asked shyly.

"I know he would. I think he'd be jealous I got someone so beautiful. If he hadn't have met me, I know he'd scoop you up in a heartbeat." He smiled gently at me.

"I don't know what to say." My cheeks heat up at his words, it means the world to me that he thinks that highly of me. We still have a ton to learn about one another, we've only really known eachother a month and a... Half? Ish?

But does time really matter when you care so much for someone? I don't think it does.

"You don't need to say anything, beautiful. Thanks for not leaving and listening to me."

"Anytime, Liam. Thank you for trusting me."

Liam lays down on the couch, taking me with him. I rested with my back against his chest, and his arms holding me tightly to his body.

I feel like there's an air lifted between us. All the tension he had before has disintegrated, leaving us room for a fresh and healthy start together.

No more lies and no more running.