EIGHT LETTERS || Liam Dunbar [2]

ZERO

France was beautiful in the summer.

The sun shone brightly and warmed Katherine's pale sweaty skin as she threw a punch at Isaac for the umpteenth time that morning. He grunted as it connected with his abdomen, but swung his leg out in an attempt to knock her off her feet.

Instead of falling, however, Katherine jumped over them and dove forwards, sitting on his stomach with her knees pinning his arms to the ground. Her hands immediately wrapped around his throat and she squeezed. She grunted quietly as he began to struggle, but soon enough was tapping the ground to let her know that she won.

"You've gotten better," he gasped, his hands resting on his throat and chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"You think so?" Katherine smiled, pushing baby hairs from her forehead as she sat back on her legs.

Isaac shot her a look as he sat up, winching slightly when he rolled his shoulders. "Definitely," he muttered. "I think that's enough for this morning."

"Can we go out and eat?" Katherine asked sweetly, knowing he couldn't say no to her. The only one that could say no to her was Stiles, and he was in Beacon Hills.

After grumbling incoherently, Isaac ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," he sighed. "But we should probably change first."

Katherine glanced down at her shorts and baggy tee-shirt and scoffed. "You can go ahead and change," she hummed. "I'm comfortable; this is staying."

•••

Katherine walked through the streets with Isaac, the two bickering quietly amongst themselves.

"Shut up, Isaac," Katherine groaned, running a hand through her hair.

To the others walking around, they appeared strange. Too far apart in age to be lovers or friends, and too different in appearance to be siblings. But they bickered like family.

"I'm just saying," Isaac shrugged. "He won't know you like him unless you tell him. Guys are clueless like that."

"I know guys are clueless," Katherine muttered, eyeing him skeptically. "I grew up around you, Scott and Stiles."

They rounded the corner to the cafe they'd been searching for, and Isaac pulled the door open. He held it and stepped out of the way so she could go inside.

"Normally I'd take offense to that," Isaac scoffed. "But since you're in the midst of a teenage crisis, I'll let it slide."

Katherine rolled her eyes at him and slid into the nearest booth, she set her head in her hands. "I just feel so stupid," she groaned.

"I still don't see why you're talking to me about all this," Isaac hummed. "I thought you would go to Lydia for this type of thing. Now come on, I'm hungry."

"Lydia already knows Liam, I need a fresh opinion," Katherine mumbled. "Someone who isn't biased. And I'm not getting up, but I'll have a hot chocolate and the biggest cinnamon bun they have thanks," she smiled sweetly at him.

Isaac noticeably rolled his eyes and scoffed quietly — though she could see him fighting a smile — as he walked away. She jumped slightly when she felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her shorts. She pulled it out, then smiled.

Liam: please tell Mason that I'm right and he's wrong.

She bit her lip as she typed her response.

Kat: about what?

Liam: the what is not important. Just tell him.

Kat: you seem to forget I've got two older brothers, Liam. Every time they tried to get me to blindly agree to something, it never ended well.

It took him a couple minutes to respond.

Liam: fair enough. It's an just a stupid argument.

Liam: the old Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is better than the newer one with Johnny Depp, isn't it?

Katherine made a face as she thought about answer, silently wondering why out of all the problems they had going on in their lives, that was the one presenting itself at that time, then let out a quiet giggle.

Kat: I'm completely comfortable with saying that the old one is much better

Liam: thank you for settling the argument

Liam: can I still call you later tonight?

Kat: definitely.

She smiled and tucked her phone back into her pocket as Isaac set her drink down in front of her.

"I'm assuming that was him?" He smirked, sliding into the empty space across from her.

"How could you tell?"

"Because you're smiling like an idiot," Isaac snorted. "And you're blushing, too."

Katherine immediately slapped a hand over her cheeks. When she realized they weren't warm, she narrowed her eyes at Isaac, who simply drank his tea. "You can shut the hell up right now," she grumbled quietly, taking an unnecessarily harsh bite out of her now unrolled cinnamon bun.

"I'm just saying," Isaac shrugged. "If people finding out is such a big deal, you should try to hide it better."

"Is that what you think I should do?" Katherine asked skeptically, pausing mid chew to ask her question.

"No," Isaac shrugged. He took a sip of his own drink before stealing a small piece of her cinnamon bun. "I think you should tell him, but it's not up to me."

"You're damn right it's not," Katherine grumbled, watching as her spoon left swirls in the half-melted whipped cream of her hot chocolate. Then she let out a small sigh. "I came all the way to France to get your help, Isaac," she groaned, bringing her hands up to rub her forehead. "Please just — just help me with this one thing."

Isaac let out a small sigh and set his elbows on the table. "Do you want to date him?" He asked finally, arching a brow.

"I don't know," Katherine frowned, eating a large piece of her cinnamon bun. "I've never felt this way about anyone at all. I would date him, but only if he wants to date me, too. Because I'm not going to date him if he's dating me because he feels bad because I want to date him but he doesn't want to date me. Ya' get me?"

"Not at all," Isaac shook his head immediately. "I understood the first part, but the rest is just teenage bullshit."

"Isn't everything teenage bullshit?"

Katherine felt her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out, and she grinned.

Mason: we are no longer friends.

A/N:
And so it begins.
H.