After that day I seemed to meet up with Liam a fair bit. We would bump into each other between classes, at lunches, at the shopping centre, everywhere and anywhere. I know what you’re thinking, stalker alert, but it wasn’t like that.
Liam was always so nice and funny and seemed to know what to say no matter how awkward I would make it. I was starting to get my hopes up. Questions filled me; could more come out of this friendship? Were we now friends? Was I just being ridiculous?
*
It is lunch on a boring Friday so I decide to go for a walk around the school by myself, hoping, maybe to run into Liam. A quick search and I see him hanging out with his friends, he kindly waves me over.
“Hey there El,” he says smiling at me, using a nickname that he had given me for over the past few weeks. “Guys, and girls, this is Ellie. Don’t be fooled by her shortness, she is actually in grade eleven.” Giving me a little wink he asks me, “Wanna go for a stroll?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“We have never really talked before, have you realised? We just have quick chats about nothing. I want to get to know you better, please tell me something about you.”
“Damn, I hate this,” I say looking up at him. “Can you be more specific? Otherwise I will probably start talking about something you don’t even care about,” Laughing awkwardly at myself.
“Sport, do you play it?”
“A bit. Basketball, netball, soccer, swimming, roller derby,” I trail off looking up at Liam just in time to see his eyes widen.
“Seriously?”
“No! I am just messing with you. I don’t really do any sports,” I giggle and soon he joins in. “What about you?”
“I actually do swimming.”
“Guess you’re good at it. Win many competitions or anything? “
“A few,” he laughs modestly. “What about reading? Do you like that?”
“Yeah, I love books. A book and some music and then I am all good.”
“I like girls who are easy maintained,” he chuckles leaving me to question whether he is kidding or if he is seriously flirting with me.
“Well that’s me,” I say smiling at him. “What class do you have next?”
“Biology, and guess what? I have a report due,” he sulks.
“Is it finished?”
“Nope,” he laughs and stops walking to smile at me.
“What?” I ask feeling uncomfortable.
“You just have this giant pimple on your face.”
“What? Where?” I start frantically trying to find it using my hands. Everything he does seems like a joke, I don’t know when he is serious.
“I am kidding, I am kidding,” he laughs grabbing my hands to stop me. We stare down at where his hands are holding mine in a warm, weirdly relaxing grasp. “Sorry, that was mean off me,” then releases my hands.
“It’s fine. I am just too gullible,” I brush it off laughing. I walk over to the bubblers with Liam following and we grab a drink.
“Is it just me or does that water taste weird?” he asks pulling a weird face.
“Just you,” and we continue walking in a silence. I think of my hands in his, how big his hands felt compared to my little ones. The questions came back to me… Could we be more than friends, if we were that already?
