Cookie

23

"Good morning, cookie!" Liam greets me with a grin as I climb into his car. He hands me a cup of coffee and two chocolate donuts, his smile wide and genuine. I force a smile back, trying to mirror the ease we once had.

"Morning, Liam! Thanks."

The drive from my place to college is only five minutes, and right now, I’m thankful for that. I don’t want to be alone with him for too long, especially after the tension between us yesterday. He didn’t show up for lunch, too busy, I assume, with the blonde girl. When I saw him in class, I pretended to be too busy to talk, focusing on anything but him.

"Nataly, I want to talk to you about what you saw yesterday in the girls' bathroom. Noth..."

I shake my head before he can finish, not wanting to hear any more. The last thing I need right now is for him to explain himself. I know the truth. Or at least, I think I do.

"You don’t have to talk to me about anything, Liam. I don’t want to know what I saw. I’m old enough to put two and two together, so please don’t give me any more details than I already have."

He sighs and places his hand on my knee like he always does, but today I move it away, placing his hand back on his own leg. He frowns at the sudden distance, but I’m firm in my decision. I promised myself I’d create space between us. Our constant physical contact is only confusing me. We’re friends, but friends don’t act like this.

"Cookie, I swear to you, nothing happened between me and her. I was just using the girls' bathroom because it's closer, and I had to wash off some cream that gives me an allergy."

I cover my ears with my hands, not wanting to hear any more excuses. It doesn’t matter if he was with her or not. The image of him with her is the wake-up call I needed to realize it’ll never be anything more between us. I’ve been fooling myself for too long. The truth is, our touches mean nothing to him.

"Nataly, please, believe me."

He stops the car in the school parking lot, and I scramble out of the car as quickly as possible. But he grabs me before I can reach Mary and Logan, who are waiting for us.

Liam grabs my face gently, forcing me to look at him, his expression serious.

"I haven’t been with any girls in the last couple of months, cookie. I swear. I will never hurt you like I did that night..."

That night. The night I saw him kissing that girl right after we almost kissed. But that was over three months ago. He has to be lying, but his sincerity makes my heart twist. What difference does it make if he hasn’t been with anyone? He still doesn’t want me the way I want him.

"Ready for our date tonight, twinkle?"

I hear Mary’s voice as she and Logan approach. Liam looks confused, clearly unaware of the double date I’m going on tonight.

"Nat, those jeans make your ass look bomb. Tyler’s going to lose it."

I glance at my outfit. The jeans are nothing special, just the ones I wear every day, but Mary’s comment is deliberate. She wants Liam to know I’m going out with another guy.

Liam’s hand drops from my face, and he takes a step back, his expression pained. He looks at me with confusion, then glances at his brother, who nods, confirming Mary’s words.

"You’re not going anywhere with that idiot!" Liam demands, grabbing my hand and pulling me into his arms. "I won’t let you go on a date with him!"

I push him away with a smile, a small part of me finding satisfaction in his jealousy. It’s time for him to feel the sting of rejection. He can’t control me, just as I never had the right to control who he dates.