Hollywood's Golden Runaway

(2 9)

I don't even stop by my trailer when I get back to set, eager to see Liam. I shove the wig into my purse, trying to bury it under my wallet as I stride towards his door. It's just been a hell of a day and all I want is just to see Liam, to just be with him. My meeting with Finn has just sent my emotions into a now all too familiar tailspin and I need to ground myself again. I've barely knocked on the door before Liam answers, like he was waiting at it for me.

"Hey-" I start, but I'm reeled in for a fierce hug before I can say another word. He mumbles his greeting into my hair and his hug is so tight that I almost have to tap his shoulder to release me. He releases me before I need to and steps back to let me in. I spot Alex spread out across the couch and a pile of half-eaten Chinese food sprawled out on the table in front of them.

"Wow, and you say that I live like a pig," I joke. Alex's eyes drag up from their fixation on the TV screen to see me, standing in front of Liam. He throws his head back as he groans and stretches out.

"Aw man, do I have to leave already? I'm so comfy!" Alex moans and I chuckle at his complaint. I sink next to him. He flops his legs over mine while I reach for some leftover chow mein.

"Don't worry, Al, I'm just here for the free food," I say as I take a large mouthful of noodles. Both boys regard me sceptically, "what?" I raise my chopsticks in surrender and almost spill the noodles out of my mouth. My eyes meet Liam's and he gestures towards his room. He looks disgruntled when I shake my head in reply and take another bite of the noodles.

Liam reluctantly takes a seat and time passes wordlessly then as we focus our attention on the movie in front of us. Some dumb action movie that lets me forget about everything that just happened with Grandma, and especially Finn. At least for a couple of hours. As the movie ends, you can feel the tension between Liam and I like static electricity waiting to be discharged. Alex's monster yawn jumps me out of the nerves I'm feeling about facing Liam.

"Sorry, lovebirds, but my own girl's wondering where I am," he comments as he gets back to his feet. Just before he leaves he turns back to Liam and me, "and you two need to get whatever is on both of your chests, off them. I'm surprised none of us have choked on the tension by now it's so thick." His lighthearted comment does little to relieve said tension. He sees that and quickly excuses himself with a hurried goodbye.

The second the door has shut behind Alex, Liam turns to me. The look in his eye is indecipherable and that sends my insecurities flying in a whirlwind of irrational thoughts. I am rooted to my spot on the couch and it feels like forever that we're just staring at one another. The TV continues to mindlessly drone on in the background almost making things worse. Before I can't take the agonising silence anymore, I go to apologise but he speaks before I can get the words out of my mouth.

"Are you okay?" His question stuns me into further silence and I'm suddenly reliving the day I've just had at a dizzying speed. Grandma's illness on the verge of finally taking her and the fact that I went straight to Finn's house to talk about it, without a second thought. I discard the fact that both Liam and Grandma pushed me to talk to him. I figure that my face says everything I don't and my body is too numb to cry, so I just stare at him with a thousand emotions painted on my face.

He doesn't push any more questions and comes to sit by my side, engulfing me in his arms, tenderly. I attempt to form a sentence, to at least try and explain everything, but the words just come out staggered and broken,

"Grandma's got less than two weeks and I can't do anything about it. I'm sorry, I went to see Finn, nothing happened, we just talked, but I'm sorry-" I can't say anything else after that and Liam just sighs. The room is filled by the sound of my heavy breathing as Liam strokes my hair in his signature technique to calm me down. It works again this time as well.