when love lasts || original story

16. helping hand

when mia arrived home, she wasn't surprised to see liam, seated on the porch swing waiting for her.

catching her in his gaze, the boy stood up and grinned "you're here."

"yeah, i live here," mia replied bluntly, raising her eyebrows as she walked up the steps to reach him. she only let her gaze drink his appearance in for a split second. he was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and white sweats - an odd combination that somehow worked on him. mia cleared her throat "question is... why are you here?"

"can i come in? i have an idea and i need your help."

mia looked at him confused "um okay...?"

he watched as she hesitantly unlocked her door and as she did, liam took notice of how she was wearing a red floral sundress and a denim jacket - it seemed more her style than the first night he'd saw her in that pink dress she'd been wearing.

leading liam in through after mia, he couldn't help but look around, seeing the walls decorated with family photos and pretty paintings, certificates of her achievements - and there were a fair few.

mia put her keys in the bowl and turned back to him to say something but she never got to, since a man's voice interrupted her

"mellie is that you?" a bald man with glasses poked his head through the kitchen door that was just down the hall "i thought you were at cam's— oh!" he exclaimed when seeing liam "you uh... you brought someone!"

mia closed her eyes mortified - firstly for having liam hear her childhood nickname and secondly for her dad's totally unsubtle reaction to his presence

"uh-yep! i mean-no! he's no one. he's a friend."

"is he no one or a friend?" mr st james laughed as he walked towards them, glancing at liam "i'm patrick,"

"liam," the teen accepted the man's hand with a charming smile as mia folded her arms "nice to meet you mr st james."

"oh please, call me pat, mr st james is my father," pat chuckled and liam laughed along, nodding.

"great, introduction's are out of the way, we'll just be in the living room." mia thoughtlessly grabbed liam's arm to head there but pat called after her

"mellie did you have dinner?" he asked quickly

"yeah!" mia exclaimed in a high tone, biting the inside of her cheek - liam instantly knew she was lying with the mannerism she had when saying that

"no you didn't," pat corrected - which reassured liam of knowing when mia lies

"i'm not hungry-" the girl began, but went silent when pat gave her a firm look. liam looked between them trying to decipher what it could mean - but he couldn't come up with a solid answer. "okay, i'll have dinner."

"liam, have you eaten? i'm making more than enough,"

"oh he's gonna have to go-"
"yeah, sure, i'd love to stay."

mia and liam looked at each other suddenly for a split second and pat raised his eyebrows

"alright then," he nodded, walking out and towards the kitchen "it'll be ready in twenty,"

as soon as pat was gone, mia swiftly turned to liam

"you're kidding right?" she questioned

"what? your dad's cool." liam shrugged, smiling amusingly

mia furrowed her brows "what's so funny?"

"nothin, mellie, all good." he smirked

mia glared at him "shut up, brooks."

liam laughed and folded his arms looking around the living room. he saw a white piano near the window "you play?"

mia furrowed her brows and followed his gaze then felt the heat rush to her cheeks in slight embarrassment "oh um, no - sort of - a little..."

"so, guitar, piano, seashell collecting any other hidden talents?"

the girl looked at him, seeing a charming, teasing smirk on his face that shouldn't be doing something in the pit of her stomach... she was definitely hungry. yeah. food, that was it.

"you said you had an idea that needed my help?" she reminded him quickly

liam nodded "right. so... er you know how me and bailey are... i mean - we're technically not but also- okay, so i-"

"you like bailey, yeah i got that." mia nodded impatiently

"exactly, yeah so i have no idea if she likes me back and i need a way of making sure..."

mia tilted her head "so...did you want me to like - ask? i mean i don't even know her so i don't think she'd even tell me."

"no, but very close!" liam exclaimed with a grin "i want you to be my girlfriend,"

mia choked on the air she was breathing and started coughing loudly, liam raised his eyebrows in surprise and took a couple steps towards her

"hey you good?"

mia waved him off and once she regained her breath she looked at him in bewilderment "you want me to be your girlfriend? when you like bailey?"

"not my actual girlfriend, i meant like a fake girlfriend. so i can get a sense of what she thinks about it. plus, bails works on schedules, so this would mess up a potential plan she might have thought through with me and that's when she'd confess and boom, im with her,"

the red-head blinked at him "that's a terrible plan!"

liam's smile dropped "wha-how is it a terrible plan?!"

"well, first off, you're toying with a girl's feelings. second, you're using me - who you just met by the way - as some sort of pawn in the toying with another girl's feelings and you're not even sure it'll work."

liam looked at her for a couple seconds and shook her head "nah, it's a great plan, i just need your help."

"okay, hear me out, have a better idea," mia said with a sudden gasp and a fake smile

"go for it," the boy nodded encouragingly, curious to hear what it was but he rolled her eyes at the next thing she said

"man up and actually ask the girl out by telling her how you feel." mia grinned, patting him on the shoulder before turning away and heading towards the entrance of her house

"mia, come on, you have to help me," liam followed after her, watching as she took ahold of the door knob "there must be something you want in return?"

"i can't help you." mia looked away "you should go."

before she could open the door, liam reached his hand over hers to stop her. he kept his eyes on her face longer than he'd originally wanted to, because then she looked back at him and their eyes locked. she saw the plead in his gaze and he could see she was holding back because of something pulling at her... he just needed to know what it was.

"dinner's ready!"