Summary: As the spare to the throne, Liam leaves Cordonia to University in the States. Hoping for some normalcy in a life outside the spotlight, he leaves his comfort zone embarking in new adventures and falling in love for the first time until fate strikes.
Chapter 6: Thinking Out Loud
Liam switches off the ignition and looks to her side, catching Cathy’s eyes looking back at him. The only sound they hear now, is the sound of the own breathing – as if words weren’t necessary anymore, they communicate through their eyes, their kisses, the touch on their skin. He feels a warm sensation in his chest when she smiles at him. Cathy raises her hand and cups his cheek, feeling his scruff on the soft skin of her hand. He places a hand over hers and turns his head, kissing the inside of her hand and closing his eyes. His lips linger there for a moment, tracing wet kisses down to her inner wrist and she feels a shiver running down her spine. Liam smiles softly, he can barely believe that he’s finally kissed the girl of his dreams. He takes her hand and places a kiss on her knuckles.
“We should get inside”, he gets the key out of the ignition and leaves the car, walking around it to open Cathy’s door, “My lady…”, he offers her his hand and she takes it, stepping out of the car. Cathy entwine her fingers with Liam’s and they walk hand in hand to his building.
The elevator stops in the third floor and they make their way to the apartment. Cathy notices that Liam keeps glancing over at her with a smile on his face and she blushes, still feeling the intense sensation of his lips on hers.
After a few steps, they stop in front of his place. She looks coyly into his eyes and Liam smiles wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning her against the door. He brushes the strands off her face, looking deep into her eyes while lowering his head slowly until his lips touch hers. They close their eyes, enjoying this gentle and warm sensation that is taking over them. Cathy opens her mouth slightly and their tongues meet, shyly at first but as Liam deepens the kiss, sparks start flying and a low moan scapes her lips – she has never felt these intense feelings before, there is this tingling between her legs and she feels wetness moistening her folds. Still kissing her as if his life depended on it, Liam tries to blindly open the door with one hand while he lifts her up with his other hand – she wraps her legs around his waist. The kisses turn more urgent and fervent as Liam carries her through the door, closing it with his foot. He makes his way to his room, where Cathy is staying and presses her against the door, tracing kisses along her jawline and down to her neck, groaning against her skin. Suddenly he stops, smiling. He raises his head and they look at each other, still trying to catch their breath and Cathy lets her legs slip down.
“D-do you wanna come in? I mean…”, she smiles nervously, “Not for… you know… just to hang out”.
Liam chuckles, shaking his head as if he himself couldn’t believe the words that were just about to come out of his mouth, “There is nothing in the world I would rather do…”, he presses his eyes together as if it hurts him to finish his sentence.
“But…?!”, Cathy says, watching his reaction.
“But I think it’s best I go back to Drake’s bedroom…”, although he knows he will regret his decision once he walks into that lonely room, the feeling of his pants tightening due to his desire for her makes him pull back. “I… Listen love, I just don’t want anything to happen tonight that you could come to regret tomorrow”. She lowers her head a little and nods and he asks, “Are you mad?”
Cathy looks into his eyes and smiles tenderly, “No, why would I be mad when you are only trying to treat me with respect?“, she pauses, “It’s late and you have a game tomorrow…”. She rises on her tiptoes and places a peck on his lips, “Sweet dreams, Liam”.
He brushes her cheek with the back of his hand, “Sweet dreams, Cathy”. He watches as she turns around and enters her room, closing the door behind her. Liam closes his eyes, letting his head falls back dramatically, in frustration with himself and he walks back to his room. He takes off his clothes and mumbles to himself “I need a cold shower or I’ll never be able to sleep tonight”
—————
Liam tosses and turns sleeplessly in bed. He takes off his t-shirt, feeling this heat inside him taking over his body, so intense not even the AC can help him. He closes his eyes again but all he can think about is her: her beautiful smile, her dazzling green eyes, the curves of her beautiful body… Oh, how he would like to caress every inch of it.
“This is pointless’, he says, sitting in bed. He takes a looks at his phone and sees that it’s almost 3am. “Fuck, it’s late… I need some water”.
He walks out of his room wearing only his black boxer briefs and when Liam get’s closer to the kitchen he realizes that the light is on. He approaches the door slowly and sees Cathy reading something, leaning on the counter – her hair is up in a bun and she is wearing a white tank top and gray boyshorts with the name Calvin Klein all over it. Liam takes a good look at her heart shaped butt and bites his bottom lip. Scratching the back of his head, he smiles and says, “Aren’t you tired?”.
“Oh fuck, Liam!”, Cathy turns around, “Don’t startle me like that!”, she is completely surprised to see him barely dressed. His muscles flexing as he touches the back of his neck. For the first time she sees his muscular frame without any clothing – his strong arms, his six pack, his muscular legs and the bulge in his underwear. She quickly shakes her head and tries to focus on his face, “Hmm, what are you doing up so early?”
Liam smirks, walking up to her and putting one hand on her lower back, “I can’t sleep”, he pulls her closer to him, looking over at the book she was reading a couple of minutes ago, “Why are you studying at this time?”
“I couldn’t sleep either”, she feels his body pressing against hers and the heat rises inside her. “Mmm, would you like some water? I would love some… I actually need some because I haven’t drunk enough today”, she speaks nervously.
Liam chuckles, “Am I making you nervous, beautiful?”.
Cathy’s eyes sweep over Liam’s chest and she places her hands on it, brushing her fingers slowly over his muscles, “Nervous?! Erm… no… I just… you know?”, she turns around and walks to the sink to pour herself a glass of water.
“Yeah, you said already, you need water”, he smirks, “I’d like some as well, please”. She hands him a glass and as he drinks he says, “I was wondering… Does your invitation still stand?”
“What are you talking about?”, she takes a sip.
“Hanging out in your room?”, he gets closer to her and lowers his head to trace kisses on her neck, “I promise, I’ll keep my hands to myself”, he smiles.
Cathy giggles, “It is a little late to hang out, don’t you think?”, she looks at him and see his eyes pleading, “Okay, but not too long… you have to sleep if you wanna play well! Oh, and you have to carry me to the bedroom, you know, make these muscles work…”.
Liam smirks, “Sure”. He lowers his head and presses his lips gently to her mouth before picking her up and making his way to the bedroom. He lets her down on the bed and Cathy sits down, leaning against the headboard. Liam moves to her side and grabs her hand. “I never felt this way before”, he turns his head to her, “I don’t wanna scare you off by rushing into this, whatever this is, but I just had to say…”.
Cathy moves over Liam, straddling him. She puts her hands on the back of his neck, looking deep into his eyes and smiling while he places his hands on her hips, “I know exactly what you mean… I feel the same way”, she places soft kisses along his jawline until her lips find his in a short but intense kiss.
“You are so beautiful…”, his eyes roam over her body, trying to memorize every single detail of her, making her blush. “I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about you… I’m crazy about you, Cathy”, he tightens his grip on her hips and crashes his lips on hers for a fervent kiss. His hands pulling her to him before moving to her butt and up to her back. She can feel the desire growing inside of her, taking over. The touch of his hands over her body, claiming every inch of her to himself, being the first man to ever touch her this way – she feels Liam’s manhood spasming, pressing against her most sensitive parts and she moans into his mouth. Suddenly, he pulls away and smiles, flustered by his emotions, “It’s late, we should try to get some sleep…”.
Cathy giggles, still out of breath, “Yeah, you are right… do you wanna stay with me tonight?”
“Do you want me to stay?”, he smiles happily.
“I do”, she gives him a peck on the lips and lays down on her side. Liam lays down behind her, spooning, placing his arm around her waist. “Good night, Liam”.
“Good night, love”, Liam closes his eyes and it doesn’t take long until he realizes that Cathy is already sound asleep. He smiles to himself, he can’t remember of ever having a happier day than this. “I think I am in love with you, beautiful”, he whispers before falling asleep.
Cathy’s alarm goes off around 9am. Still sleepy, having had barely 6 hours of sleep, she turns it off and sits in bed, rubbing her eyes awake. When she tries to get up, she feels Liam wrapping his arm around her waist, “Don’t go… you can run tomorrow but please stay in bed with me today”.
She turns her head to him and sees his sleepy face, his eyes still closed, “I’m not going for a run, I am going to make us breakfast”, she leans in and places a kiss in his cheek.
“I’ll make us breakfast, baby. Now, come back into my arms…”, he pulls her to him and she rests her head on his chest, while he brushes his fingers through her hair, enjoying the few beams of sunlight coming through the curtains.
A while later, Cathy opens her eyes slowly, feeling his chest rhythmically raising and falling with each breath. She reaches for her phone on the nightstand and realizes they fell asleep again.
“Li!!…”, she tries to wake him up but he doesn’t react. “Li?! We fell asleep again. It’s 11am, don’t you have to go meet your team at 12pm?”
Liam jumps out of the bed when he hears what time it is, “Fuck! Yeah… I gotta take a shower!”, he heads to the bathroom but quickly comes back, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, “Good morning, love! Sorry… I…”
Cathy giggles, “Good morning! Don’t worry about it, I’m going to make us something to eat, just go get ready!”.
“Thank you”, he kisses her again before leaving to the bathroom.
—————
Cathy meets Meg and Drake in the stands to cheer for Liam and his team. She sits down next to Meg and they chat a little bit.
“I’m glad you guys are feeling better. I’m going home tomorrow, so Drake can have his room back!”, she smiles.
Drakes looks at her nervously, “You know… erm… I’m not feeling 100% yet… maybe you should stay there for a few more days!”. Catherine raises a brow at him.
“Wow, you are a terrible terrible lier, Drake!”, Meg says, laughing. “Yeah, Liam asked us to give you two more time together”.
“Geez, Meg… You shouldn’t have told her that!”, he shakes his head annoyed by her blabbermouth. “Please, Cathy… don’t tell him anything. He really enjoys the time you two are spending together”.
Cathy giggles, “This is kinda sweet… I am enjoying it too but I really need to go back to my place. I can barely catch up with school because it’s so nice to have him around and spend time together”, she looks at the field trying to spot Liam, “But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!”.
They watch the game together, cheering with each touchdown of their team. After a few hours, the game comes to an end and Liam’s team beats the other team 24-17. When he leaves the field looking for his friends, he is surrounded by a group of girls.
“Liam! Can you sign my jersey? I’m Lisa, by the way”, one of the girls say. He looks around trying to find someone but they aren’t there yet.
“Okay Lisa, where should I sign it?”, he asks as they cheer excited.
She shows him a spot right above her breast, “Here would be perfect!”, she smiles naughtily.
“Oh, on your back it is!”, he ignores her and sign his name on the back of every jersey, “So, here you go, girls”, he hands the black permanent marker back to Lisa.
“Thank you, Thompson. You know.. you can come back with us to our place, if you want”, she sweeps her eyes over his body, “We would like to thank you for winning the game… all of us, if you know what I mean”.
Liam raises a brow at her, “Thank you but I rather celebrate with my girlfriend. I gotta go, I don’t wanna leave her waiting. Bye girls!”. He walks through the crowd and when he sees Cathy he runs to her side, cupping her cheeks and kissing her deeply for a short moment.
“Wow, I saw you with your fan club…”, she crosses her arms pretending she is mad but not able to hide a smile.
Liam shakes his head, chuckling, “Don’t even start it now! Those girls are trouble!”, he picks her up and she wraps her legs around him, “All I want and all I need is right here in my arms”. Liam sees Drake and Meghan coming in their direction.
“You two look cozy!”, Drake says, smirking.
Suddenly Cathy’s phone rings, “I gotta go see what this is about! Be right back!”, she gives Liam a peck on the cheek and heads to a quieter place.
“Are you two…?”, Meg says, looking curiously at Liam, “I wonder why she didn’t mention anything!”
Liam chuckles, “It’s quite new, we are still figuring things out”.
“Yeah but by the way he is smiling like a complete fool, I don’t think they will need much time to figure this out, Meg!”, Drake lets out a laugh.
“Guys, guys… please….”, Liam says and Cathy walks back. “So, there is a party tonight, we should go. All of us!”. Cathy tries to pretend everything is okay but Liam notices a difference. He gives Drake a nod.
“Hey, Meg. Let’s wait outside, there is something I’d like to show you”, he wraps his arm around he shoulder, “See you two around” and they leave.
“Okay, what is going on?”, Liam lifts her chin gently so his eyes can meet hers.
Cathy smiley weakly, “I-I think you should go to the party but I wanna go home, lay down for a bit”.
“I’m coming with you then”, he looks at her worried.
“No, no… It’s nothing, Li. And if you don’t go to your party I’ll feel bad… you deserve to celebrate tonight. I have to stop at the library to pick up a few books and then I’ll go home. We talk tomorrow”, she places a kiss on his lips.
“Love…”, he tries to change her mind but she smiles and leaves, disappearing into the crowd.
—————
Even though he didn’t want to, Liam went to the party with Drake and Meg. His thoughts kept going back to Cathy – his body was present but his mind was with her. He hears his name being called:
“… Don’t you think, Thompson?”, Charles and his other teammates wait for an answer.
Liam look at them, puzzled, “I’m sorry, guys. I gotta go! Talk next week”. He rushes out of the house and to his car, knowing that he needs to make sure she is okay.
After a short ride, he runs up the stairs to his apartment. He is so nervous that he can barely put the key in the lock but once he does, he goes through the empty apartment, looking for her. Her bedroom door is slightly ajar and he sees light coming from inside. He pushes it slowly open and sees Cathy sitting in the bed sobbing, her face completely red and swollen. “Love, what happened?”, he walks to her side and sits down next to her, putting his arms protectively around her. She nestle into his embrace, crying even more. “Baby, let me help you… Was it the phone call? What was it about?”
Cathy brushes away the tears off her face and try to catch her breath, “My father called…”.
“Oh, did he had bad news?”, he strokes her back gently.
“He is the bad news…”, she starts crying again, “But I don’t wanna talk about it now”, she looks into his eyes and he can see glimpses of the hurt she carries inside her.
Liam kisses her forehead, not knowing exactly what to do or say, “Okay, I’m here now… everything will be okay”. Cathy lays down in the bed and Liam takes off his clothes, laying beside her, pulling her into his arms. They stay like this for a while in silence, he stroking her back and she drawing circles over Liam’s chest with the fingertips. Suddenly he says, “I wanna take you on a proper date next week…”.
She turns her head up to see him, “I’d love that, Li”, she smiles.
“You will laugh when I tell you this, but I’ve never been on a date, so I’ll have to google it!”, he says trying to making her smile.
Cathy giggles, “I can’t believe this… you have never been on a date? This can’t be true!”
“I swear, I have never!! I was waiting for someone special to come along and I’m glad I’m gonna go on my first date with you… the only problem is, you have already been on dates and I wanna make this one more special than the others…”.
Cathy raises her hand to caress his cheek, “It’ll be the most special date I’ve ever had because it is with you, Liam. It doesn’t matter where you will take me, your presence makes everything perfect”, she pulls herself up and kisses him gently.
He spend a few minutes staring into her eyes, “Cathy, I want you to know one thing… I am here for you, always… whenever you wanna talk or just stay in silence. I wanna be there for you, I wanna protect you from anything that is hurting you and I wanna help you to go through whatever you are going through…. please, never forget that!”, he brushes a strand away from her face.
She rests her head on his chest, “Thank you, Liam”. He kisses the top of her head and pulls the covers over them. He holds her tight to him and wonders what is going on between her and her father. He hates to see her this way – he loves her bubbly personality and it breaks his heart that a call from someone who should be her strength can destroy her like that. They stay like this, in silence, until they fall asleep.
—————
The next morning, Liam woke up early and made breakfast for them. They talked a little about the game and the party and a couple of hours later, Cathy left the apartment, moving back into her own.
Liam took the afternoon to catch up on his reading and to think about something special to do for Cathy, hoping he will be able to impress her. Suddenly he hears the door and sees Drake walking in.
“Hey Li! How’s things? You disappeared on us last night!”, Drakes smirks, “Had fun with your lady?”
Liam raises his brow at Drake, “We are not there yet and even if, I’m not discussing these things with you…”, he closes his book, “Cathy wasn’t feeling good last night, I had to check on her”.
“Oh, what happened?”, Drakes sits down on the couch next to Liam.
“I don’t know exactly, she didn’t want to talk about it…”, he sighs, standing up.
Drake puts his arms behind his head, “Maxwell called, he is very excited about coming to visit us. I tried to drill our new reality in the US on him but you should call him yourself, not that he starts talking about Cordonia and calling you Prince Liam”. Liam nods and starts making his way to the kitchen, when Drakes says, “By the way, he is not coming alone!”. Liam slowly turns around.
“W-What are you talking about? Who is coming with him?”, he asks already worrying if its the person he has in mind.
Drake watches Liam facial expression and he know what he has in mind, “Yeah… exactly, hurricane Olivia is coming to town!”.
To be continued…