Left With Liam

Chapter 5

Liam

I'm heading to meet up with Chase and Lindsey for lunch with the rest of the gang- Mel, Tay, and T.J. The lovebirds wanted to catch up with everyone before we all dive into wedding duties later. The big day is coming up soon, and there are still several things yet to do.

I see my sister and my best friend already seated at a table as we enter the restaurant. They look up as the hostess greets us, and wave us over. I tell the woman behind the stand that our group is meeting the two seated inside the dining room, and she quickly leads us to the happy couple.

Lindsey is beaming as she greets us all with a hug, followed closely by Chase, who quickly hugs Taylor and Mel before bro-hugging T.J. and me. When everyone has said their hellos, we take our seats and look over our menus.

"I'm so happy to see you all! How is everything going at the apartment?" Lins asks no one in particular.

Tay quickly glances between Mel and me as T.J. grins at his girl. She smiles at my sister as she lifts her glass of water. "Things are going great!"

She smiles as if she's thinking of a secret that only she knows. Then she looks up at me. "Better than great even."

Tay drops eye contact as I feel my face heat up. Though she's no longer looking at me, I send a slight glare her way. No one else notices our quick exchange. For that, I'm grateful. If Lins had seen it, she would have surely pressed one or both of us for more details on our silent interaction.

I peek over at my sister as I take a sip of water, making sure she indeed has not witnessed the looks exchanged between her best friend and me.

Lindsey is still reading her menu as she replies, "That's so good to hear! How are things going at the training rink, Mel?"

I see Mel's menu lower toward the table as she looks at Lins. "The trainings have been going so well. All of my classes are completely booked for the next two months."

The excitement in her voice is evident as she talks about her job. Mel works at one of the skating rinks Uptown as an instructor. She teaches groups of different ages how to skate and hone their skills out on the ice. Mel has been figure skating since preschool. That's one of the things I learned while she and Justin were dating.

She skated all through college and had a good shot at making the Olympic team- she was just that good. To her, skating was about freedom and passion. It wasn't something she wanted to spoil by putting mass amounts of pressure on. She didn't want to make it a huge competition. Mel just wanted the freedom to get out there and skate to her heart's content.

Her goal was to bring the love of skating to those who were eager and willing to learn. So, that's what she did. She got a job teaching skating to others, and she's incredible at it. At least, I imagine she is.

I haven't actually seen her in action yet, but I can imagine that she's an amazing teacher with her kind nature and natural skill. I've seen the reviews people leave on her profile. They're all glowing and speak very highly of her skills as both skater and instructor. Every student she's had has significantly improved under her guidance.

She loves what she does, and she's so passionate about it. It's one of the many reasons I admire her.

I feel the smile creeping onto my lips as I ponder the other things I admire about her. My eyes wander over to the woman sitting next to me as she animatedly discusses her work with my sister. When she speaks about what she does, her eyes light up, and I can't help but stare.

I'm torn from my imaginings when the waiter comes to the table to refill our drinks. After telling him thank you, my eyes find Mel again.

As if sensing my gaze, she looks over at me. Her bright blue eyes meet my green with a hint of curiosity. She holds my orbs captive as her expression changes. It's as if she's trying to figure out the answer to a question unspoken. Our eyes hold until the spell we're under breaks.

Mel shakes her head slightly as she looks at the waiter, who has just brought our food. She mutters a polite thank you as he sets her plate in front of her before handing out the rest of the dishes.

I can't help but wonder what was going through her mind. What was the question she was trying to answer? And did it have anything to do with me?

~

After lunch, we split into two groups- men and women. We all had our marching orders and were expected to check a few things off the wedding to-do list before the day was complete.

Mel and the girls were off to their final dress fittings, and the boys and I were off to visit the tailor. Lins also asked us to check in with the travel agency to make sure the agenda for the wedding was still solid and that all who had RSVP'd would be on the correct flights.

The lovebirds decided on a destination wedding. They wanted to keep it small and intimate and share the day with only those closest to them. Everything has been quiet since the proposal, and we hope to keep it that way. No one wants paparazzi showing up on Lins and Chase's special day.

Once we completed our wedding tasks, the boys and I decided to meet up with some of our teammates at our usual haunt. We spent an hour or so there, catching up with the guys before Chase had to take off. He and Lins were meeting his parents for dinner and finalizing a few more wedding details.

Shortly after he left, the rest of us parted ways for the night. T.J. was eager to get back to Taylor, and I was ready to see Mel again.

~

I arrive home after running a few errands the next day to find the living room vacant. It's the weekend, so I know Tay and Mel aren't at work. I wonder if they went out for a girls' day.

Then, I hear it- a sound I've become all too familiar with- the sound of slightly muffled moans and a creaking bed. Ah, so that explains where Tay and T.J. are, but what about-

Before I can finish my thought, Mel comes out of her room. She stops when she sees me. Her mouth opens as she's about to say something. Just before the words can come, we hear a loud grunt, followed by a shushing sound.

Mel's eyes widen as I try to suppress a laugh. I usher her into her room, giving the two horny adults on the other side of the apartment a little more space. Once inside, Mel starts giggling. Hearing her laugh, I can no longer contain my own amusement.

After a few minutes of this, we regain ourselves long enough to speak. Mel smiles lightly. "Tay said T.J. got another all-clear from the doctors. They told them that he needs to come back one more time just to be sure, but they think it's safe to say he no longer has to worry about any complications arising because of his injury from the accident. She told me as soon as they got back from the appointment. Soon after that, they disappeared into their room."

I nod my head with understanding. "So, they came home to celebrate."

Mel lets out another soft giggle. "Yes, I suppose so."

She looks down at the floor, a twinge of sadness creeping into her voice. "They have a lot to be thankful for."

Not wanting her to dwell on sad memories, I move closer and put my arm around her. "Hey, how bout you and me get out of here. Leave the apartment to the celebrating lovers. Maybe grab a bite. Sound good?"

Mel looks up at me and smiles. "I think that's a great idea. Let me grab my purse."

She grabs her things, and we head out. I think I have the perfect idea for how we can spend the next few hours. I just hope Mel likes it.  

A/N

I hope you are enjoying the book so far. 🥰