Five Years

Chapter Thirteen: Taken By Surprise

What a night. I woke up in a little bit of a rush when I heard Brian's voice outside my door.

"Sarah... wake up and let me in... why is your door locked anyways, let me innnnnnnnn..." he whined in between knocks. I slid out of bed and opened the door.

"What do you want?" I asked, groggily.

"Well, first I'd like you to let me in so you're not standing half naked in your doorway," Brian smiled like he knew something I didn't. And apparently he did, because I was standing there with no pants on, just a t-shirt and underwear.

"Oh, Christ," I said, hiding now behind the door and allowing Brian to come in, "Just announce it to the whole floor why don't you?"

I closed the door and ran to my dresser and grabbed the first pair of pants I could grasp. Thank God for yoga pants.

"Put some real pants on, we're going to breakfast," Brian said.

I threw on a sweatshirt, "Real pants take too much effort. Let's go."

We loaded our plates with scrambled eggs and covered them in ketchup. I grabbed a bagel and some coffee, Brian opted for toast and juice instead. We sat down at a table in the dining hall, there weren't many people here. I figured most of them have already left for break.

"So, pantsless Patty, what happened with Nico last night?" Brian choked out through a mouthful of eggs.

"You first. You were in pretty rough shape when I last saw you, did you crash there?" I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

"I remember losing strip poker, and I remember dancing. And the next thing I know, I'm waking up in Liam's apartment on the couch," Brian said shaking his head. "I've no idea how I got there, I don't even remember leaving."

"Maybe he showed up after all; he may have gone late and then dragged you back to his suite," I said.

"Yeah, maybe. So, tell me about your night. Did you use my gift?" he winked.

"It was a lot of fun. We walked around the city sine the shows were all sold out, and then we went to Darren's. You've got a really cool group of friends," I said.

"Tell me what I want to know," Brian held up his fork, as if to threaten me. I just laughed at him.

"Well, we left after the soccer game finished on TV. And we went back to his room, and made out a little bit, but that was it. Like honestly, nothing happened with him, and I'm glad it didn't," I said, taking a bite from my bagel.

"Ugh," Brian grunted. "You're so conservative. Just let your coot roam free! Let her have an adventure!" Brian mimicked flying.

"If my vagina looks like that," I said, watching his hands flutter about, "I think I've got other things to worry about. And I definitely wouldn't let her 'roam free!'" I said.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN," Brian nagged.

We finished breakfast, and Brian said he was going to head back to his dorm to pack. He kissed my cheek once we got to his dorm, gave me a big hug goodbye, and wished me a happy Thanksgiving. I smiled, and said goobye. I was heading back to my dorm when I thought I heard my name being called. I turned around, and saw someone jogging towards me from across the diag. I headed towards them.

"Hey," Liam said, catching up with me.

"Hi, Liam," I smiled.

"How was Darren's last night?" he asked.

"It was actually a lot of fun, you guys have a really cool group of friends. Brian said he woke up on your couch this morning? Did you ever end up going?" I asked.

"Oh," he shrugged. "I went for a little while, but Brian was pretty bad. I figured he should probably be cut off," he laughed.

"Aww, that's a bummer that I missed you. I was by myself for a little bit, watching some kids play strip poker... theater kids really like being naked, don't they?" I laughed, and Liam laughed too.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess that's true. I never really questioned it before," he laughed again. "So, any big plans for Thanksgiving? You heading back out east?"

I looked down at my feet, and then back up at Liam, "Ahh, no actually. Hah, I actually am... staying here, for the holiday. My family won't be home, and Devin's spending it with a friend, so..." I trailed off. It was a little awkward because it made me realize that I know nobody, which is something Liam and I had talked about earlier in the week.

"What..?" Liam was shocked.

"Yeah, I just... I don't know, just going to sleep in, probably. Till like 2pm, and then go somewhere for dinn-"

"Bullshit you are," Liam said. "Come have Thanksgiving with my family and I! We live in Ann Arbor, it'll be fine."

"Oh, I don't know, Liam," I looked down again. "That's asking a whole lot from your family, at such short notice. I don't even know how I would get there."

"Tell you what," he looked me directly in the eyes. "I'll talk to my family later today. If they say yes, will you come?"

I shook my head, "I really don't-"

"Will you come? Nobody deserves to be alone on Thanksgiving," he added with a smile.

I hesitated a few moments  before saying anything, but finally agreed, "ONLY if they are 100% cool with it. I really don't want to intrude on family time. And if I do, I won't stay long, I'll just find a way back here after. I don't want to make anything awkward, you know? It's supposed to be a day for family."

"Sure, that's fine. I can drive you back if you want, it won't be a problem," he was grinning wide. You'd think he was a little boy on Christmas morning, seeing all the presents for the first time.

"So, what's going on for the rest of your day?" Liam asked.

"I was going to study for my big science exam. But, if you're free, we could work on our script if you want," I suggested.

"Yeah, definitely. I'll go grab my stuff," Liam began.

"Don't worry about it. We can just work off my copy, and I'll email you any changes."

As we headed back to my dorm to work, I felt something cold on my head. I looked up at Liam, and then noticed it had started to snow. Immediately, I turned my attention to the sky, and the clouds were gray. The snow was falling slowly, and it whirled in the air when there was a breeze; I couldn't help but smile.

-- LIAM'S POV --

"First snow is my favorite," I said, watching Sarah's face light up.

"Ugh, mine too. It just looks so beautiful," she smiled, still watching as the snow began to gather on the ground, and cover the dead grass with a thin layer of white.

"So do you," I said under my breath, but apparently not as quietly as I'd thought.

Sarah turned to face me; before she could say anything, my lips were pressed against hers. She stepped back, unprepared, and looked down at the ground, cheeks flushing red. I stepped back as well, and instantly began apologizing.

"I didn't mean to... well, I mean I did, but I just was caught-"

"Liam," Sarah interjected. "I just didn't-"

"I know, I'm sorry. I know it's not like that with us. Or maybe it is, I don't know, I was just thinking-" I stammered.

"I was just taken by surprise," she said. I looked at her, genuinely confused.

"I wasn't ready... but I'm ready now," she said, looking down at my hand before she grabbed it. My hand was cold, but hers was so warm. She looked up at me, smiling. Her deep-red hair seemed to really pop as the snow landed on the ground, and in her hair. She was easily one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen, especially in this moment.