I glanced at him, my body trembling slightly.
"I want to quit watching over you. Like I said... I have a lot of things to do these days, and I need to focus on my studies."
He leaned so close that I could feel his strawberry-scented breath brushing against my hair.
"What do you have with Xander?" he asked sharply, as though he expected an answer before he had even finished the question.
"I don't have anything with Xander."
He hit the wall with his fist and leaned even closer. I felt like I was suffocating.
"Why are you lying? Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not avoiding you."
I slipped past him and tried to walk away, but someone suddenly shoved me with an unexpected force, sending me crashing into Liam.
My hands landed on his shoulders.
Before I could even regain my balance, our lips met.
I froze.
It felt as though time itself had stopped. My mind went completely blank, and I couldn't move an inch.
Heat rushed through my entire body.
I quickly pulled away, breathing hard.
What just happened?
We... kissed?
No!
I had ruined everything.
How would I face him in class after this? What if Harry's spy had seen us? Or worse... what if Phoebe had taken pictures again?
No... no... no...
I needed to get out of there.
Without daring to look at him, I turned and ran.
What was really happening?
**********
Still dumbfounded, I walked back home.
Why did my first kiss have to be stolen by him? If I told Milo and Lily, they'd probably think they finally had proof that we were compatible.
How would I face him at school? What would he be thinking now? That I had actually fallen for him?
No way!
"Jellybean, you're back?" Harry walked out of the garden just as I was about to enter the house. "You look worried. Hope you didn't have another encounter with that long face?"
Speechless, I walked inside and headed straight to my room.
I collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, exhausted.
The scene between Liam and me kept replaying in my mind. Even if I were to lose my memory, I would never forget the unfortunate day my first kiss was stolen by my childhood bully.
The door creaked open.
Harry walked in.
I turned to face the wall and pulled a pillow over my head. I just didn't want to see anyone. I couldn't even understand how I felt.
Disappointed.
Frustrated.
Embarrassed.
Doomed.
Tired.
"Chloe, drumhead..." Here he goes again. "I'm surprised you're this calm. Well, whenever you're ready, you can go serve yourself some macaroni sauce. Indiana and Tom made it before they left for campus."
He added, "Good night."
The door slammed shut.
Then it creaked open again.
"Hope you've also stopped being his watchdog," he said. "If his parents really wanted him to be protected, they should've gotten him a dog. You're not one!"
The door slammed shut once more.
**********
I went to Liam's house that evening.
The birds chirped cheerfully in the acacia trees, and the wind drifted gently all around.
I just prayed his parents were home because they were the main reason I was going there.
Not because of Liam.
I knocked on the door twice before it slowly creaked open.
Aiden popped out. He smiled when he saw me.
"Hi." He waved.
I forced a smile and waved back. "Hello."
"Are you here to see Liam?"
I glanced at him. "Are his parents around?"
"Yes." He nodded sheepishly.
He stepped aside. "Come in."
Slowly, I walked inside.
Liam's parents were both there, seated together and looking as though they had been expecting me.
They smiled at me, unaware of the embarrassment and shame weighing heavily on my chest.
I bowed politely before them and remained standing.
"Chloe, you're here today. I'm glad you came," his mother began.
His father added, "You came to see Liam?"
I bit my lip, trying to think of the right way to begin the conversation.
Err...
"You can have a seat." Liam's mother looked up at me with a warm smile. "Liam will be here in no time."
I just prayed he wouldn't come at all.
"I didn't come to see him today."
"No?"
"Why, Chloe?"
My eyes slowly became moist.
"Recently, I've had a lot of things to take care of, so... I think I'm going to quit being his watchdog."
His father spoke gently.
"But you're the only person our son feels comfortable with. He doesn't have any other friends, and he's still dealing with some medical issues. He needs someone around him."
Shii.
Harry would kill me—or worse, report to Dad that I had a boyfriend—if I didn't find a way to stay away from Liam.
I looked at Liam's father.
"Sir..."
"I'm fine, Father. I don't need anyone accompanying me anymore."
My heart skipped.
That familiar lemonade scent drifted past me.
He didn't even wait for me to steal one last glance at him.
But what was the point?
My heart kept pounding as I tried to forget the fact that his lips had touched mine today.
From behind me, Liam added,
"She can quit watching over me. I'm not a kid either."
A dull ache settled on my chest, for the first time.
It was all Harry's fault.
None of this would have happened otherwise.
Now Liam would think I hated him...
"Chloe..." his father said softly, "You've heard our son, and you can see that he's agreed to let you quit the job."
Smacking my lips, I nodded.
"Okay, sir."
Quietly, I turned and left without looking back at Liam even once.