Just like every year I was running round the house festooning it so the Christmas atmosphere would be perfect. This year we were at the Payne's house, since we have been at my place last year. While my mom helped Karen in the kitchen, my dad was somewhere with Geoff and Nicola and Ruth helped me with the last decorations of the house. I take a short break to check my phone again, scrolling down my Twitter seeing lots of tweets of fans. I never understood why they always wanted me to follow them since it doesn't really matter, I mean I'm not famous, nothing special. But I think for them they feel closer to Liam when I follow them since I knew him since we were small and we always were close. Sadly lately we didn't talk much, since I had much to do for uni and Mr. Popstar never had time and always was busy, not even up for a call. Especially in the last few weeks as he was always out, partying, sleeping late, having concerts and he did all that always accompanied by one or more girls. Clearly all that was much more important to him than to answer some texts or do a short call. I was already curious if he would show up today as he promised his mother and how he would act around me. It was already late and Liam still wasn't there so our families decided to start eating without him. Just as the turkey was cut and we all had plenty of food on our plates the perfect popstar arrived. Everyone immediately got up to greet the lost boy while I was left alone on the filled table, wanting to eat before the food gets cold. After fifteen minutes my family finally came back in and sat down on the table and suddenly everything was revolving around Liam. They all asked him questions instead of eating and didn't bother to talk about any theme that didn't have to do with the popstar. But that wasn't the thing that bothered me, I mean I was used to it since Liam was away very often and had much to tell. The thing that really bothered me was how he talked about his perfect life. Braggy. This wasn't the boy I knew and grew up with this was a selfish famous idiot who thought he was the best. Not looking up once or talking along I clear my plate and start doing the dishes after standing up. Just as I exit the kitchen Liam walks in, making me shift to the side so I wouldn't touch him. Before I can leave into the other room I get pulled back and I feel a pair of lips crash to mine. At first I'm so surprised and just freeze in place but as soon as that's over I firmly push against the muscular chest and slap the culprit bare in the face. Brown eyes look at me shocked, like they couldn't believe what I just did. "What the fuck, (Y/N)!" I ignore his words and hiss at him. "Just because there's mistletoe above us doesn't mean I want to be kissed by you! You can't do whatever you want, just because your freakin' famous!" I return to the living room, sitting down on the couch and waiting for the others so we could all open one present tonight. Since I don't have any luck when the couch dips down beside me it's Liam who's sitting next to me really close since Nicola sits down on my other side. I feel Liam rest his arm on the backrest behind me and see a devious smirk play on his lips as he shuffles a little closer to me. I draw back closer to his sister, but Liam doesn't mind at all and just closes the space between us again. I shoot the brown haired lad a glare then choose to ignore him, as our parents enter the room. We all choose a gift from under the tree which has written our name on it and open it one by one. My mum started with a small box in her hands carefully unwrapping the paper. I was disturbed when I felt a hand on my thigh and jumped. Since I was stuck between Nicola and Liam I couldn't move away any further, when the boy with the brown eyes layed his big hand on my leg. Not wanting to get all the attention I shifted in my seat awkwardly, trying to move his hand, that now was rubbing my thigh up and down, away. I jumped even a little more when his breath hit my neck. "I would keep still if you move to much they will turn to us!", he whispered in my ear. "I would keep still if you fucking pervert would leave your hands off of me!" I growl at him and my hands rush down again, as his hand moves up higher. "Fuck you!" I hiss at him, pushing on his hand which doesn't move a bit. He leans down again with a big grin plastered on his face. "Nah, don't wanna. I'd rather fuck you!" As to punctuate his words he lets his lips ghost over my neck and gives me a quick and short hickey, then draws back completely. Just as I want to scold him again I get the point why he got off of me as Nicola finishes unpacking her gift and everyone turns to me. I quickly undo the paper and look at the object which consists of a perfume and some gift coupons of my favourite shop. I turn to Ruth with a smile. "Thank you!" Then it's Liams turn. As if it couldn't have come any worse he was holding up a very familiar present to me with a childish Mickey Mouse wrapping. Fuck, I got the present two months ago and back then it seemed so perfect but now it seems really misplaced. This present was for a whole other Liam than the guy who was unwrapping it at the moment. I watched with Horror, as he unfolded it and finally held the small box in his hands. He undid the cap and I could see in his eyes that he knew the present was from me. I quickly turned my sight away, like it would change that this person I didn't even like received the present which I've addressed to my best friend whom I had known for all my life. When I drew my eyes back at him he was holding the small silver bracelet in his big rough hands and turning it to look at it more closely. After the attention of everyone turned to the upcoming Christmas movie so I excused myself saying I'm having a headache and went up to my room, without shooting Liam another glance. As soon as I was in my room I layed down on the bad, fetched my big skullcandy earphones out my suitcase and turned on some music. I was sad and mad at the same time but to sum it all up I was just disappointed. He didn't even say thank you, even though I spent a few months on searching for that damn bracelet so it would be the same I gave to him as a child when he was being bullied and which he lost a years ago, when he got mobbed by fans. After some time my lids got heavier and finally my eyes fell close.
I was awoken by someone brushing his hand over my head. Slowly I opened my eyes and quickly drew away, when I saw that the person sitting beside me was Liam. "Get out!", I hissed at him, still a little sleepy. He didn't stand up he just froze in the spot he was watching me. This time the features of his face were soft and he kind of looked guilty. "Liam, if you don't get out now I will scream!" I warned him but before I could do anything other he finally started to speak. "I'm sorry, (Y/N), I really am." That surprised me. "I know I acted totally out of line and like an ass, I don't have a clue what got into me, all I know is that I'm sorry for my behaviour." It was silent for some time as I eyed him suspiciously. The silence made him nervous, it always made him nervous when I went silent, so he started blabbering: "You know I like you, I really really like you and I hope I didn't mess up all we had with what I've done.. I never wanted to mess up what we've had that's the same reason why I didn't tell you that I've fallen for you all these years." I looked at him totally blindsided by his confession, I couldn't even say a word. The next morning I wake up I think about this strange dream I had the last night. I just shrug the awkward dream off, since Liam surely still is the same asshole and would never excuse for being wrong and over all he would never say he's in love with me. So I put on a jacket over my arms then walk down the stairs to the kitchen, where I make myself a cup of tea. "You know, I already prepared tea, so you don't have to make a new one.", I hear a raspy voice behind me and jump on the sound. When I turn around I see Liam sitting on the kitchen table drinking his tea. Unsure I move over to him and pour me a cup of tea myself nibbling at it. Out of the corner of my eye I see him turning the silver bracelet round his wrist, while gazing at me. I lose myself in the thoughts of when I bought Liam his first bracelet: he was having a hard time back then with the bullying but I couldn't really help him out much since I was on another school. It really bothered me knowing that he was bad and when I saw the bracelet on a little booth I instantly had to buy it. It was a simple thicker silver bracelet and on the inside were the words "stay strong" and a heart engraved. Sadly he lost it after getting really famous and this Christmas I wanted to get him the same one since I wanted him to remember me and that he was never alone. Just seems like he didn't need anything from me anymore now that he was famous. "How about I give you your present now since we've got time to kill till everyone wakes up?", Liam smiles at me and it nearly feels the same, as when we were children. Before I can react he pulls me to the couch in the living room in front of the tree and sits me down, while he picks up a small neatly wrapped gift. He takes the cup out of my hands and softly places the present in them, then crouches down before me waiting for me to open the present, like he did every year. I turn my eyes on the small gift in my hands and start unwrapping it carefully, like my present a little box appears and I curiously open it looking in. In it is a small necklace with a locket at the end. Even more curious I open the locket to see a small picture, of Liam and me when we were small and the engraved words "stay strong". Surprised, that he thought the present through so much I look up at Liam whose smiling at me. "Come on, get up and turn around I'll put it on!", he commands and I do as he says. While he locks the necklace in my neck he starts talking again. "(Y/N), I'm sorry, you know I really meant what I said yesterday. Everything." I'm surprised, I really thought that was all a dream. I turn around to look at him. "I really like you too Liam, but speaking about yesterday I didn't like who you were yesterday! I like the Liam I've known for all my life not this arrogant asshole version of you!" He chuckles and kisses me, then says: "If that's the case then I you won't have to meet the guy from yesterday ever again." I also chuckle. "Better keep your word!"
