all i need // l.p {au}

chapter fifteen

"Wh-what was that?" Liam asked, separating himself from me soon after our lips met.

I looked away and brought my fingertips up to my lips, still tingling from the kiss. "Uh, sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you," I said, embarrassed.

"Logan-" he started but was cut off as the taxi driver pulled into a driveway. The driver turned around and Liam shuffled to get his wallet out of his back pocket, pulling out a few bills to give him. "Thank you," Liam told him as we stepped out and grabbed our luggage out of the trunk.

"Come on," he said to me, walking toward the front door. I followed him, taking in my surroundings. The house was small and white, but it was gorgeous. There were pictures hung all over the walls along with various figurines on shelves. We walked through the living room, lit by a single lamp. "This way," he said, now walking to a staircase. "The rooms are right next to each other," he whispered.

He opened a door to a small room which had a queen sized bed along with a few dressers. The walls were a cream color and had a few paintings of flowers on the walls.

"I hope this is ok," he said. I walked over and sat on the bed, suddenly feeling tired.

"It's perfect," I said. I wondered what he was thinking and if he just wanted to get away from me since he had pulled away so quickly. I wished that I hadn't kissed him, waited until I was ready to commit.

Instead of leaving, Liam came over to sit next to me. "I just want to know what you're feeling. I thought you just wanted to be friends."

"That is what I want," I sighed. "I guess I'm just confused. I've never taken the time to get to know someone and these feelings are new. I used to think that love was pointless, but I don't know."

"What's making you change your mind?" he inquired, his closeness causing my heart to race. I bit my lip, looking down at my folded hands on my lap. "You can tell me," he urged.

"Instead, can I tell you why I thought love and relationships are pointless?" Liam stayed quiet. I was offering to tell him what I was so scared to tell him and he wasn't saying a word. "Never mind," I shook my head. "Let's just go to bed," I said, standing up to go to my suitcase and pull out my toiletries bag. "Uh, where's the bathroom?"

"I'll, uh, show you," he finally stood up and I followed him down the hall. "I'm in that room if you need anything else," he pointed to the room right next to the spare.

I nodded slowly and closed the door behind me. I slid down onto the floor, clutching my bag to my chest. I wasn't upset really, I was just feeling as though my thoughts were being solidified. I shouldn't have opened up to Liam because he was just like everyone else.

After pulling myself together mentally, I stood up and pulled out my toothbrush. I stared at myself in the mirror, noticing that my makeup was smudged and my hair was a tangled mess. I sighed, pulling a hair tie off my wrist and putting my hair into a messy bun. I wiped off my makeup and then splashed some cold water on my face.

Walking down the dark hallway, I found Liam's bedroom door closed. I stared at it for a moment before going into mine. I found a sweatshirt and some pajama shorts in my suitcase and changed. Putting my headphones in my ears and turning on sad music, I crawled under the covers. I had trouble falling asleep, but finally my tiredness overcame me.

***

I woke up from the sun shining through the window. I stretched while yawning before looking around me. I was confused for a moment but then remembered where I was along with the events of the night before. I could hear talking somewhere in the house, probably downstairs.

I was nervous about going down there considering I hadn't yet met Liam's parents. Instead, I opened my suitcase and tried to find an outfit that would make a good impression. By the time I decided on a navy blue dress covered in little white birds, I had basically all I had packed set out on the floor. I cleaned it up the best I could quickly. The spare bedroom didn't have a mirror, so I grabbed my makeup and curling iron to finish getting ready in the bathroom.

I applied some eyeliner and mascara after putting on foundation. I straightened out my dress while my curling iron heated up. After adding a few waves to my hair, I unplugged it to cool. I padded back to the spare room and sat down on the bed, still extremely nervous to go downstairs. I couldn't hear talking anymore and I wondered what was going on.

A little while later, there was a knock on the door. Liam entered and found me scrolling through my phone. He leaned up against the doorframe, dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt.

"Hey, my mom made some breakfast if you're hungry. We already ate, but she wanted to know if you wanted some before she put it away. It's pancakes," he smiled.

"Sure," I nodded, avoiding eye contact. I set my phone down on the bed, deciding to leave it since I didn't have any pockets to put it in.

Liam blocked me from exiting, holding both of my arms. "I'm sorry about last night. I think I was just overtired."

"It's fine really. I made a stupid mistake," I said, trying to get past him.

"No, you didn't," he argued. "Let's talk tonight, ok? I'll be all ears then."

"Sure," I sighed. "Can I go eat now please?"

Liam chuckled. "Yeah," he grabbed onto my hand, but I let go instantly knowing that if his parents saw us holding hands they would think we were together. I saw Liam shake it off as he rushed down the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, I saw a mini feast on the table. There were pancakes, bacon, sausage and a variety of fruits. It smelled absolutely incredible. Liam's mom was facing the opposite direction at the sink and his dad was sitting at the table, reading something on a tablet.

"Mom, dad this is Logan," Liam said, tearing his parents away from what they were doing.

"Oh, how lovely to meet you! I'm Karen," his mom said with a bright smile. She came over to me and pulled me in for a hug.

"Nice to meet you too," I said, awkwardly putting my arms around her.

"You're much prettier than Liam described you to be," his dad said, holding out his hand. I chuckled as I began to blush and shook his hand. "I'm Geoff."

"Sit, sit!" Karen told me as she pulled a plate from the cupboard. I pulled out one of the fancy looking wooden chairs and sat down carefully. "Now, help yourself. I made way too much."

"Thank you," I smiled and began to dish up. Liam sat down next to me as his mom and dad went back to what they were doing before we came down. I felt really awkward, eating by myself, but it tasted delicious.

"Good?" Liam asked with a small laugh at how fast I was eating.

I nodded, my mouth full. "I can't remember the last time I had a home cooked meal."

"Dear, that's horrible," Karen said from the sink.

I shrugged. "It's alright. I only had home cooked meals when I visited my grandparents."

"Well, expect many home cooked meals during your stay," she turned around and smiled sadly at me.

I felt out of place and welcomed all at once, wondering how that was even possible. Meeting Liam's parents and seeing how they interacted made me think about how my life would be different if my parents had gotten along, stayed married. I had wished for that in my childhood, but I knew I wouldn't be who I was today if I had grown up differently.

hi, so why do you think liam reacted the way he did? i love reading your comments so please do so (and vote also). i hope you all have a great weekend. xx zoe

gif because liam payne looks good putting a shirt on.