I played along as if he was actually asking me.
"It's late and asking me to be your girlfriend makes me feel like we're in high school."
He chuckled softly and bent to kiss the edge of my mouth. "Go steady with me. Be 588/890
my date to an event I have to make an appearance at next week."
"Yes."
"Was that a 'yes' to being my girlfriend or a ‘yes’ to being my date?" he whispered.
"To both. Now let me sleep, you fool, before I change my mind."
He laughed and I snuggled closer to him until I felt warm and cozy enough to drift back to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-One
I woke up the next morning to the smell and sounds of crackling bacon. I rolled off the couch, wrapped myself up in the soft blanket, and then peered over to find Becca still asleep with no sign of either Liam or Penn. They must have been the source of the bacon smell.
"Wake up, Sleepyhead," I said, yanking off her blanket. She groaned and started spouting out some very colorful names, one of which was something like: Wheat-Thinned Slut Monkey. I’m sorry, but what does that even mean?
"Is that any way to talk to your bestie?" I laughed as she tried to pull the blanket from around me.
"This is mine! Get your own!"
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"Kinsley! Becca! C'mon, breakfast is ready!" Penn called out. We sprang into action and raced to the kitchen, slipping and sliding in our blankets and socks. I almost wiped out when we rounded the corner to the kitchen and Becca couldn't stop laughing for five solid minutes.
Liam quirked his eyebrow at us. "I thought I got you Becca-proofing supplies."
I held up my leg and arm, which were both sporting bruises courtesy of my best friend aka spawn of Satan. "I keep forgetting to wear them. Maybe we should just wrap Becca up in bubble wrap. She packs a lot of punch for a small package."
The boys laughed. "I veto the bubble wrap," Penn joked.
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I waggled my eyebrows as I stepped up to inspect the meal they'd cooked. "You’ll re-think your decision after she karate chops you in the stomach."
Becca bonked me on the arm as a warning.
"I hope you guys like bacon and waffles."
My eyes lit up. "Waffle for me please!" I grinned and took a seat at the table. Becca followed suit.
"What, we cooked it and we have to serve you?" Liam teased, already preparing a waffle on a plate. I shot him my best puppy dog eyes.
"Oh, please. Turn those off. They don't affect me." Yeah right, in two seconds flat I had a waffle, orange juice, coffee, and maple syrup placed in front of me.
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I winked up at him. "We'll do the dishes."
We spent most of Sunday lazing around on the beach. Liam rubbed sun block into my skin, taking extra time to get every surface he could find. I smiled over my shoulder at him and he bent forward to kiss me.
"Do you remember our conversation last night?" he asked.
"The one about the relationship status?"
I asked, biting my lip and looking back out toward the ocean.
"Mhm. Just wanted to make sure you were conscious of what you were agreeing to."
I laughed and admitted I'd worried about the same thing. "So you're my boyfriend? Liam Wilder is my boyfriend?"
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He chuckled. "Well I don't refer to myself in the third person, but yes, Liam Wilder is your boyfriend and... he's a lucky guy." He ran his hand beneath the strings of my bikini and I feared he would untie them as quickly as he had the night before. I slapped his hand away playfully.
After that conversation was over, I felt much less stressed about the situation. Being around him was easy and fun. Sure, when he pulled out a soccer ball and the four of us were playing around I could hardly concentrate from the way he looked in his swim trunks, but maybe I'd get used to that eventually. A few times I caught him watching me in the same manner and I had to stifle a laugh.
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All four of us tried to prolong the day as long as we could. I was loading my plate in the dishwasher after dinner when Liam wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my ear. "You don't have to go home.
You can stay and I'll take you to practice tomorrow."
God, that was tempting. The feel of his arms around me blocked out most of my functioning brain cells, but I still had enough sense to shake my head. Liam was a force of nature in my life. If I let him, he'd breeze in and turn everything upside down until all that was left standing were my feelings for him. I had to put some healthy distance between us, just for a night.
I spun around in his arms and wrapped my hands around his neck. When I popped 595/890
up onto my tiptoes, I was almost level with his face. "I should go home and call my parents… check my email, you know, wrap my head around what normal life is like again."
He chuckled, "This could be normal life."
I shivered at his insinuation. "Don't try and convince me. My desire to leave is already dwindling."
“Sounds like I should keep trying to convince you then." He dipped his head and kissed my neck. My eyes fluttered closed and I let out a small sigh.
Then I snapped back to reality. "Nope.
No. No. Liam!" I pushed away from him and he held up his hands, trying to contain his laughter.
"You play dirty! Becca, let's go!"
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She felt the exact same way I did, which is why we all but sprinted from the house, waving goodbye to the boys and not letting them get near us. We hopped into my car and I locked the doors behind us just for good measure. The second we were inside and safe from our hormones, we started cracking up.
"Those boys are dangerous," I accused as I started my car and backed up out of the driveway.
"Good thing you were there for moral support or I wouldn't have left. Penn probably would have had to kick me out three weeks from now when I’d barricaded myself in his room."
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I laughed. "I just can't believe how fast everything is happening. Liam asked me to be his girlfriend last night."
Becca spun to face me in her seat.
"What?! When?"
I bit my lip and tried to focus on the road ahead of me. "Well, sort of in the middle of the night, but then he confirmed it again this morning on the beach."
I could see her gaping from the corner of my eye. "What did you say?"
"Yes! Of course. Do you think I’m insane?"
"Yes, a little bit. But, that’s unrelated to this situation. Wow, he’s such a catch.” She nodded as if imagining him for a moment.
"What about you and Penn?" I asked.
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Becca narrowed her eyes and stared out the front window. "I'm not sure yet. He just got out of that relationship and he's told me he wants to take things really slow. I don't think he wants to disrespect his ex by jumping into a new relationship so soon."
"I guess that makes sense. How long ago did they break up?"
"A little over a month."
"Hmm..." Honestly, I wasn't sure what the rule was on the appropriate amount of time between relationships. I guess it depends on how long they were together and the way they broke up.
"I think it's obvious that he has serious feelings about you, you guys were practically attached at the hip today. Just hang in there 599/890
and I'll try to get info from Liam if you need it."
Becca smiled. "Yeah, I'm trying to just go with the flow, but I'm not very good at it. I think my body’s too stiff.”
…
Monday morning, Coach Davis sat everyone down and explained that Tara was no longer a member of the ULA team. We voted for the new captains right away, opting to bump Sofie up and then replace her spot with a junior that everyone loved. I expected more commotion about Tara's leaving, but as soon as Coach Davis said the announcement, it was almost as if you could hear an audible sigh pass through the group.