missing piece ✓

TWENTY EIGHT

When I came back inside, Max and Stacy were gone, probably up in his room somewhere and Liam walked me up the stairs, still holding onto my waist. I leaned into his touch.

Once he opened the door, Polly ran out and sped down the steps. He placed me down on my bed and told me to wait for just a moment and walked out of the door. As soon as he came back he was holding a white towel, sitting himself behind me and putting it over my head to dry my hair. "Aren't you cold? How about we just take a shower?"

I could practically feel his shit-eating grin, "Together?"

I fell back onto him and squeezed his nose, "No."

He threw the towel at me as I stood up and walked myself to the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. As I stepped foot in the shower, I washed away all of the stupid emotions and feelings from before, feeling like a dumbass for not telling him about everything earlier, but I didn't care at the moment. There was only one thing on my mind. Liam thinks I'm strong.

The warm water compared to the shitty cold water I'd been feeling all week felt amazing, like I was changing myself, and for the better this time. I wrapped my white bath towel sitting on the sink around my waist and brushed my teeth, forgetting about Liam and that he's probably cold as shit right now. Once I stepped out, he gave me a small smile standing up before looking down and I pinched his arm. "Ouch!"

"Stop that and get in the bathroom." I pushed him in and he looked down again but I turned around, back facing him before hearing the door click shut. I had to make sure dad didn't see him tonight, otherwise we'd both be totally fucked. "Shit."

What was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell Liam to just leave, I wanted him here to comfort me. I needed him here. Maybe dad wasn't going to come back tonight.

"Hey, is everything alr-" Sarah stopped herself in my doorway as she heard the shower running. "Did you two finally make up?"

Nodding, she squealed and came over, wrapping her arms around my naked torso as we jumped up and down in my room together. "What do we do now?"

"I have no clue," I sighed, rubbing a wet hand over my face. "Can you cover me?"

She shrugged, agreeing immediately which I was grateful for. "What do you want me to say?"

I thought about it for a moment, thinking of something quickly. "I'm sick because of the rain on camp. That'll work for a night, then Liam can sneak out my windo-"

Cutting myself off as I remembered something, she looked at me in utter confusion. "Why'd you stop? Jumping out of the window is a great idea-"

"He put a lock on my window." I interrupted as her mouth fell open, crossing her arms in frustration. "Sort of goes with the locks on all doors and windows thing he said."

"I'll pick it for you." She deadpanned.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "What?"

"The lock," She pointed towards the window behind us and the silver thing I desperately would rather have on my door. "I'll pick it for you, easy peasy."

"Are you serious?" I gawked at her and she smiled cheekily, fumbling around in her skirt pocket for a bobby pin, walking over. "Sarah, why didn't you do this days ago?"

"The missing lock on your door is literally unfixable, you could've told me you had one on your window." She quipped and I groaned, laying face down on my bed and yelling into my pillow, something I've been doing a lot lately. "And done! You're welcome, cupcake."

I freezed, slowly sitting up from my position and giving her the widest eyes ever as she stifled a laugh. "I've overheard you two once or twice when he's come over."