Under the Bridge

chapter forty eight- "you're liam"

THE GAS STATION IS OUR FIRST STOP on our mini nighttime road trip. It's mostly empty, except for a few truck drivers docking their vehicles. Liam and I stop for snacks, mostly because I need candy to fuel my very existence.  

The inside is brightly lit and full of a rainbow of packaged foods, cigarettes, and miscellaneous items. I follow Liam to the back, where he tosses me a bag of sour-patch kids. "I hope this is enough compensation for all of the dick jokes I'm going to make in front of one of your favorite authors." 

I let out a light laugh. "You're ridiculous." 

"Ridiculously sexy," he countered. 

I shake my head, looking over the massive variety of junk food. "Do you think your parents ever notice when you come home late?" I ask, realizing that Liam's family is usually at their house, like normal people, and will be able to tell if their son isn't home. The thought jumps into my brain out of the blue, impairing the tone of the scene immediately. 

He shrugs. "I try to be quiet so I don't wake up my sisters, but sometimes I just don't come home and nobody cares. It's not like my mom and Brian care about me." 

I frown, feeling the mood in the room shift. We gather our things and check out. It isn't until we leave the building that I articulate my answer. "Liam, that's not true. Don't say things like that." I reply as we walk back to the car. It comes out as more of a sigh than a slew of words, but I don't regret what I said. 

Liam turns his head back over to me, the expression mostly unreadable. "Babe, you don't need to make me feel better about it. I know what I am to them." 

I shake my head. Liam is so stubborn on his beliefs, and I think this was one of those that he's established as an unchanging truth. 

A wispy, visible, breath escapes my lips, and before we can enter the car, I place a cold palm on his forearm. "I've seen how they act around you. They do care, they just don't know how to show it. I mean I've seen your mom come to your defense all the time. And I think Brian just doesn't understand you." 

He puts his bare palm over mine, feeling somehow warm in this icy winter cold. "Olivia, they don't treat me like they know me. They treat me like some stupid kid who just smokes pot and doesn't give a shit about anyone else." He's not arguing with me. His voice is level, his tone is gentle, and he sounds like he actually believes himself. 

I don't know why I want to fight him on this, or why I want him to change his mind. I take my hand and cup his face, brushing my fingers along his cheek. "Liam, I love you because I know you. I love you because you're so much more than everyone thinks you are. I love you because you're Liam. Your mom and Brian obviously care about your well being, but they don't think they can control you or have you do anything, and that frustrates them."

Because one of the biggest things that makes you Liam is that you're stupidly stubborn and independent, and nobody has the ability to put a hold on you. Please just listen to me about this." 

Maybe it bothers me because of my mother. Yeah, she cares about my grades, but she doesn't really act like she cares about me. I know she does though, she just doesn't know how to show it. It's the same thing in Liam's family. 

Liam looks stunned, clearly surprised at my outburst. "Olivia." He says my name like he wants to taste it on his lips, to feel how the syllables make his muscles move. He pauses after that, like he can't seem to process what he wants to say.

"Liam, I'm sorry for getting upset." I mumble, feeling the light stubble on his cheek underneath my fingertips. 

He doesn't pull away. Instead, he steps closer, setting a hand under my jaw and brushing away any hair that ended up in my face. "Never apologize for how you feel." He looks down at me, leaning forward, so close that his lips brushed against my cheek. "You might be right, and I could be completely wrong, but I know there's one thing I know you're wrong about."