Dream Catcher

Chapter 10: Not so Lonely

You and Liam had refused to talk for the rest of the day. You didn't know what to say to him, and it seemed he felt the same. You felt slightly annoyed he hadn't addressed what happened at all. Liam had not looked at you when the wind started to whip the trees and did not say anything when the rain managed to fall harder. He didn't even flinch when you all heard the slight rumbling in the distance. George and Nick seemed to be oblivious to the growing space that separated you and Liam, but Clay quickly realized. However, he didn't say anything until you and the boys began parting ways into separate rooms.

"Wait. Y/n," he whispered, letting the others go into their room before continuing, "What happened on the Ferris-wheel? Did Liam do something?"

"Oh. No," you lie, looking away. He follows you to your room.

"Liar. I'll talk to Liam if you don't tell me," Clay threatens.

"I'm positive he'll give you the same answer," you say, still avoiding his eye.

"It's thundering. Come to our room," Clay suggests.

"No," you say a little too quickly. "No. I'm okay. It's barely anything."

"Fine. I'll leave then," he responds, giving up.

Frantically, you catch his arm before he leaves. "Wait," you exclaim, not thinking.

"What?"

"Never mind. Goodnight."

"I can stay. We can play cards for a little," he suggests, glancing at the deck of cards on your bedside table.

You nod, and you settle cross-legged on your bed as Clay does the same for you. For ten minutes, you and Clay quietly play cards uninterrupted until George bursts through the door.

"Ha! You owe me $10!" He exclaims, whirling to Nick.

"No way, I was convinced they were doing it," Nick pouts, disappointed.

"Clay is more classy than that," George says, pushing out his chest in triumph.

Clay starts to laugh, and his giggle-fit spreads to the rest of you. The ongoing thunderstorm is soon at the back of your mind as the two boys join in to play Go-Fish.

"Where's Liam?" You ask before you can stop yourself.

"Said he was tired. I think he's tired out from running after you everywhere," George says casually, oblivious of the tension between you and Liam.

Clay glances at you, but you ignore him, placing a smile back onto your face as you continue the game. After an hour, you and Clay are tied, and Nick and George spectate your final match.

"My moneys on Y/n!" Nick shouts.

"You lost your money the first time, are you sure you want to lose it again? Clay's winning," George argues, not seeing the viscous glare Nick sends his way.

"Do you have a four?" You shout, staring intently at Clay. Reluctantly, he hands you a card, and Nick cheers, sticking his tongue out at George.

"Do you have a seven?" You ask, biting your lip nervously.

"Go-fish."

"YES!"

"NOOOOO!" You and Nick groan in unison.

Slowly, you draw a card from the deck, praying it's a seven. Nick hovers behind you, biting his nails.

"YES! LOSER! HAHAHA!" You shout, standing up to bounce on the bed. "I GOT A SEVEN!"

Clay and George groan, falling backward on the bed.

"You cheated," George accuses, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, right! I'm just good," you reply, beaming at Clay.

"That was pure luck," he says, smirking at you.

"The last draw was. But everything before that was me. I'm so good at this game," you say.

"Rematch."

"No! We agreed that it was the final match!"

You bicker for a little, and the thunder interrupts you. You all flinch, and tears spring to your eyes.

"Wow. That's loud," you laugh nervously, refusing to meet their eyes.

"I'll sleep on Alyssa's bed," Clay says suddenly.

"What? No. That's okay," you insist, your face going warm.

"The other room is too crowded, anyways. Let me just get changed. I'll be right back, Y/n. Come on, guys," he says, not letting you say anything else. Nick wiggles his eyebrows at you, and George giggles at Clay, poking his side.

You sit in the middle of your bed, flustered. You begin to pick up the cards that somehow got thrown all over the room. You do your best to ignore the lightning that lights up the whole room.

"I thought it wasn't going to storm until tomorrow," you mutter to yourself, jumping at the clash of thunder. Despite your desperate attempts, tears begin to roll down your cheeks. You focus on the cards, quiet sobs escaping your mouth every few minutes. Finally, the door opens, and you whirl around, relief washing over you. Clay stares at your tear-stained cheeks and runny nose. You wipe your eyes as he closes the door behind him.

"Sorry. I had to be careful not to wake Liam," he says, then hugs you. HUGS you. You gasp, but allow yourself to bury your face in his chest.

"You're getting snot on my shirt."

You laugh breathlessly.

"Sorry."

"I'm tired," he says simply, letting you go to walk over to Alyssa's bed. You crawl into your own, a sense of comfort surrounding you.

He turns off the lights, and you stare quietly at the ceiling, listening to him breathe.

"Liam kissed me," you blurt.

"I thought so," he says calmly.

Turning on your side to face him, you find him already looking at you.

"Were you okay with it?" He asks, but you know he already knows the answer.

"No. It was too sudden. I don't like him like that. And even if I did, and I did kiss him back, I know I'd only be thrown to the side a week or two later," you say, pausing. Clay waits for you to continue.

"Liam's a good guy. He is. Just not when it comes to relationships, and I have never been interested in him. Well, if I'm honest, I did think about it for a little. We flirted a lot before coming down here, and I didn't mind, but I didn't want to act on anything I felt, and I knew I wasn't interested in dating him. At first, I was angry. Why would he just kiss me without even asking or anything? And then I got more pissed when he shrugged it off like it was nothing. He just joked about it."

"What're you now?" He asks, finally.

"What?"

"You said that you were angry at first. What about now?"

"I think I'm sad. He hasn't talked to me. Liam is such a good friend of mine, maybe even my best friend. I cherish his friendship more than anything, and I don't want it to end just because he kissed me. But I want him to apologize."

It's quiet between you two, nothing but the faint rumble of thunder to fill the silence.

"I'm surprised you didn't pick up his hints. It was a douche thing for him to do, I agree, but you can't have completely been blind to his crush," he said, looking at you, "I think him ignoring you is his way of hoping you forget about it. He's probably embarrassed. Liam's a good-looking guy, so I'm sure he doesn't have much trouble landing anyone he wants. This is probably new to him, and he's struggling to process it," he says, turning back onto his back.

"You're probably right. Should I talk to him?" You ask.

"I can't tell you what to do, Y/n. But it was his mistake, not yours. So if you do decide to talk to him, don't apologize for you have nothing to be sorry for. However, he does."

You stay silent for a while, taking in his advice.

"Thank you, Clay."

But he's already asleep.