A Unique Kind of Love (21 page)

“Everything you do just shine and you're adorable in every single way. You're sensible and when you cry, I just want to wipe your tears away because you're worth it. You-"

I was cut off by a drowsy Lena kissing me softly. She broke off the kiss and smiled at me. A small chuckle escaped her mouth.

"Shut up, Liam. I love you too."

Soon enough the only movement was the slow rising and falling of her chest, each intake of air, showing the depth of her oblivion. She was totally at peace, at rest. I was truly happy.

My eyes flickered to Adam and Tori and I smiled.

He chose to sleep on the opposite side of the love seat and she was on the other one. He didn't want to get in the way of Tori's wrath if they wake up in each other's arms. Although, their hands slightly touched one another. They both had small unconscious smiles on their faces. They reminded me of Tonks and Lupin, when they died only slightly brushing each other's hand.

Of course, Tori and Adam weren't dead.

Everything was perfect, just perfect.

I closed my eyes and fell into the deepest sleep I'd ever had in a long time. I knew that my heart felt peaceful and truly happy for the first time in years.

21

You are Wanted

“The moment you start being in love with what you're doing, and thinking it's beautiful or rich, then you're in danger.”

~
Miuccia Prada~

Lena Rose Winter

The warmth of Liam made me feel like I was a small baby being cradled in a beautiful human's arms. Safety reigned over me and I couldn't feel more comfortable. I fit perfectly in his arms. I couldn't dare open an eye because I just wanted to cherish this moment. Even though this felt like heaven, there was a slight, tiny problem.

I needed to pee.

The urge of my bladder obviously couldn't wait and I cursed myself for not taking a trip to the bathroom before.
But a woman has to do what has to be done, am I right?

So, I gently took Liam's arms and placed them by his sides. His calm, peaceful demeanor suddenly grew duller. I regretted doing what I'd done, but I had to pee. I didn't think Liam would like it very much if he woke up the next morning with a wet girl in his arms.

I bet he'd like that very much.

Shut up dirty-minded me.

A small smile appeared on my face as I saw Adam literally resting his chin on Tori's head. Weird, because last time I saw them, they were barely grazing each other's hands.

I had a feeling that even though Adam had a girlfriend, Tori was the one for him. They were exactly the same.

Sometimes I wonder why I'm so dumb.

Will you shut your pie-hole please?

Meanwhile, Annabelle Black was cuddling up with one of the pillows. I bit my lip from laughing because she looked so innocent. My instincts told me that if I tried to snatch that small pillow away from her, she'd ninja attack me and Jackie Chan would be jealous.

Honestly, I already loved Belle. She was a new addition to my life, as was Adam, but she had this aura about her that was so kind, yet bad ass. She seemed like the kind of the girl who'd gladly listen to your problems and would be up to prank Barack Obama.

As I had to pass by Bella's love seat to go upstairs, I patted her head, making her snuggle closer to her pillow. Suddenly, I saw something that made me freeze in my tracks. 

Tear streaks. 

Her cheeks were damp, puffy and completely red. Her lips were slightly trembling and I figured she was having a bad dream.

"No, daddy, don't leave, please!" she murmured repeatedly, tears falling from her closed eyelids. Just as I made a mental note to investigate this later, her murmur changed, shocking me.

"Leo, please. I love you; don't let me go, please." The way she'd said this contained so much pain, it hurt me. 

Ah, I should've known.
There was 
always 
a certain boy involved somehow in every girl's story.

I pulled up the covers on her more and decided to let her be with her nightmare. I wished I could do anything about it, but dreams, especially horrible nightmares are impossible to deal with.

Crossing my arms helped redeem the warmth. I slowly tiptoed my way back upstairs. Now, the dilemma was: Where was the bathroom?

I traveled my way around the house, almost jumping up and down. I had to piss. It was crucial at this point of my life.

Crossing my fingers and hoping to die, I reluctantly turned the doorknob of a random room. At the sight of an oven, a refrigerator and a dishwasher, I came to a realization that I was currently in the kitchen. Although I peeked a little, I couldn't see the source of the voice suddenly startling me.

"Belle? Is that you honey?" asked a motherly voice sounding American. I fully opened the door only to meet a pair of bewildered blue eyes. The stranger took an antique vase from the small dining table and held it up, prepared to break my skull with it. 

"Who are you?" she demanded with a fiery glint in her eyes that I recognized in Belle's orbs. I held my hands up like a deer caught in headlights. 

"I'm Lena Rose Winter, Liam's girlfr-I mean friend. My older sister and I are slumbering in the basement because the weather outside is freezing and we could get hypothermia."

Face palm. What a great first impression on this woman.

Surprisingly, the woman, a complete stranger who seemed abnormally familiar started laughing. And she wouldn't stop. She placed the vase on the table and clutched her stomach, laughing. I chuckled nervously, not knowing what to do exactly.

After about five minutes of her laughing her bum off and me standing there, being awkward, the lady regained her composure.

Sort of.

She was biting her lip, forcing her laughter to die down.

"Excuse me, I'm being terribly impolite! It's just that you're so cute and I've never met someone so downright awkward. I already love you though. I'm Catherine Black, Liam's aunt and the twins' mother."

I shook her offered hand, smiling.
I should've known
! The resemblance was simply uncanny. Belle's sandy hair pulled in a messy ponytail and Adam's striking eyes and cheekbones. For an adult, she was simply beautiful. 

"Um, may I ask you an embarrassing question?" I questioned shyly, after she'd finished talking about how Liam had never said
we
had guests.

"Sure sweetie. Is it about how to ask Liam out? Because just the way you stuttered saying his name shows how in love you are with him."

My eyes widened and my eyebrows rose. What kind of question was that?

My cheeks flamed because Catherine Black had asked that question so bluntly, as if she’d known me all my life. "Uh, um, uh, no. Actually, I-I, where's your bathroom, Mrs. Black?"

"Oh sweetie, call me Catherine. The bathroom is opposing to Liam's room. Third door after the kitchen, on the right," she said, winking at me. I liked this woman already. I knew for a fact that if she and my mom met, they'd instantly become friends. 

"Thank you, Mrs. Bla- I mean Catherine." I flashed her one last smile and headed for heaven; the bathroom. 

Counting the third door, I found a room with a lousy LIAM written in permanent marker. I smiled a little, imagining a tiny Liam writing this on his door. But what was truly funny was imagining his older face as he miserably tried to remove it. 

Ah, that boy.

I rushed into the bathroom and satisfied my needs, loudly sighing. The soft beige ceramic was elegant. I was done quickly and washed my hands. Unfortunately, I looked in the mirror. Let me just say, zombies would be jealous of me right now. My hair was everywhere, my eyes were puffy and my complexion was dull and tiresome. I smiled, though, thinking about the last words I heard before going to sleep. 

Liam's words were like the whisper of an angel. This was the longest he'd ever spoken to me since the drunken night. I unconsciously touched my lips and my heart fluttered remembering our kiss. That boy just made me weak and happy.

A little mischief was in my thoughts, so I entered Liam's room. I hoped he wouldn't mind, though. No one said anything about him finding out,
right?

On the contrary of what a typical teenager's room would seem like, Liam's was impeccably organized.

Two beds were made, the pillows neatly placed. His desk was clean, not a speck of dust on it. His laptop was closed and there were a couple of books lying lazily on the desk. I grazed my fingers over them, scanning the titles; 
The Host, The Notebook 
and 
The Fault in Our Stars.
  I smiled, because these were his favorite books and it wasn't going to be his first time reading them.

What caught my attention was his sketchpad, the same one he had when I met him at the park. My hands itched to look through it, but that would be intruding his privacy. Curiosity won over me and opened the first page. I slightly gasped at what I saw. 

A family happily enjoying a picnic. Strawberries, sandwiches, along with several other food elements were on the checkered blanket. The father was laughing, his features soft and smooth. The mother was braiding her daughter's hair, to look the same as hers. She had an absent smile on her face, as if she was the happiest person in the world. The little girl had long hair. Her expression displayed pure innocence and happiness. The last character in the picture was a young boy, 10 years old or so, he was smiling while looking at his parents with a loving expression. My heart broke as I recognized the features.

The boy was Liam.  

At the bottom of the page, Liam quoted Melanie Stryder, the main character from
The Host
. 
You never know how much time you'll have,
 was scribbled in a perfect handwriting. 

I turned the pages, most of them portraying the little girl, the father, the mother and sometimes it was a family drawing.  Some were tear-stained. He always puts quotes instead of signing his name. Some were of him or his grandmother.

I fell upon the first drawing of me, a girl with curls, hiding her face between her knees. My heart ached at this one, because he had put a small heart. The next ones were mostly of me. One of me smiling widely, another of us cuddling, one of us dancing, the one that made me laugh was the one where we made snow angels. 

The last one literally tore my heart apart. Grandma Black was sitting on a couch, knitting. Her expression was relaxed and peaceful. She smiled happily, the familiar wrinkles around her eyes showing. He portrayed every detail so perfectly, I wanted to break down.

This page was completely dry and slightly crumpled, the way paper reacted with water. Not water,
tears
.

This is how he wanted to remember her. 

I felt myself tracing the quote he'd written. 

"Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains." Kahlil Gibran

Out of nowhere, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me. Just as I was about to scream, a hand clasped itself upon my mouth. I turned to see Liam. He was smiling with grief, his eyes tearful. He didn't even look slightly offended that I'd invaded his privacy.

His eyes were glued on the drawing. "Isn't she lovely?" he murmured.

"Liam?" I asked, slightly nervous and heavy hearted.