Stand Up » 1D

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jasmine Treader

The door shut behind the new couple, and everyone just stared at the door for a moment.

"Am I the only one in the room who is shell-shocked right now?" I asked. I got some mumbled "nopes" in reply.

"I hate love," Louis grumbled. He kicked the floor with his foot. "It's so complicated."

"You're not admitting that you love Zaylin, are you, Louis?" Zayn asked, raising his eyebrows.

"As a sister, yeah!" he exclaimed. "As anything else, hell no! I just wish she could be here all the time and...." His voice faded away. He looked down. "Whatever," he mumbled.

Nobody said anything for a moment. "Where's Harry?" Mara asked.

"In his room," Louis replied.

Mara opened her mouth like she was about to say something again, but then she closed it. She bit her lip, shook her head, and left. Niall followed her quickly.

As the others milled around, I tugged on Liam's shirt sleeve. He glanced at me and stiffened. "What?" he asked through his teeth.

"I need to talk to you," I whispered. "Privately. And don't say no."

Liam closed his mouth and sighed. "Where do you want to talk?" he asked. "No doubt someone will listen in on us here."

I smiled. "I know someplace. Come on."

.....

"Wow," Liam said. He didn't look at me. "Not even I knew this was here, and I live here!"

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

We sat on a hill surrounded by trees, staring up at the sky. It was rather beautiful, with the feel of the grass beneath me and the glow of the sun on my face.

"What is it that you needed to speak with me privately?" Liam asked me quietly, still looking at the ground.

I sighed. "Don't play dumb with me, Liam, you know perfectly well why I brought you out here."

"And that is...?"

I sighed again, this time more exasperated-like. "Okay, I said I was sorry, alright?" I cried. "I didn't mean to kiss you. It was an accident--"

"How was kissing me an accident?" Liam demanded, glaring at me. Well, at least he was looking at me now.

"I honestly don't have an answer for that," I said with a small shrug. "Something came over me. I just HAD to kiss you, like I had no other choice."

"But then Danielle saw us and blamed ME," Liam interrupted sourly. "Because of you, we had to break up. Danielle blamed it on the fans, but I know the real reason. If you hadn't--"

"Just shut up, okay?" I shouted over him angrily. I glared at the ground and destroyed little tufts of grass with my fingers. "It isn't entirely my fault, you know."

"Oh? And how is that? You kissed me--"

"You kissed me back, you dope!" I shot at him. "You might not have realized it, but you did! I thought that meant something to you, but apparently not. I was wrong."

I ran my fist across my eyes, which were dry. I had a large sore lump in my throat, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't swallow it down. I looked at the ground again.

"I kissed you back?" Liam asked in a small voice. It was probably a rhetorical question, but I replied anyway.

"Yes," I said softly. "And you broke your promise to me."