Finding Your Person

Chapter 24

Do you ever wake up and can't remember where you are for a moment? That was me this morning. The sights of lights beaming in from the windows awakening all the photos hanging on the wall, and the hushed sounds of water trickling in the aquarium had taken me by surprise. Remembering what events happened last night also had taken me by surprise. I had kissed my brother's best friend, the boy that I grew up with, the boy who had been there during my most embarrassing moments. Yet, after everything, he still kissed me back and sat up all night after laughing with me about everything under the sun. I'm pretty sure our pillow barrier broke at one point in the night, because I can vaguely remember an arm pulling me in tight and cuddling me. I wondered where that arm had gone now, turning to my side I saw an empty bed.
I slowly sat up, and as I looked around the room, I got a glance at something that was terrifying, my reflection. My hair was falling out of the bun I had coiled my hair into right before going to sleep. My makeup could have been worse, but since I don't wear a lot to begin with, I only had a little black under my eyes.
Liam walked in the door, and of course, he was eating a huge muffin. What I wouldn't do for pancakes or waffles right now.
"Hey, pretty girl." Liam had a huge grin on his face while he chewed his food.
"Oh, shut up. I look like I was brutally run over by a bus."
"Yeah, and then they realized they forgot someone so had to put it in reverse.
"I've seen you worse."
"Well, thank you." I gave him a sarcastic smile. "What time is it?"
"It's 10:30."
"What time did you wake up?"
"I've been up since 7:15," he said, making his way over to sit at the end of the bed where my feet were.
"Why'd you wake up so early?"
"Well, I woke up when Brady came in to check on you, and then again when Scotty and Gabby came in. Once they were about to leave, I remembered you said you forgot your bag in Scotty's car, so I went out there to get it and have been up since."
"Thank you. Is Brady still here?"
"No, he left pretty early for his game."
"I need to go bathe."
"Okay, well hurry up so we can go get breakfast."
"Aren't you eating right now?"
"No, this is pre-breakfast."
"How are you not five hundred pounds?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Come on, get a move on so we can go get some waffles."
"You read my mind." I quickly jumped off the bed, grabbing my bag by the door, just before running out of the room, and I made my way over to Liam.
"Thank you for last night. I had the best time."
"Me, too," he said gently. I began to move closer to him. He sat still, just looking in my eyes, when I quickly grabbed what was left of his muffin.
"Really nice," he said, laughing. I smiled at him.
I quickly made my way skipping out of the room. I turned back to take one last look at him. With a huge smile on my face I saw him lean back on his bed, and I watched as his smile grew. Looking at me something made him laugh he looked away for a moment. When he looked back his big goofy grin was gone, but I could still tell through his eyes that he was happy.
I closed the door and made my way to the bathroom. The bathroom had a ratchet odor, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was from Tommy throwing up all night. A part of me felt like the stench had been there long before Tommy's incident. Although Liam and Brady had kept their rooms very clean and in order this bathroom was a reminder that this house was filled with men. I wondered what was the point of showering if I was only going to be stepping back into the repulsive mess of this bathroom. Stepping into this bathroom was a reason of itself to shower. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating, but still I was mortified.
As I hopped in the shower the thoughts of the bathroom left my mind, and immediately my head was filled with flashbacks of last night. I just wanted to tell someone about it, but how could I even begin to explain what last night had meant to me? How can you tell someone about something truly so personal and just so special. I had never experienced anything like it. It had felt like something almost out of the movies. An iconic scene where two people open up to each other and confess their deepest secrets and all their peculiar thoughts without so much as a care in the world. Sharing such intimate things, not worrying about being judged or betrayed. Like they were the only two people left in this world. The conversation flowing so smoothly it could have been infinite, and the more that was said, the more time that was needed to continue to talk. It seemed like no amount of time could have been sufficient to get out everything under the sun.
Having said all of that, it was still only a scratch on the surface of how to explain that beautifully indescribable rare moment. Even if I could somehow string together words, how could I share such a personal thing?
I wish we knew when moments like that were going to happen, just so we could take in every small detail to treasure it forever. Even the things that seem so insignificant at the time, I would go back and soak it all up just so I could have a more vivid memory of that moment.
I couldn't be more thrilled to know that beautiful instances like this did exist outside of movies, books, and scenarios I make up in my own mind. It made me wonder what else I had been missing with my first relationship, and what else was out there that I didn't even know existed.
I didn't know what this meant for Liam and me. I just got out of a long relationship, and Liam is in college and I'm still a junior in high school, not to mention the part where Liam is Brady's best friend. What if this whole thing was just a one night or one weekend event? Liam seemed normal this morning.
As I began to stress myself out with racing questions and thoughts in my mind, finally the thought popped in my head: what's the worst thing that could happen? Brady finding out and hating us. Things not working out between us and it ruining not only our relationships, but both of our relationships with Brady. Liam could start acting completely different around me. I fall for him and he breaks my heart. The list could go on, and then I asked myself, what's the best thing that could happen? That kiss could have been an in-the-moment type of thing, and now we will continue going on the way things have always been, or I could fall madly in love with him, and he could wind up being my person.
All of the worrying isn't going to get me anywhere, until I know what Liam is thinking. If he's not thinking anything, that's okay, too.