Cookie

25

The diner wasn't a disaster after all. Quite the opposite—it was actually fun. Everyone ended up laughing and drinking a little too much. Our dads started telling jokes that will haunt us kids for the rest of our lives, while our moms blushed with every word that slipped out of their mouths. Meanwhile, Liam and Logan looked like they were about to throw hands with their own dad. Thankfully, Mom sent Logan and Mary to help her clean the living room, but that was an hour ago, so I guess they ended up making out somewhere in the house. Amazing.

When Liam and Mom went to the kitchen around the same time as the happy couple ditched us, I gave up after another hour of Dad's dirty jokes. I headed to the kitchen to see if Mom needed any help too.

“Nataly is a special girl, Liam. I just don’t want you to hurt her.”

Mom’s soft voice made me stop behind the door, thinking they were talking about training or school or something else, but not about me and Liam.

“You’ve helped her a lot, Liam, and I’m thankful for that. But I just don’t understand what’s going on between you two, and it concerns me.”

An awkward silence stretched for a while before Mom sighed, moving around the kitchen. I could hear the click of her heels on the wooden floor.

“Look, I’ve been young too. I get it. You want her in your bed, like you told her months ago… Yeah, she told me.”

In that last part, I imagined she laughed, likely because Liam was stunned that she knew I had told her. In my defense, our parents didn’t know each other back then, and I never imagined they'd become close friends. Certainly not that Liam would be a regular guest in our house.

“As much as I appreciate your honesty, Liam, you need to stop trying to get into her pants. Nataly is not like that, and you know it. That’s why you’re making her fall for you.”

Is this what Liam’s been doing? Has he been nice to me, always taking care of me, making sure I’m okay, just to get into my pants? If that’s the case, then I must be the world’s biggest idiot, because if everything between us was just a lie, then I’ve been played.

“What are you talking about, Mrs. Emily?”

“I’m talking about all the touching, the way you take care of her as though you actually care, the way you always attend to her every need, hug her in front of your parents, look at her like you’re undressing her with your eyes in front of her dad… Every single thing you do around her is to get her in your bed.”

A loud noise from the kitchen—a crash, followed by Liam’s angry voice—confirmed it. He had hit the table in frustration.

“I don’t do anything to get Nataly in my bed. I really care about your daughter, Mrs. Emily.”

Mom’s footsteps echoed again as she moved around, and I didn’t know how to feel about Liam’s words. He cares about me, and I already knew that. But hearing him say it out loud to my mom made my heart race in a way I couldn’t ignore. It made my stomach twist with a strange emptiness too because caring for me isn’t what I feel for him…

“You love her, Liam, don’t you?”

Mom’s voice was calm, but I was shocked that Liam didn’t immediately deny it, didn’t dismiss it, or say I was crazy.

“And she loves you too, you know?”

My cheeks flushed deep red as I realized Mom had just outed my feelings to Liam. My stomach churned, terrified that this would destroy our friendship. From now on, he’d probably avoid me, just like he does with all the other girls.

“Do you really think she does?”

Liam’s voice shook, as though he wasn’t expecting that answer from my mom. I couldn’t bear it. Please, Mom, don’t say this…