Capturing Us (bxb)

Chapter Twelve

A/N - holy shit, thank you so much for 1K reads!! all the love and support means more than you all know <3

Liam's POV

To Liam's surprise, the next few days were relatively uneventful - of course, aside from Blake's newly evolving 'i don't hate you' attitude towards Liam. It wasn't like Blake was all of the sudden trying to be besties or whatever with Liam, but ever since that rainy day, something in the air between them had changed. 

Practices leading up to Friday's game became Blake's opportunity to initiate conversation with the photographer, even if it was about trivial things like classes or the weather. He even went as far as offering Liam a ride home after Thursday's practice, to which Liam reluctantly accepted.

While Liam still tried to hold onto his 'enemies' front, he felt himself losing his grasp on it with each passing day. How could he not, though? 

Even though they were nowhere close to what they used to have years ago, Liam couldn't help but lean into the warmth that came with Blake's company. He hated to admit it, but the brunette kind of missed it - or maybe really missed it, but whatever. 

Don't be mistaken, there was still the awkwardness and tension in the air due to the unresolved conflict they had. Liam desperately wanted answers, but he also didn't dare walk into the uncharted territory of conversation - at least not yet. They had both been skirting around it, trying to avoid the conflict. Liam knew it would only bring issues in the future, but honestly, he didn't want to ruin whatever bridges of a friendship they were beginning to build. 

All that being said, by the time Friday's game rolled around, Liam felt more confident in his decision to attend the 'after party/ birthday party' that Tony, Blake's teammate, was hosting. He was told that the party wouldn't be a full on rager or anything, and it was expected to only be the team players and a few plus one's. 

The game that night was yet another home game, so Liam carpooled with Jazz and Claire. He didn't want to drive himself since he would be riding with Blake and a few others to the party, and Jazz and Claire weren't invited to attend. 

After arriving, Liam set up his usual equipment off to the sidelines. This time, however, he was located near Woodford's bench, as he was beginning to feel more comfortable with the team. 

This past week, he'd actually started to interact with the team more, getting to know some of the players and coaches. In particular, Blake's best friend, Clayton, has been someone that Liam had felt drawn to. Not in a romantic sense, but in a platonic sort of connection. 

In all honesty, Liam thought that Clay would have been one of those people that you knew were nice and popular, but didn't really have a lot of depth or personality, you know? However, Liam uncovered that wasn't at all the case with the male. 

Liam learned that Clay shared the same music taste as him. Additionally, Clay revealed that he was transgender, just like Liam's twin, Jazz. Liam had no clue that Clay was trans, and Clay said that it made sense considering that he didn't tell too many people. To that, Clay added, "If people find out, then they find out, I don't really mind it." Like Jazz, Clay had transitioned at a young age, so not many people knew him as anything other than 'Clay', and he didn't feel the need to be super public about it, which Liam respected and understood. 

Since Clay and Blake were starters, Liam decided to spark up a conversation with Tony, the birthday boy... well, it was more like Tony sparked up a conversation with him. 

"Hey, Liam. You coming over with the team tonight, right?" Tony said, bending over to stretch his legs.

The game had just begun, and Liam was snapping photos, but he didn't mind the conversation.  After all, he did set up close to the bench, so it was only inevitable that he'd be a bit distracted.