Love me, London

sixty

What even is the definition of friends?

I was asking myself that while we were on our way back home from the hospital. After almost two weeks of complete isolation from society and being in close contact with doctors and nurses every day, I was finally set free. Not entirely though. The doctor had ordered complete bed rest for the next few days for me, or until our family doctor viewed I was healthy enough to get back out there again. She said I should always be in bed, even while I was having a meal.

The fact that I couldn't move a lot, let alone go places had somehow ended up bringing me closer to Liam than we had ever been. For the last few days, I was staying at the hospital, he was with me. He slept over. We ate together. We watched T.V. together and he would rub my back or feet until I fell asleep every night as normal friends would do.

Or I don't know if friends do that, but we did nothing else apart from chatting and superficially touching each other. We didn't even hold hands. But it wasn't like Liam hadn't tried. He was a bit sneaky a couple of times and tried to lean in for a kiss, but once he realized I was all in with the whole let's just be friends thing, he started to stop. Keyword. Started.

I was supposed to be heading back to my house after being dismissed from the hospital, but then Liam said something about my parents going on a trip and they wouldn't be back until next week. He didn't trust me alone at home with the housemaids, so he was taking me back to his place. His so-called safe house, they called it. Hidden away in the middle of nowhere. The huge space which packed with bad thoughts and memories of mine. I hoped to change that this time around though. After all, it was going to be my last impression of what it is like to live under the same roof with him.

"Ready?" I shot Liam a weird, noticing how enthusiastic he suddenly became once we had arrived. We were just stepping out of the car and about to start heading inside. He didn't need to get all excited.

"Sure." I mumbled, confusingly while following him to the door.

It felt weird, smelling nature and the fresh air outside when all I had been smelling for the past several days was a bitter artificial fragrance and an antiseptic.

Liam placed his hand on the small of my back as we stepped inside. He walked me down the long empty hallway, heading towards the main living room when I jumped at the loud popping noise.

"Welcome home!"

Quickly, my eyes scanned the entire living room of Liam's house. Otherwise a very manly furnished room had transformed into a six years old birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. The whole place was filled with pink and blue balloons and there were four tables of small finger foods, cupcakes, and colorful drinks.

"Oh my god, Gi. What is this?" I hissed in her ear as Giovanna came rushing towards me and threw her arms around my small body, hugging me tight.

"Congratulations." I could feel eyes on us as we pulled away to look at each other.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"I didn't know what to do for you, so I think throwing you a surprise baby shower is the most acceptable kind of party we could celebrate together as of now." Giovanna said, eying her brother who was standing beside me bitterly, "And, he said no to taking you anywhere outside this house, so this is the best setting I could come up with. Sorry."

I looked over at Liam and he just gave a small shrug.

"Don't be sorry. You did great." I cheered.