The Whisper Seekers

Loser Like Me

His room is spacious with a massive floor-to-ceiling window that takes up an entire wall. Sunlight spills in through the glass, casting a warm glow over the room and offering a perfect view of the backyard—an unexpectedly lush space blooming with manicured bushes. It's a stark contrast to the emptiness of the rest of the house.

A king-size bed, neatly made, sits pushed against the far corner. To the side, a walk-in closet reveals rows of clothes hanging from wooden hangers, and boxes are stacked with surprising precision on the shelves. 

The attached bathroom is more lived-in than the rest of the house. His toiletries are scattered across the sleek marble counter—razor, toothbrush, half-used face wash—but my eyes settle on a bottle of cologne. The sight alone brings back the memory of his scent from last night, woodsy and warm. I catch myself blushing and quickly glance away, silently scolding my mind for lingering there.

"I'm guessing this is your room?" I ask, hoping he's not hearing my thoughts. He sits at the end of the bed and pulls a computer chair over for me to sit on.

"Yep," he says with a pop. As I sit, I see a bookshelf full of books and knick-knacks. It surprises me. "Thought it would feel more like a home in here." I eye him, wondering if he was listening to me downstairs or if my body language is displaying my shock. He started school a week ago, maybe he only moved here a few days before that? 

"So... how are you today?" He cautiously asks and I'm not sure how to answer.

"I don't know, Liam. You somehow managed to keep me out of a scary car accident that you somehow knew about before it even happened. I could say I am a little freaked out."

"Well, you could just say thank you," Liam smirks, but the look on my face quickly wipes it away.

"What do you mean, thank you? If you knew they were going to get into a car accident, you could have stopped it. You could have told her not to drive. Avoided the whole scene!" Liam looks annoyed as he runs his hands through his hair.

"You really think they would have listened to me? Someone they don't know? Both of those girls brag about how they always drink and drive as if they are above the law. They deserved to see it's not some talent."

"They could have died, Liam!" I exclaim, and I'm thrown off when he laughs.

"No, they wouldn't have, Ellie. I knew what was going to happen. I knew they would be okay, but I guarantee they will never drink and drive again. It was a lesson they needed to learn."

"According to you."

"They wouldn't have listened to me. You get that right? I cared about getting you out of the car and that was it. Driving was their choice, and the crash was their consequence."

"Why did you care about getting me out, but not Ashley?"  His eyes narrow before he answers, "We're friends. You listened when I told you not to get in the car. Ashley wouldn't have. You aren't really mad at me right now, are you?" Liam asks.

"Can't you just hear my thoughts and figure it out for yourself?" I snip back.

"Only if you want me to." He is playing with a string unraveling at the bottom of his green shirt, avoiding eye contact and his tone goes back and forth from cocky to vulnerable. It's making my head spin.

"I've never wanted you in my head, Liam," I say after a deep, calming breath. "Do you have any idea how humiliated I am that you could hear me obsessing over you?"

"To be fair, I've been hearing a lot of girls obsessing over me," he jokes, and it eases some of the tension. "And I've also been hearing a ton of guys obsessing over you." I roll my eyes.