UNEDITED VERSION
To break free of the stereotypical box that high school placed her in, Charlie must team up with Liam, the new soccer player on the team her dad coaches.
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Girls fall at Liam's feet - except Charlie. She...
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Harbinger (noun)
- anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign.
~*~
The room was dusky when I finally woke up, the only light being rendered by the open curtains. I was curled up with a fluffy comforter on the wide couch. Stretching over, I felt beside me for the person I fell unconscious on but I found the space empty. Confusion crept up on me and I sat up, my head spinning with the action.
My eyelids felt like they were bearing the burden of the world as they drooped, my lashes fluttering slowly with each blink. I squinted in the dark, striving to find a clock on the walls. When that didn't work, I grasped around until I located Liam's phone, nearly screeching at the blinding light that met my swollen eyes.
Liam's lock screen was a plain black wallpaper with a singular sentence in the middle written in a white font - Don't touch my phone. I rolled my eyes, wincing at the fact that it was only 2:00 am. The thought that we had school in a few hours made my brain hurt. Pushing the blanket from my legs, I stood up, trying to reacquire my balance. Dad would be concerned about me because I wasn't home yet.
A strong whiff of cookies wafted through the air and my mouth moistened, apprehending that I hadn't eaten yet. But I couldn't help but be slightly perplexed. It was two in the morning and someone was making cookies. I hadn't gotten a chance to explore the house yet so I had no idea where my feet was taking me. I just kept my nose up, sniffing to follow the mouthwatering fragrance.
I ended up at the archway of the kitchen and the display I was faced with was nearly more mouthwatering than the scent of the cookies itself. Liam stood inclining against the counter, arms crossed as he concentrated on the oven where the fragrance was originating from. His chest was stripped of any clothing, allowing me to ogle at the muscular torso he kept concealed all the time and his lower half was adorned in grey sweatpants.
An overwhelming rush of appreciation hit me suddenly, dominating the melancholy I was undergoing earlier. Liam had stayed with me as I wept myself to sleep. He could've easily disposed of me, told me to wait for his sister or threw me out. Instead, he comforted me and even volunteered to take me out to make me feel better.
Without even apprehending it, my feet directed me towards him and I halted just a few measures away. He peered up at the sound of my footsteps, eyeing me with a hooded expression. My hair must've been a mess and my eyes were puffed but I didn't mind, launching my arms around his bare torso and tucking my head under his chin. "Thank you."
His arms slowly encompassed my waist, fingertips stroking the exposed skin. "What for?"
"Everything," I murmured, shuddering as his fingers continued their exploration of my waist. There were so many things I needed to thank him for. He was the one who, without even really knowing me, helped me stand up to Jillian.
