Wanting Us Page 2

  “Do you want to be with him?”

  I whip my head around. “This is the first time I have seen him in forever. I don’t know what I want with him. Maybe we can be friends again, but I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know if I can trust him.”

  Mack pulls into her parking deck. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Plus, I don’t think he’s going to let you push him out of your life anymore.”

  I can see Drew’s truck pull into the spot behind us through Mack’s side mirror. “Yeah probably not.”

  We both get out of her car and she goes directly to Drew and pulls him behind her. “Hands first, then moving.”

  Liam and I both laugh as they disappear up the steps. Walking to the back of the truck, I grab a bag and my laptop as Liam grabs some bags and we both head up to Mack’s apartment. Mack’s bedroom door is closed when we walk in but I can hear them talking in there so I don’t interrupt them. Instead, I follow Liam into the second bedroom to put down my stuff. I look around the room and then sit on the bed, feeling exhausted from the day I’ve had. Liam walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder. “You should lay down. I’ll get the rest of your stuff.”

  “I’m fine.” I go to stand up but he keeps me down.

  “No, you’re not. Just relax, there isn’t much left in the truck.”

  Looking at him in the eyes I know he can see I’m barely holding it together. He walks out of the room and I fall back on the bed and curl into a ball. A couple minutes later Liam returns with Drew and they both say their goodbyes. Once they both leave, Mack climbs into bed with me and holds me. I lose it and start crying. “How did I get here?”

  Mack squeezes me tighter. “Shh. You’re safe now. He’s not going to be able to hurt you ever again.”

  For the next several minutes I just cry and she holds me. Eventually my exhaustion takes over and I fall asleep. When I wake up a couple hours later, I head to the bathroom to take in the damage Bryan did. God, I look awful, but thankfully it’s not too much from Bryan’s hands.

  My light brown eyes are all red from crying and my brown hair is a mess from the stressful day. I turn my head to the side to get a look at the red welt on the side of my face where Bryan’s knuckles connected with my cheekbone. I wince as I run my fingers over it. That’s not going away anytime soon.

  Leaning my head back a little, I take in the light bruises against my neck from Bryan’s fingers. I’m running my fingers across them when Mack walks in and holds up a wine bottle. “I thought you might need this.”

  I let out a laugh and follow her out into the living room. There are two wine glasses and two take out Chinese containers sitting on the coffee table and when we both sink into the couch, I lean over to her and hug her. “Have I told you lately how much I love you and how happy I am you’re my bestie?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe you should tell me?”

  I chuckle and kiss her cheek. “You are the best bestie in the whole wide world and I love you so much.”

  “I love you too. I’m so glad we’re roomies again.”

  Chapter Four

  Liz

  It’s been three days since I moved in with Mack and it has been amazing living with her again. It’s like we’re back in undergrad. Luckily the bruises on my neck have faded enough that they were easily concealed by makeup and the welt has mostly gone away so I don’t draw attention to myself at work.

  The worst part of the last few days was that Bryan was constantly trying to contact me. Most of the voicemails, texts, and emails on Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday are of him apologizing, saying how much he loves me and he wants us to try again. But today his attitude has changed. He’s now saying hateful things and demanding me to call him and come home. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve had to block him.

  When I get back to the apartment from what felt like a long day in the Executive Office of Wake County Hospital, I notice a note on the bar from Mack letting me know she has a date tonight. Knowing she probably won’t be home for a while, I head to my room to change into some lounge clothes before making tacos. Just as I’m finished browning the meat, there’s a knock at the door. Not expecting anyone, I slowly walk to the door. Maybe it’s a sales person and if I wait long enough they will go to the next door. Right as I reach the door there’s another loud knock, making me jump. Looking through the peephole, a shiver of fear runs up my spine as I see Bryan’s angry face on the other side of the door.

  Grabbing my phone from the kitchen counter I text Drew.

  Liz: Are you home? Bryan just showed up at the apartment.

  There’s another loud knock before Bryan starts yelling, “Open up Liz! I saw your car in the parking deck. I know you’re in there.”

  I leave my phone on the counter and walk back over to the door. “Go away Bryan! I don’t want to see you.”

  Bryan starts trying to turn the knob and I’m so thankful I locked the door when I came home. “God damn it Liz! Let me in!”

  The door starts to shake and I back away from it. What am I going to do if he knocks down the door? My phone starts ringing on the counter and I jump from the unexpected noise before grabbing it off the counter and answering it. “Drew, please help.”

  “Liz, it’s Liam. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’ve called my partner that’s on duty and he’s just a couple blocks away.”

  I pull the phone from my ear and look at the unsaved number. How did he get my number? “Liam you don’t have to do that. I’m sure he will leave after a while.”

  Bryan bangs on the door again making me jump. “Liz, who are you talking to?”

  I hear Liam let out an irritated sigh and I don’t know if it’s at me or at Bryan. “I’m on my way. Just give me a few minutes. I’m just down the street.”

  I don’t know what to say to him but luckily, I’m saved by the oven going off. “My ovens going off. I have to go.”

  I hang up the phone and run to turn off the oven. Bryan is still banging on the door continuously and my phone is now going off again. There’s so much going on I want to scream. I cover my ears with my hands and let out a loud groan, trying to block out everything. All of a sudden everything goes quiet. The knocking has stopped and my phone is silent.

  I take quiet steps towards the door hoping Bryan has given up when the whole door shakes with a loud thud. It was almost sounded like Bryan ramming himself against the door. “You Bitch! You called the cops!?”

  I quickly close the distance between me and the door, swinging it open just in time to see a very attractive blonde haired cop handcuffing Bryan as he tries to fight him off. It doesn’t take the cop long or with much effort to restrain Bryan’s jerking arms because he’s easily got fifty pounds of muscle over Bryan. He’s holding Bryan by his cuffs when he looks up at me with his hazel eyes and smiles. “Hello Miss! I’m Caleb. I work with Liam and your brother.”

  I cock my head to the side and smile back at him. Bryan fights against the cuffs while glaring at me. “She’s not available, you pig.”

  Caleb shifts forward a little, making Bryan stumble. “Well she’s definitely not yours.”

  He winks at me just as Liam runs up the stairs. Seeing that Caleb has taken control of the situation, Liam walks straight over to Bryan and towers over him. “I thought Drew and I made it clear you were to stay away from her.”

  Bryan has to step back in order to look up at Liam. “You act like I give a shit what you two say.”

  I can see Liam clenching his fist so before he hits a restrained man, I run over to him and grab his hand. With his hand in mine, I unroll his fingers and interlock them with mine. As soon as our palms touch, his warmth fills my hand and raises up my arm. I’d forgotten how much I loved the feeling of our hands together. As memories start flashing through my mind, I look up at him and see he’s staring right back at me. “Let’s go inside.” I stare at him for a few seconds before looking to Caleb and smiling. “Thank you. You don’t need to arrest him but I would like to
file a restraining order.”

  He nods and starts pushing Bryan to the stairs as I start walking towards my apartment. “Yes ma’am.”

  Liam follows me as I hear Bryan say, “You can’t keep me away Liz. You’re mine.”

  I don’t even turn to look at him but Caleb comments back. “Actually, you idiot, that’s exactly what a restraining order does.”

  Liam closes my apartment door behind us and I try to unlock our fingers so I can get my mind in the right headspace to be in my apartment alone with him. But Liam grabs my hand tighter and pulls me slightly making me turn to face him. We just stare at each other for a while because I have no idea what to say to him. I try to search his eyes to see what he’s thinking but I can’t read him anymore.

  Needing to break the silence because I’m starting to feel uncomfortable, I pull my hand from his and walk to the kitchen. “I was making tacos. Do you want some?”

  Remembering I still had the hard shells in the oven, I grab the oven mitt and pull them out. With every inch of me I can feel him hovering behind me. How can one touch make my body become suddenly completely aware of him?

  I set the pan on the stovetop and turn to face Liam. He just stares at me and closes the distance between us. I place my hand on his chest stopping him from coming any closer. The feeling of his hard chest under my hand makes me want to grab a handful of his shirt and pull him to me. Why am I feeling this way? Liam hurt me. You shouldn’t have those thoughts about him anymore. Luckily, his phone rings, stopping me from doing something I shouldn’t.

  I drop my hand from his chest, but he doesn’t move as he pulls out his phone and answers it. “Hey man!”

  I can hear a guy’s voice but I can’t hear what they’re saying. “She’s fine. Bryan’s gone.”

  I give him a confused look and then realize it’s Drew. Reaching my hand out I silently ask for the phone. I can hear Drew talking as Liam places the phone in my hand. “Drew.”

  “Liz. Are you okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t come. I’m on the other side of the city. That’s why I called Liam. Do you want me to come over?”

  “I’m fine Drew. I was just a little scared. Everything is fine now. You don’t need to come over with Liam here.”

  “Is he staying?”

  “I don’t know. I asked him if he wants tacos and he hasn’t answered me yet.” I smile at Liam and he smiles back. Good god his smile makes my knees weak, just like it did in high school.

  “Well if he leaves and you don’t want to be alone just call me.”

  Needing to not get lost in Liam’s smile and focus on my conversation with Drew, I look over to the ticking clock on the wall. “Okay I will. Love you bro!”

  “Love you too. By the way you need to press charges against Bryan.”

  I roll my eyes at Drew trying to go all big brother on me again. “I already told Caleb that I wanted a restraining order.”

  I can hear Drew let out a breath. “Okay good. Remind me to buy Caleb a beer sometime.”

  Chuckling I look back over at Liam. “You should ask Liam to remind you.”

  “Can you give the phone back to him?”

  I hold his phone out to him and his hand grazes mine sending a flash of warmth through me. Before he puts the phone to his ear, he steps closer to me making me lean back against the counter. “Oh, I’m definitely staying for tacos.”

  Liam doesn’t step back from me and I know he’s waiting for me to look at him. I only give into him because I need distance between us right now. I relax a little when he takes a step back as he tells Drew he’s staying and that everything is okay again. I busy myself by finishing up the tacos so I don’t think about how close Liam is and how much I want him closer. I’m too busy internally fighting with myself that I almost jump when Liam comes up behind me and places a hand on my hip. I quickly whip around, brushing against him and my breath catches. Looking up at him, I slowly let out the breath hoping he didn’t notice. “Liz, will you talk to me if I stay?”

  I tilt my head slightly. That’s such a weird question to ask. “Well it would be kind of awkward if we didn’t talk.”

  He smirks at me and I can tell he’s holding in a laugh. “I mean talk about what happened.”

  I can only imagine what my face might look like as I stand there frozen. His eyes search mine probably making sure I’m not having a stroke but the only thing that is registering in my head is ‘Really right now.’ I’m pacing back and forth while running my fingers through my hair mentally, trying to figure out what to say. This is not something I need to hash out today. I’m barely accepting him in my life again. Why would he want to halt that by bringing up what ended us before?

  I guess if we’re going to have this discussion it might as well be today. Why ruin another day when this one has already been ruined? I nod slightly and let out a breath. “Okay. We can talk.”

  Chapter Five

  Liam

  May 2012

  What the hell is happening? Liz is standing there basically naked as Carly and her friends laugh and my friends take pictures of her. My eyes connect with Liz’s as I hear her say my name. I can see her asking me to do something, but I just stand there in shock. I shouldn’t even be here. I should be waiting outside the cafeteria for Liz but Zach had to walk by and drag me with them saying I wouldn’t want to miss this.

  Liz pushing past me has me snapping out of my shock and as the scene replays in my head, hearing what everyone said, anger boils up. I grab Zach, Parker, and Stewart and push them against the lockers. “Delete the fucking pictures.”

  Carly touches my shoulder lightly. “Babe. Relax she’s not even here to see this show you’re putting on.”

  Relax. Really? What the hell is her problem? I turn around, glaring at her and she steps back with fear in her eyes. She is right about one thing, Liz isn’t here anymore and I need to make sure she’s okay. I take off running towards the parking lot hoping I can catch her.

  When I see her turn down the row her car is on, I sprint after her. I reach her a few cars down from hers, grabbing her arm to stop her. She spins around with hate in her eyes. “Let me go!”

  I figured she’d be mad but the way she’s looking at me is something I’ve never wanted to see. Liz’s smile has always brightened up my day but seeing her hate directed towards me has that light fading fast. “I’m sorry Liz! Carly should have never done this. I’ll make them delete the photos.”

  She jerks her arm from my hold and I know right then I said the wrong thing. “It’s not about the photos. It’s about you. Don’t ever talk to me again. We’re done.”

  I open my mouth to say anything as she walks away but nothing comes out. I watch her as she climbs into her car and leans her head against the steering wheel. How did I just lose the girl of my dreams?

  Knowing I need to go after her to beg for her forgiveness, I pat my pockets for my car keys. I groan with frustration when I realize I left them in my locker. Turning back towards the school, I see Zach and Carly waiting outside the gym hallway for me. Zach looks confused, which he should be because he didn’t know Liz and I were dating and Carly is smiling like she won a war. Pissed because I know she started this and she’s just standing there after ruining the best thing in my life, I walk right up to her and get in her face. “What are you smiling about? Do you like hurting people? Why did you do this?”

  Carly’s face drops and she reaches out to touch me but I swat her hand away. “I’m sorry babe. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just missed you and she can’t take care of you like I can.”

  She’s delusional. “Carly you are nothing compared to Liz. You were a placeholder for her. You need to stay away from me from now on.”

  Zach grabs my shoulder to pull me away from Carly because she’s now cowering in front of me. Carly runs back into the school, probably crying, as I turn and face him. “Hey man. That wasn’t very nice.”

  I push Zach away. “Nice? She doesn’t deserve nice after what she just pulled. Did you know abou
t this?”

  Zach backs away as I walk towards him. “No. Carly just texted me saying for me to get the guys and come to the locker room. When I saw Liz standing there, I thought it was just a joke the girls were playing. I know you’re close to Liz and Drew, but when you didn’t step in to stop it, I went with it. I’m sorry man.”

  Zach is right. I didn’t stop it. I just stood there and let it happen. No wonder she had so much hurt and hate in her eyes. Shit! I need to explain what happened. I’m such an idiot. I look at Zach and he’s looking back at me knowing I just realized I royally fucked up. “I need to go.”

  I take off running into the school and head to my locker. Several people quickly rush out of my way as I run through the halls. When I round the last corner, I come to a complete stop because Mack is leaning against my locker. Oh shit. Liz must have already called her. I slowly walk towards her and she looks up from the floor when I get close. She doesn’t have the hate in her eyes like Liz but she isn’t happy. “Don’t go after her, Liam.”

  “What!?! I’m leaving right now. I need to apologize to her.”

  Mack just shakes her head. “She doesn’t want to hear it.” She looks up and down the halls before looking back at me. “She’s hasn’t told me what happened yet, but based on the rumors already spreading, I think you need to talk to Drew first. If he finds out before you’ve talked to him, he’ll kill you.”

  God, she’s right I do need to tell Drew. He’s going to be pissed. But right now Liz is all that matters. “Well I need to talk to Liz before she shuts me out for good. Can you keep it away from Drew until after school?”

  Mack gives me a sad smile. “I have a feeling she’s already shut you out but I’ll do my best to keep it from Drew.”

  I reach out and touch Mack’s arm. “Thanks Mack.”

  She steps to the side so I can open my locker to grab my book bag and keys. “Don’t thank me. I haven’t heard what happened yet from Liz and based on how she sounded, we won’t be talking for a while. You know she comes first.”