Mercy

Chapter 9

                We played Call Of Duty for almost an hour. We talked and laughed the whole time. Once we weren’t forced to act any certain way we both relaxed. He no longer had this playboy attitude and I was able to enjoy his goofy sense of humor. For the first time since we met I felt totally at ease around him. Liam was nothing like I thought he would be. His sly smirk was replaced with a bright smile that reached his eyes. This boy had the prettiest smile I had ever seen. We finally decided to call the game quits as we heard the rumble of voices from down stairs. “Sounds like the movie is done…I better get down there to my ride.” He looked slightly disappointed but he quickly replaced the frown with a smile as he took my hand. This time when our fingers intertwined I didn’t feel nervous, it just felt nice. His thumb gently rubbed over my hand as we left his room. We joked as we walked down the stairs, pushing on him with my shoulder when he told a stupid joke. As we entered the kitchen we almost ran directly into Bianca and her friends.

                Her eyes went from him, to me and then slowly traveled down to our hands that were still tightly intertwined. The way she looked at us made me self-conscious and I quickly tried to pull my hand away from his. He tightened his grip on my hand, shooting me a sweet smile. Lord, he made me want to melt right then and there. My smile faded when Bianca’s voice screeched. “Ew…well looks like we know where they were…Don’t get too hurt when he gets bored of you sweetie.” She leaned in giving me a pat on the shoulder. The whole room stared at us, I tried hard to swallow the lump forming in my throat but no matter how hard I tried it just hung there. I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment – my heart started pounding in my chest – I had to get out of there. I jerked my hand away from him and turned heading for the front door. Bianca’s giggle rang in my ears and the sound made me want to throw up.

                The cool air hit my face as I pushed through the front door. I took a shaky breath – trying my hardest to get my anxiety under control. My rushing heart beat pounded in my ears, muting out all the voices from inside. Then my body was wrapped in warm arms, I jumped slightly but relaxed into his embrace. His arms were strong and made me feel safe, I didn’t even need to look back to know it was him. “I am so sorry…” He whispered, rocking me slowly in his arms. His voice was deep and sincere.  This was so embarrassing. I couldn’t control my anxiety around him and that’s the last part of me I wanted him to see. “It’s fine. She’s right though. I’m not someone you want to be mixed up with.” When I spoke I tried to sound confident but I sounded the exact opposite. He let out a laugh, pressing his face into my neck. “I think you may have that back words.” He mumbled softly, the feeling of his breath on my neck gave me chills. “W-What do you mean?” My words stumbled from my mouth. I couldn’t understand how he had this effect on me.  Before he could answer, the front door opened and everyone started towards their cars. Bianca passed us, her hand reaching out and brushing against Liam’s. He pulled away with a disgusted look on his face. He turned back towards me a more desperate look on his face now. “Let me take you on a real date. Friday. Seven.” His eyes searched mine, begging me not to decline. I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted me. “Please. Say yes.” He pleads with me. This was a side of him I had yet to see. Liam was always so confident but this time he looked so lost. The thought of this man losing his confidence with me made a huge smile crawl onto my lips. “I have to work until seven thirty…” Before I could finish my sentence he gave my waist a tight squeeze. “Alright, text me where you work and I will pick you up then.”

                The whole ride home I couldn’t stop smiling. “Earth to Sam!” Lacy yelled, snapping me back to reality. “Yea?” I cleared my throat as I shifted to look at her. “Sam. Please explain, I need to know what had Bianca in such a tizzy. Did you and Liam hook up?” Her voice was rushed and excited. “Uh, no. We played XBOX.” A laughed burst from my mouth when the look of excitement on her face faded to pure confusion. “You…played…XBOX?” She asked, like she had heard me wrong. “Yeah…we went upstairs and played Call of Duty.” My shoulders shrugged slightly – was it really that hard to believe that Liam would do something with me other than hook up? “So…I’m not going to lie…I am super confused. Liam doesn’t invite girls over to play XBOX and was he holding your hand?” The questions just kept coming but I wasn’t sure what to say. “Lacy, he asked me out on a date.” I finally blurted. Suddenly, Lacy slammed on the breaks and stopped in the middle of the road. My whole body flew forward and I smacked against the dash. “LACY!”

-LIAM’S POV-

“Sounds like the movie is done…I better get down there to my ride.” She said softly as she lifted herself up off the futon. We had been having so much fun I didn’t think the movie would be over so quick. I quickly stood up, taking her hand in mine as we headed out of the room. There was no point in trying to hide the goofy smile I had when I held her hand. I let my thumb rub slowly over her thumb, enjoying the feeling of her skin on mine. There were so many thoughts flooding my mind about other parts of her I wanted to touch but I pushed those thoughts away. “Hey Sam, what do you call a cow with no legs?” Before she could answer I blurted out the rest of the joke, the grin on my face even bigger. “GROUND BEEF!” She busted out laughing, pushing into me with her shoulder. “That’s so dumb…” She mumbled through her laughing.  As we rounded the corner we almost plowed directly into Bianca and one of her blonde friends. I could feel the smile on my face disappear when I saw her face.

                I knew Bianca would be jealous of Sam, I mean who wouldn’t, she was beautiful. However, it would even worse knowing how hard Bianca had tried to date me for the past few weeks. I couldn’t be less interested in Bianca but the look on her face told me she wasn’t about to give up.

 “Ew…well looks like we know where they were…Don’t get too hurt when he gets bored of you sweetie.” Her voice was like venom and it made my blood boil. I was about to put Bianca in her place when I felt Sam rip her hand from mine. Bianca let out a harsh giggle as she watched Sam run out of the house. “What the hell is wrong with you?” My voice was full of anger as I yelled at Bianca. She leaned in with a serious look on her face, whispering so no one else could hear her. “She will never make you feel the way I made you feel.”  The corners of my lips curled into a grin as I leaned in, just inches from her face. “Trust me, she makes me feel way better.” I spat before turning and jogging out the door after Sam.

                I found her standing in the middle of the front yard her back towards the house. Her small frame looked even smaller, her shoulders we slumped forward as if she had just been defeated.  She was so different from the girls I spent most of my time with. There was something complex and broken about her. My arms pulled her back to my chest, hugging her tightly. “I’m so sorry…” I whispered, closing my eyes as I breathed in her sweet smell.  “It’s fine. She’s right though. I’m not someone you want to be mixed up with.”  I couldn’t help but laugh at the words that came out of her mouth. This sweet innocent girl thought that I shouldn’t be mixed up with someone like her. “I think you have that back words.” I mumbled into her neck. I knew I was bad for her but that didn’t stop me.  “W-What do you mean?”  As I started to answer her the front door swung open and everyone started heading to their cars. Bianca brushed against me and it made me fume, if she wasn’t a girl I probably would have punched her. Her touch made my skin crawl.  My eyes looked back down at Sam, I had to make my move or Bianca might push her away from me. “Let me take you on a real date. Friday. Seven.”  My eyes searched hers, hoping to see an answer. She stood there silent, staring at me with her warm brown eyes.  “Please. Say yes.” I begged her, I couldn’t handle her saying no, not after tonight. “I have to work until seven thirty…” Her voice was soft, before she could ask for a raincheck I quickly interrupted her. “Alright, text me where you work and I will pick you up then.”  She didn’t say anything, she just nodded and smiled as she pulled away and headed over to Lacy’s car.