Left With Liam

Chapter 4

Mel

After breakfast, I quickly excuse myself to my room under the pretense of needing time to get ready for the day. The real reason for making a quick exit- I had to get away from shirtless Liam.

The second he walked into the kitchen, and I saw his bare chest, something stirred within me. It was strange. I started feeling something I hadn't felt in a long time- not since Justin. It scared me a little and made me feel guilty at the same time.

Why was I ogling Liam like that? He's Justin's friend, for goodness' sake!

It felt wrong. Then, his eyes caught mine, and I knew he'd noticed me staring. I looked away a millisecond too late, and when I found the courage to look his way again, I saw his sweet smile.

He knew what I was doing, and he liked it!

From that moment, the guilt kept oozing in. Liam clearly appreciated my attention, and I wanted so badly to keep giving it to him. Deep down, I knew it wasn't fair for me to do that to him. How could I possibly give him attention like that when I knew he wouldn't get what he needed from me?

Unless... maybe I could give him what he needed- what we both needed.

Was I ready for that? And could I truly do that with Liam, Justin's best friend?

I was battling with my thoughts through the entire breakfast, completely missing the conversation that was happening in front of me. Unfortunately for me, my detachment did not go unnoticed. Tay picked up on it right away.

She was kind enough not to call me out on it, but the look in her eyes confirmed my fear. It was obvious why I couldn't concentrate on anything anyone was saying- Liam. More specifically- shirtless, bare-chested, bronzed, toned, and sculpted Liam, who was sitting right next to me.

I knew it. Tay knew it. Hell, Liam probably knew it. The only one oblivious to my distracted countenance was T.J., but that's because his entire world was Tay. He was too distracted by her to notice my plight.

Thank goodness! At least my situation isn't completely humiliating.

I tried to keep my eyes to myself, but I couldn't. I'd constantly find myself looking over at Liam, admiring his firm torso and the outlines of his muscles. It had been a long time since I found myself appreciating the male physique like that.

More than a few times, I thought Liam had caught me looking at him. I'd see his lips start to curve upward, and his eyes held a hint of amusement, but he didn't turn his head my way to slide his eyes to mine. He let me examine him in peace.

After scurrying off to my room, I shut myself in and leaned against the door. I tried to steady my breath and calm my racing thoughts, to no avail.

What is wrong with me? Why am I reacting like this to a shirtless man?

It's not like I haven't seen one before. T.J. walks around all the time with no shirt, and I've never felt like this because of him. Yes, he's Tay's boyfriend, and that may have something to do with it, but it's not like he's ugly. His body is as nice as Liam's, but the primal nature seeing Liam's body has brought out in me is something I can't understand.

Is it because of what happened the other night?

I remember back to a few nights ago when I received another jolt to my system, compliments of Liam Barnett. That night, something in me shifted. I thought it was fleeting, but I may have been dead wrong.

That night, Liam came home from the gym and took a quick shower. I was getting ready for bed and needed to brush my teeth. I waited patiently until I heard the door to his bedroom shut, signaling that he was done in our shared bathroom.

It's something I'd grown accustomed to since moving in. When you share a space like that with someone else, you start to learn how they do things. You begin to pick up on when it's safe to enter said space without creating an awkward situation.

I'd learned that Liam takes quick showers and doesn't dally in the bathroom once he's done. He gets in, takes care of what he needs to, and goes to his room. Usually, his entire routine takes no longer than twenty minutes. I typically wait an additional ten minutes after hearing his door close before entering the restroom, just in case he's forgotten something and comes back in.

That's what I did on that fateful night so many days ago. I waited the additional ten minutes, then let myself into the bathroom. Upon opening the door, I was shocked beyond belief to find Liam standing in the middle of the room.

To make matters worse, he was still naked, wearing only a towel low on his hips. There was very little left to the imagination. Every inch of his hard body was on display, save the area covered by his towel. His muscles were still glistening with water from his steamy shower, and his hair was wet. He looked like a mythical god that had just walked out of the ocean.

I couldn't help but stare at his figure as I stood there, frozen in my doorway. My eyes unabashedly traced the lines of his body. They moved from his hair all the way down to the prominent V that ended beneath his towel- the only shred of cloth preserving his modesty.

He wasn't the least bit embarrassed when he noticed me. In fact, he smiled and invited me in. "Hey Mel, sorry about this. I'll be out of your hair in no time. I just had to shave real quick."

I stood there, dumbfounded for a minute before clumsily saying, "I- I, uh, I just needed to brush my teeth."

He looked at me through the mirror. "No problem. There are two sinks in here. I don't mind you brushing your teeth while I finish up here."

I nodded as I cautiously made my way to my sink, trying not to look at him. I tried keeping my eyes down as I cleaned my teeth, but a few times, I found myself watching as he pulled his razor down his face. I was startled when his eyes met mine in the mirror. He smiled at me and wished me goodnight as he wiped the last remnants of shaving cream off his face.

When he was gone, I found myself gripping the counter for support. That small piece of intimacy rocked me off balance. At least, that's what it felt like- an intimate moment. Sharing a small space like that while one person involved is practically naked seems intimate to me.

It threw me off. I hadn't been so close to a nearly naked man in so long. Had it always been like this? Or was it the fact that it was Liam making me feel so discombobulated?

Either way, I think that night was a turning point. Pair that with the incident in the kitchen, and it's now abundantly clear that something has shifted in our relationship.

Things with Liam weren't the same as they once were. That night was what started it all. That night, things were starting to change. I just didn't realize how much things would change between us over the next few months.