Learning To Love (bxb) ✔️

Chapter 1

Liam ^^

Warning: This book is boyxboy so if you're not into that, you may leave now.

If you'd like to get know my characters a bit better, I have a "Characters" book that goes more in depth about each of them. Warning that the Characters book may contain some spoilers of the book or future plots for books I wish to write :)
The Characters book helps readers understand the way certain characters behave or why they say certain things. 

It is recommended to read Learning Curves first just because chronologically it's in order, but it's not needed.

Anyway, enjoy the story!

Liam's POV

Ever since I was young, I didn't really like people.

I didn't think they were bad or anything, I just didn't know how to act around them and preferred time by myself.

I think I've always preferred the company of animals anyway. They don't judge you, and they're often furry and soft. 

I have a gorgeous tabby cat. Her name is Bella, and she's been my best friend since I was five years old. I never really bonded with anyone at school and hardly ever had friends because I was always too scared to approach people, and when they approached me I would hardly say anything in fear of being judged. 

Bella was a gift from my parents when I was five. I think they kind of realized that I wasn't making friends at school and probably thought I was lonely, so they got me a "playmate" that wouldn't be as demanding as taking care of a dog. 

Not to mention that cats are generally (and I say generally because there are some exceptions) quieter than dogs, and as a kid loud sounds always terrified me.

As much as I'm grateful that my parents got me a cat, I wasn't actually ever lonely. Social situations at school absolutely drained the energy out of me and going home to be by myself without a mass of people actually restored my energy and made me happy again.

I usually just stayed in my room most of the time I was home. I had all my stuff there, and apart from food and the washroom there was no real need for me to leave. 

... Not to mention my parents were fighting a lot when I was five.

I don't know if they ever realized that I could always hear their yelling through the walls of my room every night, or if they just didn't care. 

It was inevitable, really, when they decided to divorce when I was six. I remember not really understanding what was happening, but I knew dad was going away for some reason. 

I was really upset, but something inside me knew mom and dad weren't happy being with each other. 

Looking back, I'm realizing that as much as they hated each other's guts, they really tried to pull together for my sake... until they couldn't stand it anymore. I'm not sure what broke their bond exactly, and I don't think I ever will.

The one thing I do remember very vividly though, is when I was six; when my father moved all his things out of the house.

I look out the window to see a moving truck pull into the driveway. I'm not quite sure what it's here for, but I assume that it's for all of the huge boxes that seemingly appeared in the house. A couple of men enter the house and start talking to daddy. I don't like it when people come over.

As they start loading all the boxes into the truck, mommy comes over and gently runs her fingers through my hair. Nervous about the new people, I gratefully wrap my arms around her legs like it's my lifeline.

Thankfully the men don't seem to be interested in talking to me. As they take the last box out of the house, daddy turns to me and I can see the sadness in his eyes. Why is he sad? Are those his things they're taking away?

"Hello little one, I'm going to be away for a while. While I'm gone I need you to do your best to take care of mummy and stay with her, okay?" He tells me softly, kneeling down on the ground to get to my height. I'm not quite sure what he means. I have so many questions but I'm scared to ask them. Where's daddy going? Is he coming back?  I give my father a nod and he smiles. He has tears in his eyes. Why is he sad?

"I'm so sorry our selfish actions are going to hurt you, Liam." He whispers sadly before kissing the top of my head, saying a brief goodbye to mommy, and leaving the house. 

As much as I didn't want to admit it, a part of me knew daddy probably wasn't ever coming back.

-

"Mommy, are we ever going to see daddy again?" I ask quietly, sitting up on my bed, ready to sleep. It's late at night, the same day my father left. Mom takes in a sharp breath, looking away from me before meeting my gaze again.

"I'm sorry Liam, I can't say for sure. However, I can tell you right now that I will do my best to take care of you, okay? Please don't worry to much." My mother takes in a deep breath, "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. I promise I'll do my best to keep you safe." 

"I don't know what you mean mommy, but daddy told me to take care of you, so I promise I will." I respond. Mommy smiles at me, although I can tell she's trying not to cry. Why is everyone so sad today? Should I be sad too? Is daddy really not coming back?

Ever since that night, I saw my mom less and less, as she started taking extra jobs to support us. My neighbour would often come over to our house and look after me until late at night when mom came back. However, on Thursdays my neighbour worked at his job as a piano teacher, so I would stay over at his house while he teaches his students. 

That's where my interest in music started. As much as I hated Thursdays because of all the unfamiliar people, I absolutely loved listening to the piano melodies the different students played. I often listened while completing any homework I had.

I ended up getting pretty close to my neighbour. He was a man in his late 20's with dark hair, glasses, and facial hair. 

He was really nice to me and insisted that he enjoyed taking care of me. He said it was no trouble since I was a good kid and his usual work hours coincided with my school hours, so pick up was always a good time for him anyway. 

I later learned that his name was Matthew Newman, but my mom always insisted that I be polite and call him Mr. Newman.

Once he realized I loved the piano so much, he started teaching me how to play whenever we had free time. Sometimes he'd ask me if I wanted to learn the piano, and if I'd say yes he'd bring me to his house after school to teach me new songs.

Unfortunately he moved away when I was eleven. He recently got engaged and was moving into a new house with his fiancé who I believe was named Lillia. I do remember that he gifted me his old electronic keyboard that was sitting in his attic ever since he got a real piano to teach his students. He was really generous and I probably will ever forget him. 

But when he moved away, it was like being back to square one.