Left With Liam

Chapter 29

Liam

It's been two weeks- two agonizing weeks since that disaster of a date with Mel. She hasn't talked to me much since- just a passing hello or goodbye as she comes and goes.

It's killing me not talking to her. If I knew what I did to mess things up so colossally, I'd do everything in the world to fix it, to make it up to her. I can't do that if she keeps avoiding me.

And now that the season is starting up again, it's going to be harder for me to try and talk to her. I'll be gone a lot more now with practices and games starting up again.

Fuck, this sucks.

I was hardly there mentally during practice today. That earned me a lecture from Coach. Luckily, it's the beginning of the season, so he thinks it's just jitters working their way out of my system from the offseason.

I know better, though. So do T.J. and Chase. T.J. was there that day when Mel ran back to the apartment, eyes streaming with tears. He knew things didn't go as planned, but he didn't pry; he just told me he'd listen if I needed to talk about it.

I haven't.

I did ask Tay if Mel said anything to her about the date and what went so wrong. She shook her head and told me Mel hadn't even talked to her about it. Hearing that tripled my anxiety.

The two of them are like peas in a pod. If Mel can't even talk to Tay about it, then I really must have fucked things up.

I keep replaying those last few minutes over and over in my head, trying to figure out if I missed a sign she was trying to give me. She seemed fine the entire time. Until I started kissing her neck... And got a boner...

That has to be it!

She probably thought I was trying to go further. I never expected more than kissing, but she must have assumed I wanted more. She probably felt my hard-on and thought I was going to push for more intimacy.

Oh my God! How could I be so stupid?

I ruined my chance because little Liam got a little too excited.

Son of a bitch!

I'm too caught up in my train of thought to realize what's going on around me. I pull my shirt on over my head and start making my way out of the locker room. My eyes shut for one second as I try to push the tormenting thoughts out of my mind.

In that second, I ran into the back of Ben, who was standing in the middle of the room. "Whoa there, big boy! I know you've had your head up your chick's ass lately, but that's no reason to run me over."

His joke makes a few of the guys laugh, but by the time he's finished uttering the words, I'm seeing red.

"The fuck you just say to me!" I drop my bag and stalk up to him. Our faces are now inches apart as I grab the collar of his shirt.

Not expecting such an angry reaction, Ben's eyes look like they're about to fall from their sockets. His hands fly up in surrender. "Hey, man! It was just a joke."

Before I can say or do more damage, Chase and T.J. jump in to separate us. It takes both of them to pry me away from the mouthy shit as he stares at me, still shocked by my reaction.

All eyes are on us as Chase tries to neutralize the situation. He says something to Ben quietly as T.J. drags me to the other side of the locker room. I watch as Chase cocks his head toward the door, signaling everyone, including Ben, to leave the room.

Without argument, they follow our captain's instructions, leaving only Chase, T.J., and myself. Once the last person is gone, they narrow in on me.

Chase has his hands folded in front of his chest as he looks at me. "You're lucky Coach and Rusty aren't in here. They'd have your ass for that shit."

With a nod, I quietly reply, "I know."

Chase uncrosses his arms as he lets out a long breath. "What the hell is going on, man? Why'd that shit get to you so easy?"

I chance a look at T.J., who grimaces at the question. I rub my hands over my face in frustration, knowing I need to talk about it. I need to let it out.

So, with a big sigh, I do. I tell them everything that happened on my date with Mel. I tell them how it ended with her running away. I tell them how she hasn't spoken to me since. I go through every plaguing thought that's been bothering me about it. I let it all out, and I wait for them to take it in.

When I finish, I hear Chase and T.J. both whisper, "Fuck!"

Neither says another word for a while, so I release a shaky breath before continuing, "I don't know how to fix it."

Chase sends me a sad smile. "I think you have to wait for her to approach you. Trust me, I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's really all you can do without pushing her further away."

I hang my head sadly. I know he's right. I just don't know how much longer I can go without talking to her.

T.J. squeezes my shoulder. "I'll see if Jenna can do anything to help. It'll be better if she's the one to give a little push."

I nod my head, now feeling emotionally drained, as I say, "Thanks, man. I appreciate that."

"Now, we should probably make sure you and Ben are square before you leave. Don't need any lingering animosity in here," Chase says as he leads T.J. and me toward the exit.

We find Ben, Damien, and Roman lounging on the couches outside the locker room. When we emerge, Ben eyes me warily.

I slowly approach him. "Look, man, I'm sorry about all that back there. I've got some personal shit going on. I shouldn't have taken any of it out on you. I apologize, and it won't happen again."

Ben nods as he takes in what I said. After a few seconds, he replies, "It's all good, man. No hard feelings. I'm sorry, too- for the shitty joke. Still bros?"

My lips twitch as I hold out my hand. "Still bros."

He grabs my hand, pulling me into a bro hug as he slaps my back. "Hell yeah! How bout we all go grab a beer?"

Now with our issue squashed, I decide to take him up on his offer, and we all head for the bar.

That's one problem resolved.

I just wish it were that easy to fix things with Mel.