Liam's Secret

Chapter III: Physical and Mental Scars

It's July 4th, one of the hottest days of the year and the busiest day of the year for the carnival. We had planned yesterday to join in on the fun.
I was the first one awake since I was the only one up eating breakfast besides my mom. Ryan came downstairs ten minutes after me and Liam came ten minutes after him. Liam was still stretching his arms and yawning when my mom told us to all get ready for the carnival. We all finished our cereal and ran back to our rooms to get dressed.
   
I ended up putting on a gray Ron Jon Surf Shop T-Shirt, light blue jean shorts, Air Force One's, a shell necklace, my hair in a messy bun, and biker sunglasses.
Liam came out of his room with a white Vineyard Vines T-Shirt, black basketball shorts, white basketball socks, and white Air Force Ones that match mine.
   
"Twinsies!" I yell, pointing back and forth at our feet. Liam laughs and playfully rolls his eyes.
   
"Are we ready?" Ryan asked. We both nodded, looked at each other and smiled. Ryan looked back and forth at us and lifted an eyebrow. "Ok then, off we go." Ryan finished.
   
We headed out the door and down the stone steps to the beach.
   
"Follow me. I know the way by heart." Ryan said.
   
"Well, I mean, it's a half mile down the beach from here. It's not that hard to remember the way." Liam added. I giggled and Liam gave me "That" look again. I looked back at Ryan who had a confused look on his face.
   
"You good?" Liam asked.
   
"Yea, you just looked at her like she was an angel," Ryan started. Liam blushed.
   
"And she's no angel." Ryan finished, scooping me up and carrying me like a fireman.
   
"Put me down!" I screamed while laughing.
   
Ryan continued running down the beach with Liam running after us. He started to huff and puff and eventually slow down to a stop.
   
"Ok, off." Ryan said, letting go of me.
   
I hopped down and we all started walking side by side. Liam's hand kept brushing against mine, so I looked up at him, he gave me "That" look, then I grabbed his hand and interlaced fingers. I giggled and he smiled.
   
I pulled out my phone and noticed we had a quarter mile left to the carnival. All the tiredness hit me at once and I suddenly became exhausted.
   
"My legs hurt." I said.
   
"Same." Ryan joined.
   
"You can ride on my back if you want." Liam said to me.
   
"Of course I want to." I replied.
   
We stopped walking and I hopped on.
   
Ryan, who was still walking, looked back at us, shook his head, and turned back around. I wrapped my hands around his neck and put my face next to his. We finally reached where the sand and the boardwalk blends together then finally the carnival.
   
"Ah, I'm so excited!" I exclaimed, getting off Liam's back and running towards the ticket booth. We all got our wristbands and met up just in front of the first ride, which happened to be a rollercoaster. I checked my phone and it read 10:18.
   
"Wanna go on this one first?" I asked.
   
"Uh, actually, I'm gonna go and find Angie." Ryan said in a hurry.
   
"Of course." Liam said, playing rolling his eyes.
   
"Hey, don't blame me. You can hang with your girl, why can't I hang with mine?" Ryan clapped back, making a point.
   
"Touché." Liam replied, then Ryan left.
  
Silence.
   
"Well, I guess it's just you and me." I said, chuckling.
   
"Haha, yea. You make me way happier than he does anyways." Liam replied, looking away.
   
I laughed. "Wanna go on this one first?"
   
"Race you." Liam said, breaking from his spot.
   
Liam beat me to the line and almost crashed into the people in front of us.
   
"Woah, slow down there, buddy." I said, laughing. Liam smiled.
   
We were only in line for a couple minutes and then it was our turn. We ended up getting front row seats. We got buckled up and the coaster took off with a jolt. It climbed a huge hill within a matter of seconds and held us at the top where Liam's eyes met mine. I looked away and screamed as we plummeted to the ground. We zoomed, twisted, turned, and flipped upside down along the track. The coaster soon came to a halt and we unbuckled and exited the ride.
   
"Wow, that was fun!" I exclaimed.
   
Liam didn't say anything, he just stared in my eyes. He let out a breath and shook his head.
   
"What?" I asked, laughing.
   
"Nothing, you're just so adorable." Liam said, kissing my forehead with his soft lips. I looked away and smiled.
   
We spend the rest of our day riding rides and playing carnival games. Liam even won me a brown teddy bear at the game where Angie works. Of course we saw Ryan there and said "Hi" to him.
   
Before I knew it, we found ourselves in line for the Ferris wheel. I checked my phone and it read 6:57. Fireworks started at 7:30. It was our turn to get on the Ferris wheel so Liam got in first and helped me in. The attendant locked the restraint and we rose slowly, higher and higher in the air.
   
"What a view." Liam blurts.
   
"Yea, it's so beautiful." I said truly, since the sky was a perfect blend of reds, pinks, and oranges.
   
Liam paused as we reached the peak of the wheel.
   
"Just like you." Liam said, giving me "That" look.
   
He leaned in, reaching for my face. I felt myself leaning in with him. Our lips were a half an inch apart with noses touching and eyes closed until reality hit me and my instincts told me to stop. My breathing got unnecessarily heavy as our contact transferred to forehead on forehead with his hand still on my cheek. It trailed down my arm and hooked onto my waist, forcing me to flip over and lay on him. He interlaced his fingers over my stomach.
   
We stayed there for about five minutes until our seat started to descend.
   
"Sit up. We might get in trouble if they see us like this." Liam said in a hurry. I sat up and our seat finally reached the ground. We hopped off and found ourselves at the exit. I checked my phone, only to find my Notification Center loaded with missed calls and texts. Jesus, what could he want? All he wanted before was to flirt with Angie and now he wants to spend time with us? I don't think so.
   
"You gonna respond?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.
   
"Nah, he's been ignoring us all vacation so far. I think he should get a taste of his own medicine." I said, making a point.
   
Liam nodded in approval.
   
I had just put my phone in my pocket when I heard "Hey!" from a distance. We turn in the direction of the voice, only to spot Ryan fifty feet from us. He starts sprinting after us so Liam grabs my hand for a second to pull me away. We start gaining speed, weaving in and out of groups of people. I look back to see Ryan falling behind. We slow down slightly and come to an intersection. Liam looks both ways and says, "This way!" He points to the left, grabs my hand, and takes off down the boardwalk. He pulls me in between two games as Ryan comes speeding around the corner. I laugh and Liam smiles and cutely shushes me. We see Ryan run right past us so we knew we were safe.
   
"So that happened." Liam said, laughing.
   
"Yea, he has no idea we're in here." I said, also laughing.
   
I look around and see some stone steps climbing a hill.
   
"Liam, what are those?" I ask, pointing at the steps.
   
"I have no idea, but we're climbing them." Liam exclaimed, eyes wide and excited.
   
I put my foot on the first step, but instinctively hesitated.
   
"You sure about this?" I asked him, nervously.
   
"Bella, this is the last summer of my teen years. I need to take chances." Liam replied, making total sense.
   
"You're right. Let's go." I said with a fierce look.
   
"That's my girl." Liam said, giving me "That" look.
   
He took my hand, leading me up the stairs, skipping some steps. We reached the opening of a forest on the edge of a cliff, like the kind you see on the sides of highways. We made our way to a perfect patch of healthy grass and sat down on it.
   
Liam pulls out his phone.
   
"7:12." He blurted.
   
Silence.
   
I looked over at Liam and I got a buzz from the carnival lights shining on his perfect side profile. I caught myself staring but I didn't stop. Liam turned to me and smiled as I fell into his deep brown eyes. Liam laughs and shakes his head.