Last of Summer

Chapter 7: The King of LA

                                                      Aubrey 

With the handle of my suitcase in one hand and Elizabeth's hand in my other, I made my way down the jet bridge and closer to adventure. My feet felt heavy, and the handle was digging into my skin. All I really wanted to do was lie down somewhere and take a long nap, but a new-found energy was fueling my every step and willing me to continue.
We had just made it out of the gate when Elizabeth called for me to stop. I paused and stepped to the side so that I wouldn't block anyone's way. When I turned to Elizabeth, she was struggling to pull her phone out of her bag. I sighed and rushed to help her. We set our things on one of the nearby chairs in the terminal and pulled out both our phones. I had a missed call from an LA number and then a text telling me to call back. I shrugged and did so as Elizabeth texted Robert to tell him of our arrival.

"Hello?" answered a low, male voice.

"Hi," I said, "I got a call from this number. Erm... and a text, too."

"Yea, yea. It's Liam King," he answered, but I had never heard his name before.

"Sorry, I don't know who are you."

"Oh, really? Okay. Well, I'm the guy who you've been making plans with for weeks now," he explained, but I was confused by his answer so I said nothing in return.

"My mom is Maisy King, and you're Aubrey Sandford, right?" he questioned. Maisy King. That rang a bell. I realized that was the name of Mom's friend, the one who's son was going to help us out in LA. I had been talking to him for a few days as we planned this trip. Since neither Elizabeth nor I were eighteen years old yet, he had to help us out with legal stuff to be a temporary resident in Los Angeles. 

"Yes, that's me! Oh, I'm really sorry. I thought your name was Henry, or at least that's what your mom told us."

"Yes, that is my name, but I, like, go by Liam," he chuckled. His laugh was soft but contagious. Despite how tired I was, I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Right. Well, you already know my name. What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, I'm assuming that you've, like, already landed since you're using your phone. I'm waiting right outside Terminal 4 for you. I even have a sign with, like, your name on it," he said and laughed at himself.

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll meet you in a bit, Liam."

"Bye," he responded and then hung up. I locked the phone and turned back to Elizabeth who was texting as fast as she could. With my new-found energy, I sat down in the chair beside her and watched as she ranted to Robert.

"Wow. I didn't realize that you two talk in paragraphs all the time," I joked. Elizabeth nodded, absentmindedly. I wasn't sure if she even heard me or was just nodding so I'd shut up already.

"Well, there's no time for that right now. We need to go," I told her and stood up.

I turned back to Elizabeth after I had gathered all my things, but she hadn't moved an inch. I sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the seat.

"Come on," I said, "You can get back to Robert later, but Liam is waiting for us right now."

At the mention of a stranger's name, her head snapped up, and she questioned me,

"Who's Liam?"

"He's the guy that we've been talking to. Remember? The one we are making plans with," I explained. Elizabeth was quicker than me in that, and she instantly knew who I was talking about.

"So, his name is Liam and not Henry?" she asked after I had explained to her, and I nodded.

Finding our way out of Terminal 4 wasn't as hard as I had expected. We just followed the crowd and looked at signs to make sure we were going in the correct direction. Even though we passed many places where I could have easily rested my legs and taken a nap, I was fueled by this new, exciting energy and didn't want to stop.

Halfway through, Elizabeth convinced me to make a quick stop at Starbucks. To be honest, I agreed because our new environment was a little hard to take in. Starbucks was something we were both familiar with, and I just needed something close to home to help me cope.

Even though the line was longer than I expected, we stuck it out until we reached the front.

"Hello, I would like to have a Venti Green Tea Frappuccino; hold the whipped cream, please. And a Tall Caramel Frappuccino, too," I told the cashier as I dug in my purse for money. When he asked me for my name, I mumbled it, not caring if he got it right or not. I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could because I didn't want to keep Liam waiting, especially after he had been so generous. Elizabeth handed me her money and then sat down at one of the tables on the opposite side of the room. I sighed and tried to get her attention by staring at her. I couldn't believe that she was sitting down despite the fact that I had told her about five hundred times that we were just going in and out.

The cashier called my attention back to him when he handed me my change, but I just shoved it into my purse as I walked over to where Elizabeth was sitting.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, impatiently raising my eyebrows.

"What does it look like? I'm sitting," she replied casually. I sighed.

"Like I said before, we're not staying. In and out. Besides, Liam is waiting for us," I repeated.

"Aubs, chill out. I'm just sitting down. Besides, our drinks aren't even ready yet."

"Yeah," I replied, "but I'm just making sure you know that we are leaving as soon as we get them."

I stood by the table, watching and waiting for them to call my name. The place was a little loud and crowded, especially for a Monday afternoon. I noticed a family sitting around one of the tables. A little boy around seven years old was trying to wipe whipped cream on his younger sister's nose. I smiled, thinking about how my older brother Will and I had been just like them when we were younger. Will.

I was a little glad when Elizabeth excitedly grabbed my arm. I didn't want to think about Will at all.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Aubrey! Look," Elizabeth cried, gripping my arm tightly. I followed her gaze to a guy who was sitting down at a table a few feet from us. He was wearing a baseball cap that advertised for some company I didn't recognize, but I couldn't see his face because he was looking down at his phone.

"What? Who is that?" I asked her, but Elizabeth had this look of utter shock on her face. Her hand was shaking on my arm.

"Elizabeth," I said a little louder, "earth to Bethie!"

"It's Calvin Newport!" she whispered loudly. I turned back and looked at the guy. He had put his phone away and was now staring out the window behind him, giving me a better view of his face. As soon as I realized that it could actually be him, my heart started beating faster and faster.

When Elizabeth and I were sophomores in high school, we had been absolutely in love with him. We had watched his movies on repeat, and I remember days when he was all we would talk about. Of course, that had been two years ago, but seeing him then and there was such a shock to both of us.

I turned back to Elizabeth, unsure of how to contain myself. I could tell she was having the same problem too because her hand was shaking really badly.

"Audrey! Audrey? Tall Green Tea Frappuccino and Caramel Frappuccino!" one of the Starbucks employees called out. Elizabeth laughed at how they got my name wrong. I smiled and punched her in the arm before I scurried off to grab our drinks. I thanked the employee, grabbed some straws and napkins, and then brought the drinks back to our table.

"Thanks," Elizabeth said when I handed her the Frappuccino and then her eyes flicked back to Calvin.

We watched as Calvin grabbed his bags and flung his empty cup into the garbage can. He got up and began walking out of the Starbucks. Elizabeth and I turned to each other, nearly bursting with excitement, and we proceeded to follow close behind him.

"What do we do?" Elizabeth asked me. She was freaking out and so was I. I shrugged nervously; this had never happened to us before, so I had no idea how you were supposed to approach a celebrity that you used to be obsessed with. Well, our undying love for Calvin never did die; it was just forgotten about for a while.

We just continued following him, debating what we should do. Even though we were both giggling crazily, Calvin didn't even notice us, and I'm not sure what I would have done if he had. We took our eyes off him for about five seconds and turned to each other, but he was gone when we turned back.

"Oh my God! Where did he go?" I asked Elizabeth, trying to keep my voice low. We frantically searched the crowd, but there was still no sign of him.

"What if he went into that bookstore to read the magazines that he's on the covers of?" I jokingly asked Elizabeth and started laughing with her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall, male figure in the bookstore, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Oh my God! Elizabeth, it's really him," I nearly screamed as I slapped her arm frantically.

"What? What? Where?" Elizabeth yelled. I hushed her and then pointed into the bookstore. The guy standing there was clearly Calvin, even though he had his back to us. He was wearing the same gray, hooded sweatshirt and faded jeans as before. It was him, without a doubt. I turned back to Elizabeth who was starstruck. She wasn't even blinking as she stared at Calvin, her eyes focused and her pupils huge.

"Elizabeth, come on!" I shrieked as I grabbed her hand and then ran into the bookstore.

I slowed down to a walk as we got near the entrance because I didn't want to draw attention. Elizabeth's hand was clammy and shaking in mine, but I kept going. I stopped a few feet away from Calvin because I still had no idea what to do, and it didn't look like he was going anywhere. He was slightly turned in the other direction as he read the magazine in his hand. I turned back to Elizabeth with an excited grin on my face. She was completely fangirling and shaking with her hands over her mouth.

The excitement was suddenly too much to contain. With my hand still clutching Elizabeth's, I ran over to Calvin. We were both squealing as we launched ourselves at him. I'm not sure if it was Elizabeth or I who wrapped her arms around Calvin's torso first, but I'm certain that we almost knocked him over.

I just stayed there and closed my eyes as I embraced him. He smelled good, like a spicy, pine scented cologne. I could feel Elizabeth's arm right under mine, clutching Calvin tightly, but my heart stopped when Calvin's arms slowly wrapped around both of us. His stomach felt weird against my cheek as it vibrated when he laughed, so Elizabeth and I laughed too.

"Well, hello," Calvin said when we finally got off of him. His English voice was deep, rich, and alluring. I just wanted to stand there and listen to him talk all day long.

"Hi," I said shyly.

"Hello!" Elizabeth said excitedly.

"I take it that you two are fans?" he asked jokingly. Elizabeth and I laughed with him and nodded like bobbleheads.

"Could we get a picture with you, Calvin?" I asked, pulling my phone out of my back pocket.

"Yes, yes! Of course," he said with a smile, and I handed him my phone.

The rest was really a blur. I was too excited, and my heart was beating too fast for me to even remember. Elizabeth and I got pictures with him and an autograph. We even asked him what he was up to although he couldn't give us much information about it due to his contract. It was nice though, despite the fact that we left shaking and excited. Actually, Calvin was the one who had to leave, but I'm sure he saved himself another hour or so of conversation by leaving.

When I pulled out my phone again, there were two missed calls from Liam. I called him back, but he didn't answer. Elizabeth and I rushed out of the Terminal 4 to Ground Transportation, and I attempted to call Liam again to no avail.

"So, where's this Liam guy that you've been rushing me for?" Elizabeth asked. We both kept looking around but honestly didn't even know what to look for besides a guy who was our age, and there were plenty around.

After a little while, I gave up trying to call, text, or even look for Liam. Elizabeth and I gathered our bags and rested against a wall until we had any sign of Liam.

"Excuse me. You're Aubrey, right?" a voice asked.

I wasn't paying attention, but I turned to find the voice belonged to a very tall and good-looking boy. He had this heavenly, hazel hair that just seemed to shine in the light, and his eyes were a light, joyful green, the kind of green that was deeper than a rainforest and drew you in immediately. His skin was tanned perfectly, and even the small freckles on his face seemed to be place strategically to make him more attractive. Everything about him was happy and beautiful, automatically making me feel comfortable.

"Y-yes," I sputtered and then wanted to hit myself for sounding so feeble. I took a deep breath and tried again.

"I'm Aubrey, and you must be Liam, right?" I assumed.

He nodded, melting me with his smile. Even this teeth were straight and perfect, but it wasn't the kind of movie star smile that blinds you with its majesty. It was one that seemed natural and sincere. Then, he turned to Elizabeth and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Liam," he said.

"I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you, Liam," Elizabeth replied as she shook his hand.

"Oh, let me, like, get your bags for you. I have my car waiting right over there," Liam stated and then proceeded to grab my bags, which were nearest to him. I was about to object, but it was too late because he was already walking to his red car, a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

When he wasn't looking, Elizabeth got my attention and mouthed something to me. I shook my head because I couldn't understand her, but she persisted, repeating it. I watched her lips closely; I hadn't always been the best at reading lips, but I still understood that she was telling me that Liam was cute. In other words, she was telling me that he was a guy I could go for, and I didn't blame her. I had told her what happened with Jase in between naps on the plane, but I didn't think she'd get into helping me get over him so soon. Technically, I was already over Jase, but it would have been nice to have a guy to make me forget about him. As awful as a "rebound" sounded, I really didn't need a boyfriend at all, just a nice guy who would show me that Jase wasn't the only available guy out there.

"No, no. You don't have to do that. I can get my own bags." Elizabeth smiled sweetly at Liam. She lifted her bags and loaded them into the black Jeep. Then, she moved and stood by me while Liam closed and made sure the back of the Jeep was secure.

"This is your chance, Aubrey. You have to ride shotgun with him," Elizabeth whispered in my ear and then gave me a playful push towards the car.

"You girls ready to go?" Liam turned back to us with a smile.

"Yes!" Elizabeth replied and moved to open the door, but Liam stopped her.

"Sweet. Allow me," he said and then opened the door and held it for Elizabeth while she climbed into the back seat.

As soon as she was settled in her seat, Elizabeth flung her bag into the empty seat next to her, leaving only the passenger seat open for me. I sighed, knowing that she'd try something like this.

"Well, it looks like your friend's luggage is taking up more space than I thought it would. You won't mind, like, riding front with me, right?" Liam said in a nonchalant tone, but I could tell he was trying to suppress a smile.

"Of course not," I said and climbed into the front seat. While Liam was busy getting to his seat, I turned around to Elizabeth, but she wouldn't meet my eye. She just had this smug expression on her face as she watched the other cars.

Before Liam started the car, he made sure Elizabeth and I were comfortable and had our seat belts on. Despite the trouble we had getting past all the other cars and onto the road, the trip started out wonderfully. I loved the feel of the wind blowing in my face and sweeping my hair into waves behind me. Back home, no one had Jeeps, and the weather wasn't nearly as cool as it was in Los Angeles. It felt different and new, but I loved every second of it. Liam attempted to start up a conversation with us, but Elizabeth was being surprisingly quiet. As for me, I was too nervous to even collect my thoughts and find some nice response, so I just nodded. I'm still uncertain that he even saw me nod because he was concentrating on the road.

After that, he just turned up the radio loud, hoping it would fill the void presented by the silence. When I turned around to see why Elizabeth was being so quiet, she just stared at me expectantly. I knew what she wanted, of course. She was waiting for me and Liam to hit it off, and she would just play a bystander. Unfortunately, my mind was buzzing so much that I couldn't even think of one interesting or appropriate thing to say to him. Part of me knew that nothing should happen between the two of us, and that was for the best with the state I was in. Nevertheless, I wanted to get to know him better because he was helping us out, and we would be spending a lot of time with him while in LA.

Halfway through our ride, I received a text from my mom, reminding me that I had drop by the pharmacy and get truckloads of my medications. I was grateful because it was the conversation starter that I had been looking for. Pulling my bag from my feet, I dug around until I was sure my prescription papers were there. Then, I sat back and carefully picked out my words and responses before I spoke up.

"Hey. Where are we headed?" I asked him.

"Up to West Hollywood, where your apartment is. Something wrong?"

"No, nothing really. I just have to pick up some medication, so do you know if you could stop at a pharmacy on the way?" I asked nonchalantly.

Liam took a look at all the prescriptions I had pulled out, a little shocked for a second. A smile spread across his face, as he chuckled quietly to himself. He turned to me with an amused expression on his face.

"You should have told me that you were such a druggie before I decided to like you," he joked and the sound of our laughter filled the silence.

~

Despite how long we made him wait in the car at the CVS Pharmacy, Liam was still in good spirits. In fact, he offered to show us his place before he dropped us off in West Hollywood. I watched as more and more palm trees began coming into view as we made our way to Liam's apartment complex. There seemed to be at least a row of the towering trees on every road and street and avenue, extending on for what seemed to be miles.

We finally reached two, towering, white apartment buildings standing parallel to each other. The rows of windows seemed to run up endlessly, touching the sun if it was possible. The words "Whitson" hoovered in large letters over the tops of the buildings.

"Wow," Elizabeth said, "That must be over twenty floors. You really live here?"

Liam gave her a blank glance as he began leading the way to the entrance.

"No, I don't live here. This is where I, like, keep all my victims while I wait for their families to pay the kidnapping ransom," he explained, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, haha. Very funny," Elizabeth rolled her eyes and then pulled her sunglasses over them. She linked her arm with mine as we followed Liam to wherever he was really leading us.

I laughed, "Yeah, maybe you should lay off the serious jokes, considering that we don't really know you that well."

He stopped mid-step, turning around. He lifted his sunglasses from his eyes to give me a serious look, and I could barely concentrate because his green eyes were so piercing.

"Oh, so you think I'm, like, some kind of secret serial killer?" he asked with an accompanying raised eyebrow.

"No, I think you're a guy who relies on his looks to lure girls into his apartment," I said and kept walking despite the fact that neither Elizabeth nor I knew where we were going. Liam followed and walked alongside me.

"Really, you think I'm good looking?" he asked and I could hear the smugness in his tone. I didn't glance at him as I answered.

"You said that, not me. I was just suggesting that you lure lots of girls into your apartment. Don't put words in my mouth," I playfully shoved him and kept walking. Suddenly, he was right in front of me, standing in the way, and I slammed right into him. His scent filled my nostrils, hypnotizing and alluring.

"What the-" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Admit it; you think I'm, like, good looking," he said, and I could feel his eyes piercing mine behind his sunglasses. I couldn't resist the blush that crept up into my cheeks. I looked down at my shoes, trying to organize my thoughts.

"No," I replied quietly, not making eye contact with him.

"Then, answer this question. Why are you following me into my apartment?"

I paused, not sure what to answer. He had outwitted me, and I didn't have an answer that wouldn't be a dead give away about how I really did find him attractive. All those witty remarks that had come so easily to me earlier were now gone. It was him, messing with my senses.

Luckily, Elizabeth stepped in. She pulled me aside by the arm and turned back to Liam.

"Alright, you two. Enough of the flirting. Just tell us where in the world we're going!" she said. I elbowed her when she said "flirting" because we clearly weren't doing that. Or were we?

"I'll lead the way, ladies," Liam said, not even fazed by the fact that Elizabeth had just accused him of flirting. I didn't understand why it didn't bother him like it bothered me. Or maybe it was because he was actually flirting. Nonetheless, I was confused, and it didn't at all count to me.

Liam led us to some stairs and began climbing them without us.

"What is this? Don't they have an elevator in this building? Come on, it's, like, eighty floors!" Elizabeth cried out in protest.

Liam didn't stop on the stairs but kept going as he answered.

"Dude, it's only twenty-five floors in this building, like, not even close to eighty. The elevator only runs on the higher floors since this old building originally only had, like, ten floors. So when they added more, it was dangerous to add the elevator for the lower ones."

"What? So, everyone else is just expected to exercise their butts off, just to get to their homes?" Elizabeth argued again.

"It replaces the gym membership. Now, hurry up, or you'll never catch up to me! I do this, like, everyday, so I'm pretty fast," he said with a laugh, and his voice was beginning to echo more and more, a sure sign that he really was getting ahead of us.

I followed and began climbing the stairs, knowing Elizabeth wouldn't stay by herself. Before following me, she muttered something under her breath that made me glad Liam couldn't hear her.

Over five flights of stairs later, because I stopped counting after that, we were at the front door of Liam's apartment. The part, of the little adventure to his place, that he left out was that the elevator was above the floor he lived on. In other words, Elizabeth and I had to crawl up the stairs while Liam flaunted his athletic superiority. We were pretty flustered and a little sweaty by the time we finished with the stairs. Did I mention that the stairs were on the exterior of the apartment building? Add the California heat to the fact that Elizabeth and I never had to climb more than four flights before in our lives.

"This better be worth the torture you put us through to get up here, or I might just push you out the window," Elizabeth joked as we stood in the brightly lit, carpeted hallway. A beautiful window at the end of the hall illuminated all of the hallway, the sunlight bouncing off all the doors and walls. There were about eight other doors down the hall, all identical to each other, but Liam's was painted blue for some reason. The paint was new in contrast to the paint on the walls of the hallway, which was beginning to chip away and peel at the edges.

Liam smiled, unlocking the door without a reply. He swung the door open slowly and bright sunlight shone from inside. He gestured for us to enter first, and as I stepped in, I was astonished. The whole front wall of the apartment consisted of glass panes that run from the ceiling to the floor, creating many large windows where walls should have been, but the view was even better. I pushed a part of the curtain aside and looked down at the moving traffic, feeling a little dizzy. I backed away and took a look around the apartment. It was quite spacious in contrast to what the exterior had displayed. There was an unmade bed in the corner as well as a table for two and a kitchen area that contained an imitation of a bar, complete with stools, glasses, and alcohol.

"You call this an apartment?" I asked him, "Liam, this is a full-out loft."

"What can I say?" he walked up and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I couldn't breathe. It was more casual than anything, but it made me nervous suddenly. Part of me questioned what right he had to do that since we had just met, and part of me wanted to tape his arm there and keep it there forever.

Elizabeth turned away and looked at us quizzically and then casually said,

"Hey, Aubrey, come over here and look at this."

I slowly walked towards the windows she was standing by, and Liam's arm fell away from me, returning to his side.

"Yes, what is it, Elizabeth?" I asked when I reached her side. She simply pointed towards the beautiful view of the street, lined with palm trees that glistened in the sunshine and gently moved with the breeze.

"Aubrey, what was that even?" she asked, lowering her voice so only I could hear. I risked a glance back at Liam who had moved to the kitchen. He was opening drawers and pulling out cups and glasses.

"What do you mean?" I asked her without turning away from Liam.

"I mean the-"

"Can I get you girls anything? Are you, like, hungry? Thirsty?" Liam yelled from the kitchen, interrupting Elizabeth mid-sentence.

"No, thank you!" Elizabeth replied curtly and turned back to me with an annoyed expression on her face.

"I'll just have a water, please," I told Liam. He nodded and moved to the refrigerator.

"Okay, I'm not getting anywhere with this. Give me your phone," Elizabeth held out the palm of her hand. I dug into my back pocket and pulled it out, pressing it into her hand, without any questions. It had been something that she and I had been doing for a long time. Anytime there was something one of us needed to say but couldn't out loud, we'd type it on the other's phone.

Instead of waiting for Elizabeth, I walked over to the kitchen area, taking a seat on one of the stools. Liam smiled at me and slid a glass of water towards me. He leaned over, resting across from me on the other side of the "bar."

"Bottoms up?" he said with a joking grin. I laughed and raised my glass.

"Yeah, you'll see how fast I can down this glass of water."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want me to, like, add some vodka to it?" he asked and walked over to one of the cupboards.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks," I said and he walked back over to me, leaning against the counter with his drink in hand.

"Underage? How old are you anyway?"

"Me? Underage? Please, that's not what my fake ID says," I joked, staring daringly back at him.

He chuckled, "Fake ID, huh? You don't need to waste your money on that. I know plenty of places that wouldn't care."

"Really?" I asked with a voice that suggested I didn't believe him because I didn't. LA might be known for wild antics, crazy parties, and crime, but the chances of Elizabeth and I ever going to a bar while underage were ridiculous.

"Yea, and those aren't, like, the only kind of places I know about. I can show you all the great spots in LA, places that guarantee you'll have fun. That is if you let me show you around a time or two."

I froze, unsure of what to even say. Was he asking me out? Maybe he just wanted to hang out, and I was overreacting. But if he was interested in hanging out, maybe he was interested in being more than friends. The idea was a little crazy since I had just met him less than half an hour ago, but people did those kind of things nowadays. Or at least I thought they do. I became a pile of nerves, speechless and unable to think past what he really meant by "showing me around." He looked away after a few seconds of my pause, not seeming to pick up on any uncertainty I had. There was only one way to find out what he really meant. I took a breath and pulled together all the courage I had.

"Show me around? Is it just me or does that sound like a date?" I asked with a straight face.

"Only if you want it to be," he muttered in a nonchalant tone, focusing his attention on his drink as he swirled the ice cubes around.

"Liam... I, um..." I stumbled with my words, not quite sure how to respond to something like that.

He looked at me, and this time he really <em>looked</em> at me. His gaze was penetrating the cool barrier of confidence I had put up. I glanced away to Elizabeth, who was still busily texting away on my phone. When I turned back, Liam was still looking at me in that way that made my insides just dissolve.

"Wh-What? What is it, Liam? Is there something on my face?" I asked, growing self-conscious suddenly. I could feel myself slowing shrinking back and pulling away from him.

"Lee-um," he said, stretching out the syllables of his name, "I like the way you say it. Do it again."

Before I had time to even think about it, Elizabeth floated over with my phone in her hand.

"You got a new text, but I think you should read it later," she said and handed me my phone back. She pulled up one of the stools and sat down at the table, resting her hands in front of her.

"So, what are we talking about here? Did I miss anything good? Catch me up," she said with a tone that screamed,

"I KNOW YOU TWO HAVE BEEN REALLY TALKING IT UP, SO YOU BETTER TELL ME HOW FAR YOU GOT OR SO HELP ME LORD!"

Liam smiled and downed his drink in one second. He got up from the table and headed to the sink.

"Don't worry. You didn't miss anything major. I was just, like, telling your girl here about all the amazing places in this city."

Liam had his back turned to us, and when I looked over at Elizabeth, her eyes were enough to tell me that she was beyond annoyed with Liam. She seemed almost angry, but I knew better than to ask. So, we just sat there until Liam came back. He wrapped his fingers around my hand and grabbed Elizabeth's hand with his other. He pulled us out of our seats and over to the windows where we once again faced the magnificent view.

Liam's hand fell away from mine, but I could still feel the heat from where his fingers had rubbed my skin. He wrapped his arm around me first and then his other around Elizabeth. She leaned her head behind Liam's and met my eyes, portraying a look of absolute shock or outrage, I'm still unsure which it was. I mouthed to her that it was okay, to which she proceeded to shake her head and tell me it wasn't. I looked away and brought my eyes back to the majestic buildings and bustling traffic below us.

"This is a really beautiful view that you have," I commented.

"Yea, I'm a lucky guy," Liam said proudly.

"I feel like we can see all of LA from here," I breathed.

"Yea, all my friends think it's, like, sick. They call me the King of LA. Which is technically true, not just because of the last name, but you know..." he trailed off.

"Because it's your last name too," I said with a smile, finishing his sentence.

"Yea, unfortunately, I don't have a Queen yet, but I'm sure it won't be long until that changes," Liam said, his voice not giving explanation of what his words meant.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"Because every girl wants to be treated like a princess, and there's no better man to do that than a King," he said and squeezed my shoulder.