You Only Live Once, Better Think Twice

Chapter Three

Where the fuck are you!? The neighbors are gonna file a fucking police report!
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I was not prepared for what came out of my mouth. "Liam...you obviously don't have to, but...you could run away with me."

I immediately regretted what I said. He's gonna think I'm some creep. God dammit, why can't life be easy!

"Like...roommates?"

"Um, yeah."

"I don't know..."

Now that I think about it, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Liam's a nice guy. He's really nice to be around too. Plus he has more money.

"I understand if you don't want to though, Liam."

"Well...you know what, fuck it. Sure. As long as you don't mind. I'll help out too!"

I couldn't help but smile. "This could be awesome." He nodded, a small grin creeping onto his lips aswell.

"Well, I should start driving then huh? I have some books if you want."

"I'm fine for now, thanks. I can't believe we're doing this."

Before driving, I turned to him, "We might go through hell, but I will be with you through it all. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll back you up through hell. I'll be there for you."

We both smiled. Who knew I could make such a great friend? I started the car and drove.

It was quiet for a while, more like 5 minutes. I asked him what kind of music he liked, apparently the same as me. It wasn't totally odd though, my music is kind of popular.

So, I started playing some music. About an hour into driving, he asked for a book. So, he ended up reading, The Fault In Our Stars, for the trip.

I drove for a couple more hours before we stopped for lunch around 1. We ate at the cheapest place there was: In and Out.

He paid this time, and we talked some more.

I found out his ex's name was James. James wanted to be a businessman, but his dreams were crushed by his own damn father. Around the time, Liam was his best friend, and working at the hotel in town. Liam got kicked out because his family didn't have much room in the house. James had his own place, and he invited Liam to stay with him.

Not long after they started dating. They were a happy couple for a while, but James was having a lot of family issues. He hated his dad and his job, but was glad to at least have one.

Apparently the day I had stayed, they got laid off because of the amount of people. James was so angry because he had a very low chance of getting a job anywhere else. He blamed Liam for the majority of it, and was so pissed, that he dumped him.

"Holy shit," I finally said after Liam finished the story. "Yeah..."

After some more small talk, we left the restaurant. I got in the car and realized I had some messages.

From: That So-Called "Father"

where the fuck are you!? The neighbors are gonna file a fucking police report!

You know I can just afford bail, right? I will file 40 fucking police reports on you!
Your friends are worried about you! They think your dead!

Fuck you

Aw, fuck you too Merrian. I looked at recent reports in LA, and saw nothing for a missing child. By the way "dad", I have no friends in LA.

"Is everything okay?" I guess I had an angry look plastered on my face, Liam definitely noticed.

"It's fine," I barked, causing him to jump. I should've apologized, but failed to.

"Let's just go."

I started the car, but Liam stopped me. "What's wrong? I don't want you driving angry without me having a reason."

I sighed and handed him my phone. He looked at the messages. I started driving. "Thanks for telling me." He smiled, giving me a glimpse of a single silver tooth on the bottom row of his teeth.

I couldn't help but smile back. He was adorable. A short, red haired happy-go lucky puppy with a button nose. What wouldn't make you smile?

As we drove, it started to get dark. We were telling jokes and laughing a lot.

"So, where are we gonna stay tonight Liam?"

"Oh. Well, how much money do you have?"

"A little under 600."

"Okay, I'll pay for a hotel room for us tonight then." He took a sip of his coffee, and so did I.

"Alright. I'll find a cheap place to stay," I added, watching the signs. He smiled. "Awesome."

I had a firm grip on the wheel, I was getting tired and trying to focus. Gladly, Liam didn't notice. I didn't want to scare him.

I drove for a couple more minutes until I pulled over at a hotel. It should be way cheaper than the one Liam was working at.

I turned to find Liam peacefully asleep in the chair, The Fault In Our Stars in hand. It was honestly kinda cute.

Sadly, I had to wake him. I gently poked his arm, then poked his nose. "Boop. Wake up sleepy head."

Liam's eyes fluttered open and stared back at me, the yellow light from the window reflecting off his eyes. "Hi," he said softly as ever.

"Hey," I tried the same tone aswell. It worked. He smiled, so I smiled back. I realized that we were a little too close, our noses just inches away from each other, and pulled away. Liam grinned and "booped" my nose.

I giggled and got out. He did the same and waited as I got out my bags. We walked inside tiredly.

We got a room and paid. It was only about $50 this time, which was better.

We thanked the also tired staff and went to our room. I placed my bags down and went into the bathroom to change.

It was pretty cold, so I wore my simple lavender sweater over a white T-shirt and, to complement my sweater, some violet sweatpants. It may have been a little much for sleep clothes, but I didn't care.

I fell onto the bed and slid under the covers. Liam had been wearing his blue uniform all day, I didn't realize he had a navy blue bag too.

He walked into the bathroom and walked out with a lemon yellow hoodie on and grey sweatpants.

He turned off the light and laid down in his bed.

A glimpse of moonlight shone through the curtains and fell onto Liam's face, illuminating his bright green eyes. He turned to me in silence.

"Thanks Ari. You're an amazing friend." My face flushed with heat. "It was nothing..." he chuckled.

"Sure. Just glad I have someone."

1126 words.
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Edited by Wren❤