Liam Read online

  “Fuck what our teammates think,” Liam said. “Who cares anyway?”

  “I care,” I said. “If I want to play professionally, I have to keep my reputation intact. It’s important to me.”

  If it was anyone else but Liam, I’d be a bit weirded out with the way he was spooning me right now. But Damon, Liam, and I had become really close friends ever since we moved into the dorms. We got along, because we were varsity athletes and shared a lot of interests.

  “Which girl were you hanging out with last night?” Liam asked.

  I smiled, recalling the night I had. “Do you know that blonde chick we always see in the dining hall, and you always comment on how beautiful she is?”

  “Are you talking about Casey?”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  Damon turned to us and took his headphones off again. “Nice. Casey is such a hottie.”

  “You sneaky little—” Liam punched me on the arm. “You said she wasn’t your type. I wanted to talk to her.”

  “Well, I don’t usually go for blondes. But I guess I changed my mind. I mean, we can share. I don’t mind.”

  “I don’t want to share a girl with you,” Liam said.

  “Well, you’ve been talking about her for weeks now, and you’ve never made the move. I didn’t plan to go on a date with her last night. I saw her at the gym two nights ago when we were running on the treadmill next to each other, so I struck up a conversation. Turns out she’s not only drop-dead gorgeous, she’s pretty smart too. She wants to get into law school.”

  “Damn,” Damon said. “She doesn’t look like the lawyer type. What did you guys even do last night when you stayed over?”

  I smiled. “It’s a secret.”

  “We don’t keep secrets in this dorm,” Liam smirked.

  I sighed, because he was right. Damon and Liam were like brothers to me, and I told them everything.

  “I took her out for dinner,” I said. “We went to a diner by the Arts and Science building, because it was wing night. After…?

  “You’re definitely not telling us the whole story,” Liam said. “What else did you guys do?”

  “Nothing, I swear. She doesn’t seem like a sleep together on the first date kind of girl, and we didn’t even kiss, even though I really wanted to kiss her.”

  “You’re usually good at making the first move,” Liam said. “What held you back?”

  “I always make the first move. But I don’t know. It was just nice talking to her. I was also thinking about you. I think you’d have been pissed if I’d kissed her. We ended up watching these documentaries and I passed out on her bed. Then her roommate came in and it was a bit awkward, cause she was wondering why the hell there was a guy in her room.”

  “I’m jealous you spent the night with my girl,” Liam said.

  “She’s not your girl,” I said. “You’ve never even talked to her before.”

  “Well, I was planning to after midterms.”

  “You can’t wait for these things. You have to take the shot when you get the opportunity. It’s like playing basketball.”

  “I’m not Prince Charming like you are,” Liam said, taking a deep breath. “I don’t have any game with girls.”

  “Maybe you need more practice. We’re both six five, we’re both on the same sports teams. The only difference between us is our level of confidence.”

  “You make it sound way easier than it actually is.”

  I thought about how I could help Liam, who was the nicest guy I knew. Maybe he was too nice and that was the problem. Liam often wore his heart on his sleeve, and he was too friendly. From my experience, girls in college liked bad boys, and Liam was an angel.

  Damon closed his textbook and got up from his desk. “I have to go to my exam. I have condoms in my bed-side table if you guys are going to fuck. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Damon winked at us.

  Liam laughed.

  “Fuck off! We’re not going to have sex,” I said.

  “I know,” Damon said. “I’m only kidding.”

  Liam and I said goodbye and good luck to Damon as he rushed off to go to his exam.

  After Damon left the room, Liam kept his arms wrapped tightly around me. I had to admit it felt kind of good to be the small spoon for once, but I didn’t like the fact that Liam was only in his boxers, and probably still hard.

  “What are you up to today?” Liam asked. “I really want to go to the dining hall to get breakfast.”

  “They close in an hour,” I said, looking at my alarm clock. “We better go before they close, or you’re going to have to wait until dinner time since it’s the weekend and they only serve brunch and dinner.”

  “Fuck, I totally forgot about that,” he said. “I don’t even know if I can get out of bed. I’m so hungover right now.”

  “How did you even get so drunk last night?”

  “I made the mistake of drinking hard liquor and beer throughout the night. Some of my buddies just kept buying me drinks, and I should’ve said no, but I didn’t want to look weak in front of them.”

  “You know what’d help your hangover right now? A greasy breakfast. Let’s go now so I can get you out of my bed.” I tried to break free from his hold again. This time I was successful, but Liam quickly pulled me back to him. “Get off me,” I said.

  I pinned Liam’s arm above his head, and I was on top of him, straddling his legs. I could feel his hard cock rub against my ass. It was so unexpected that I shot out of bed and fell on the floor.

  Liam couldn’t stop laughing. “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “No, my shoulder hurts now. I can’t believe you just did that to me.”

  “You have no idea how horny I am. It’s been months since I’ve slept with anyone.”

  Liam was shy with girls, but comfortable around me. Liam, Damon and I were straight, but Liam was definitely a lot more touchy-feely than Damon was.

  He finally sat up and he ran his fingers through his blond hair. His hard-on was fully visible in his plaid boxers, but he didn’t care at all that I could see it.

  “I’m going to take a five-minute shower. Maybe it’ll help with the hangover,” he said.

  “Make it quick,” I said. “Or else they’re going to run out of bacon.”

  As soon as I mentioned bacon, Liam got out of my bed, walking over to grab his towel in the closet and covered his hard-on with it. He left the dorm room to go to the bathroom.

  I got off the floor and lay on my bed, putting my face in my pillow, which smelled of Liam. It didn’t smell bad, but it still annoyed me a little that it didn’t smell like fresh laundry anymore.

  As I lay there, waiting for Liam to finish his shower, I couldn’t help but smile. Life was good. It was my first year of college, and I was lucky to be put in a dorm with two of the coolest guys on campus. I was glad to get out of the small town where I grew up and move to the big city. Everything was new and exciting, and my life was headed in the right direction for once. I thought about the future and wondered if the three of us would still be friends in ten or even twenty years. I might have been thinking too far in the future, but if I ever got married, Liam and Damon were definitely going to be my groomsmen.

  Liam walked in again, looking more awake after his shower. He had his towel draped around his waist and water was dripping down his torso.

  I watched him from my bed as he opened the closet to find something to wear.

  “Fuck, everything’s dirty,” he said, turning to me. “I haven’t done any laundry yet.”

  “Why are you looking at me?”

  “Can I borrow your briefs?” he asked, looking to my side of the closet. “You did laundry yesterday, didn’t you?”

  “I’m not going to lend you my briefs. I know we’re best friends and everything, but I don’t think we’re that close.”

  “Why the hell not? I’d lend you a pair if you ever needed one.”

  “The difference is, I’d never ask to borrow your briefs.”
>
  Liam held a pair of Calvin Klein’s in the air. “Please? I’ll wash them today, I promise.”

  I sighed and looked at the time. “Fine. Just get dressed so we can get some food.”

  Liam smiled, and took his towel off, revealing his naked body to me. I didn’t know why I didn’t turn away, but Liam didn’t seem to mind that he was completely naked in front of me. I guess we saw each other naked all the time in the locker room, so it wasn’t any different.

  He wasn’t hard anymore—thank God. But I couldn’t help but compare his cock to mine. If I had to guess, mine was definitely bigger if we were both hard. But Liam wasn’t exactly small either.

  Why was I comparing the size of my dick with my best friend’s like that though? I quickly turned away.

  “How do these look on me?” Liam asked.

  I turned back to him and saw and saw my white Calvin Klein’s on him. “They look good on you. Maybe you should buy some so you don’t need to borrow mine. Actually, maybe that’s what I’ll get for you for Christmas.”

  “Are we doing Christmas presents?” he asked. “It could be fun if Damon, you, and I got something for each other.”

  “I was already planning on it,” I said. “Damon needs a portable CD player to replace that clunky old Walkman he has. Whenever I see him with it, I cringe. It’s like he’s stuck in the eighties.”

  “That’d be a nice gift for him,” Liam said, finally putting on jeans and a t-shirt so he wasn’t naked in front of me.

  I got out of bed and found my student card so I could use it at the dining hall, then we left the room and went down in the elevator.

  The dining hall was in a beautiful gothic-style building which was across the street from our residence. The wealthier students lived in the residence attached to the dining hall. Since we went to a prestigious university, there were a lot of rich kids.

  The great thing about Liam was that he wasn’t like some of the other wealthy students. Liam never talked about how much money he had, or how he didn’t have student loans because his parents could afford to pay his tuition. He never dressed in a flashy way, or made Damon and me feel bad we could only come here because of grants and scholarships.

  My university experience would be so different if I’d never met Liam.

  3

  Liam

  Twenty-seven years ago

  I loved hanging out with Shawn. When I was around him, I felt like I could completely be myself. I was quite reserved, but Shawn seemed to bring me out of my shell. Shawn had this cool confidence about him that made him approachable. It was easy to talk to him and it was nice that he actually listened to what I had to say. It was no wonder he had so many girls interested in him. Maybe I could learn a thing or two by just being around him.

  We arrived at the dining hall with only thirty minutes left before they closed. I handed Shawn a tray and got one for myself too. I grabbed a plate and put some bacon and eggs on it, then helped myself to some waffles, topping them with whipped cream and strawberry syrup.

  The dining hall at my school was beautiful. The Gothic-style windows let in a lot of sunlight to the grand space.

  “Where do you want to sit?” I asked Shawn, who was putting a bagel in the toaster.

  The dining hall could seat hundreds of students during peak hours, but because we were at the end of brunch it was fairly empty. I scanned the three rows of long wooden tables that ran parallel to each other.

  “Is that...?” I immediately recognized her straight blonde hair. “I think it is,” I said.

  “Let’s sit with her,” he said.

  “No way. I’ve never even talked to her before.”

  “Well, now you’ll get the chance.”

  “I thought you liked her. Didn’t you spend all night with her last night?” I asked, scratching the back of my head.

  Whenever I was anxious, I had the habit of asking too many questions and talking faster than usual.

  “Yeah, I like her, but I know you do too. We can both go and have lunch with her.”

  “You can go. I’ll just sit somewhere else.” I looked around the dining hall and couldn’t see anyone I recognized. It was either I sat with Shawn and Casey, or I sat alone.

  “Suit yourself,” Shawn said, putting the toasted bagel on his plate.

  He walked over to Casey and sat down across from her.

  I stood there, looking toward Shawn. He turned to me and smiled, waving me over to him.

  I had no choice but to join them now, or I’d make a fool of myself in front of the prettiest girl in college.

  I walked over, my hands shaky from nerves, and I tried to not to spill the cup of orange juice that I had filled to the brim.

  “This is my friend, Liam,” Shawn said to Casey.

  She smiled politely and gave a delicate wave. “Nice to meet you.” Her smile brightened up the room.

  I sat down next to Shawn because I was too nervous to sit right next to her.

  “Liam and I play basketball together,” Shawn said. “He’s also in business school and is going to be one of the top CEOs in a few years. Mark my words.”

  I smiled, knowing Shawn was trying to make me look good in front of her. I knew Shawn was a good guy, but I didn’t think he was willing to boost my confidence and make me look good in front of a girl he was obviously interested in too.

  “Oh, is that how you guys know each other?”

  I felt blood rush to my cheeks. There was no good reason for me to be blushing. I was just shy in front of a girl I would never have approached, had Shawn not introduced me to her.

  “We’re dormmates too actually,” I said. “But we showed up to our first varsity basketball practice one afternoon and realized we were on the team.”

  “You guys must spend a lot of time together then,” Casey said.

  “So much so, that when Liam drinks, he always ends up in my bed,” Shawn said, winking at me. “Liam can outdrink all of us. It must be because of his Irish roots.”

  I looked down and laughed nervously.

  Casey laughed too. She got up and grabbed her empty cup. “I’m going to get some more juice before they close the kitchen. Do either of you guys want anything?”

  “I’m good, thank you though,”

  I shook my head. “No thanks.”

  “Why the hell are you so nervous?” Shawn whispered.

  “I don’t know. I can’t help it. She’s fucking gorgeous.”

  “Well, I’m giving you so many chances to talk about how cool and amazing you are, but you aren’t taking any of my bait. Show her your personality. You know, your playful side, like when you rubbed your dick against me this morning.”

  I laughed. “That’s definitely sexual assault if I do that to her right now.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. She’s giving you these looks like she’s interested in you. You need to show her you can take charge.”

  I sighed. “Why does this have to be so complicated? I wouldn’t have come to brunch with you had I known you were going to make me sit with her.”

  “You’re too handsome to be this shy. This is your chance to talk to the girl of your dreams. I know you like Casey because you won’t stop talking about her to me and Damon.”

  Casey returned to the table and Shawn and I stopped our conversation.

  “What are you guys talking about?” she asked.

  “Oh, we’re just wondering what you’re doing later tonight,” Shawn said.

  I raised a brow and looked at him, feeling completely in the dark about where he was going with this.

  “Tonight?”

  “Perfect,” Shawn said. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with us. Liam and I are thinking about celebrating the end of all our midterms. It’d be fun if you could join us.” Shawn nodded. “It’ll be fun. Maybe we’ll go watch a movie. You should come.”

  Casey looked as confused as I was. Was I going to be third wheeling their date?

  “Alright,” she said. “T
hat sounds fun actually. There’s a new Leonardo DiCaprio movie out that I really want to see.”

  “Oh, I heard about that,” Shawn said. “It’s a romance set on the Titanic, right?”

  She smiled. “All my girlfriends are swooning over how handsome Leo is in the movie.”

  Shawn turned to me. “Don’t you think Liam kind of looks like Leo? Their names even sound the same.”

  “Kind of, actually,” she said. “You guys have the same eyes.”

  “Thanks, I guess,” I said.

  “I guess we’ll see you tonight then?” Shawn asked.

  She stood and picked up her tray. “Yeah. Where do you want to meet?”

  “Come to our dorm room. It’s in the Margaret Addison building, fifth floor.”

  “Sounds good,” she said. “See you guys tonight then.”

  She went to put her tray on the conveyor belt and left the dining hall.

  I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to be awkward around her anymore. “That was the most difficult thing I ever had to do.” I sighed

  Shawn wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in toward him. “Don’t be so dramatic. Look how easy that was. We have a date with her now.”

  “What do you mean we? Why the hell did you suggest for the three of us going to see a movie together.”

  “So you can get to know her better, obviously,” he said. “Movie dates are easy because you don’t have to say much during them. You can just focus on the movie. If you’re brave enough, put your arm around her tonight like I’m doing to you right now.”

  “I couldn’t even sit across from her just now without feeling like passing out. I’m already so hungover, all I wanted to do was sleep today.”

  “You can sleep this afternoon before the movie. It’s going to be fun. Don’t think too much about it.”

  “Okay, but what are we going to do after the movie?” I asked.

  “Go back to our dorm?”

  “No. I mean, what if she wants to spend the night with you again.”

  “I think the better question to ask is, what are you going to do if she wants to spend the night with you? I bet you didn’t even think about that, did you?”