Blank Slate

Chapter 134 - Liam Harris

I was in my room and settling in for the night when there was a clear knock at my door. I clenched my jaw and considered just locking the damn thing and ignoring whoever was out there. It had been a long day and being a part of a larger group was starting to wear on me. I missed the simple silence that Ethan and I used to surround ourselves with. Yes, I loved my team and would do anything for them, but right now I just wanted to get into bed and video chat Mia. I really needed to thank her for the mini-cupcake idea and I had something special in mind.

But that wasn't what being a team was about. I sucked up my own desire for alone time and opened the door to find Oliver of all people standing at my door. I hadn't interacted much with the other newbie, but I was grateful that he was turning out to be a real friend to Payton. For that alone, I didn't shut the door in his face like I wanted to but instead opened it wider and invited him into my space.

"Okay, so I am not positive that it is the right move to tell you this, but Payton told me something today and I think we need to do something about it. Something for her. Tomorrow," Oliver said and clearly, he only was partially focused on what he was telling me. He wasn't even looking at me instead, he was squinting slightly at the rug. "I am thinking something fun and light. Payton doesn't have much fun and light in her life and from the sounds of it she never got the whole birthday party experience as a child. I think it would be good for her."

"Hold up," I grumbled and rubbed my finger across my forehead. I think that I missed something. Why was Oliver planning a party for Payton? Payton really wasn't comfortable around people or booze and I didn't think she would even really like a party. "What are you talking about?"

Oliver spun around to face me and opened his mouth like if he was going to say something but stopped himself and he closed his mouth again. He repeated the motion again, making himself look remarkable like a fish that was out of water. Finally, he said in a rush, "Tomorrow is Payton's birthday. Like her real birthday and she is feeling conflicted about it. I think that we should celebrate it. Just the team. Just us showing her that we accept her past, that it is okay to acknowledge Harper White. A period of time where she can finally relax and just have some fun."

I blew out a breath because fuck, that was a lot. I was starting to really understand who Payton was and just how much she was still coping with everything that life had thrown at her, and because of that, I could see just how big of a deal this seemingly normal ask was. Oliver was right. Payton deserved this for so many reasons but if we did this wrong, it could backfire in a big way.

"Light and fun?" I questioned as I tried to picture what that even looked like. I didn't really do light and fun. I did quiet and independent. Any celebration that I usually did involves a large amount of alcohol and some nameless chick in my bed. That was the exact opposite of what Payton would find relaxing or fun. Light and fun seemed more like something that either of the Paxton brothers would be better at than me. Why in the world had Oliver come to me?

"Yeah, maybe some outside yard games. And we could grill up some food and maybe even hand a sheet from a tree and get a projector so that we can all watch a movie outside. It is a little chilly but, I feel like outside would be good for this. Payton really enjoyed it when Chris, Ezra, and I all hung out with her in Dubai. But since then we haven't really just hung out as a team. I think that we should do that. A little bit of what I would consider normal to show her that life isn't always crazy situations and hard choices," Oliver said, clearly still more forced on his planning than me.

I thought over what he was saying and agreed that it sounded good. I even thought that it would be beneficial for more than just Payton. A low-key barbeque was just what we all needed. I sat down at my desk and started making a list while Oliver continued to ramble out ideas. I wrote down everything that I thought we would need and then texted Ethan. He quickly got on board with the idea and told me that he would ask Ford to look after Lacey so that we could all be there. I finally got the other newbie to stop talking by assuring him that we would do our best to make everything perfect for Payton and then basically had to pull him out of my room so that I could have just a little privacy.