Tackling Her Obsession with the Tight End

Chapter 6: Setup

Sarah

Ten minutes to go.....one one thousand, two one thousand... "Miss, can I get you anything while you wait?" The friendly young waiter asks with a smile, interrupting my nervous counting.

"No, thank you." I tell him before I glance toward the cafe doors. I chose a table on the back of the enclosed patio and texted Liam where I'd be. I wore one of my new Maggie approved outfits. I figure this is a fresh start so I should go all in on that theme. It was out of my normal comfort zone but not embarrassingly so. Just different for me. A pair of wide-legged capris in black with an emerald green silk button-up sleeveless shirt that had this slightly ruffled edge to the neckline. It was more fitted along my torso, waist and hips than what I usually wear. Mags had gushed over it when I tried it on, convincing me to add it to the small pile she picked out. I did love the colors together. Liam's head ducks in the doorway under the green ballcap and I see two women walk in behind him. Their eyes are roving all over him from head to toe and I spot the smile. He walks in completely unsuspecting he's about to be hit on. The taller of them "trips", bumping into him before she flashes that apologetic and coy, dazzled smile. He nods at her but she puts her hand on his arm again. I glance at their outfits as he says something to her. Both dressed in the height of current fashion of a crop top with wide-legged jeans, extra bracelets and necklaces. Hair and makeup perfectly done. They look like the stereotype of the pro athlete's wife they like to project and create in the media. I reflect on Nutville. Our mothers were all pro athlete wives and they were beautiful in their own ways. Like Aunt Delaney could have been a model. She was gorgeous, but what I remember most is her bubbliness. Her hugs that would envelop you and your spirits would instantly lift. Or Aunt Claire who was also a stunner. To this day, she could grace a magazine. Her love language was acts of service. Having a bad day, Aunt Claire was there to drop off cookies she swiped off Aunt Sof's counter. She always knew what you needed and silently made it appear. Mom called her the Phantom of the Nuts growing up.

Loud forced laughter shakes me out of my Nutville blessings reflection to go back to my perusal of Liam's..... predicament. The second girl has unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off before smoothing her hair down and pressing her lipstick into her lips firmly. While I had changed into something more fashionable than my usual jeans and a shirt or maybe a shirt dress, I wore nothing but mascara. Which might also have been a mistake, because I might need to shed a few tears today depending on how hard my stupidity haunts me.

I watch the scene in front of me thinking of Violet's words from the last time we all spent a day out as a group without our parents. Sean, Liam, Noah, Chad, Eli, Alex, Quinn, Caylee, me, Maggie and Beth had gone to a local carnival. The guys of course had drawn lots of female admirers. Violet always waded right through it easily. She knew Sean had eyes only for her since they were fifteen. "Foolish is as foolish looks" had been what she loudly declared to all. It had taken me a while to figure it out but Caylee mentioned the eyelashes batting, the twiddling with their hair, the hip swaying all to catch their attention when that's not at all what they want. It doesn't make it easier to watch, because some of their teammates certainly fall for it. Nutville was raised differently though they are not immune. My brother fell prey once or twice to a pretty face hoping for a kept rich wife status. Luckily, he has some brains and figured it out sooner rather than later.

Before I can dip down into the usual pit of my insecurities, Liam's eyes catch mine and he tilts his chin up at me, before marching off as the first girl continues to talk.

"Hey. Sorry, a wall of words got in the way back there." He says lightly.

"They looked like they were very... hopeful words sticking together. They used eyelashes they shed as the cement for the wall." I say wryly and he chuckles, which makes me smile. I haven't heard him laugh about something I've said since that disastrous night.

“Yeah well, Twiddlehair and excuse my french in front of a lady, Tweedlehoe can go buy a clue. And before you protest against the second one, she offered to give me the best five minutes of my life on her knees in the bathroom.” He scowls in their general direction.

I can’t help the derisive face I make. My brother has been propositioned quite a few times. And while I’m sure he glosses over details since I’m his sister; I think I’ll always be shocked by some of the bolder ones.

"Your french never gets old. Nor the nicknames. You inherited your way with words honestly from your mama." I say with absolute sincerity. Aunt Sof is the master of nicknames but Liam....well Liam is well on his way to competing with her. Although my vote would be to create a new category, the unfiltered version, for him to be the champion. Because not all of hers are PC, but Liam's can be downright brutally filthy. Not that the recipients are undeserved usually.

He smiles fondly at the mention of his mama before he changes the subject. "How was your trip? And the wedding?"

We pause to place our order. I ordered something light feeling too nervous for a full meal.

"It was fine." It wasn't, but he doesn't need to know that. "The beach was very pretty. But nothing I hadn’t seen before. Are you ready for the season to start?”

"I am. We got Noah back, which is awesome." I hear the joy in his voice. "We miss Chad though. Would be so great if he came to play with us one day again, but then he might not want to leave Leo."

"Maybe. He'd love to play with his four best friends on the same team again." We talk about other things like news on another of Liam's colorful nicknames which was Shebitch Sharissa's mother after her wedding stunt, Alex and Quinn at college, anything but the reason why we are sitting together. I am putting it off because with our track record for timing, the waiter will walk up and interrupt us.

Our food arrives and I see him take a long look at my plate. "You didn't order much."

"Not very hungry. Plus I had a late breakfast." And my nerves are off the charts.

"You sure that's it?" He asks perceptively.

"It's part of it. Also ready to get this off my chest. Look, Liam I'm sorry how everything happened. You have no idea how bad I've felt. I hurt our friendship and you which was unacceptable. I wasn't honest with you and I should have been. That was the bare minimum you deserved. My relationship with Paul was always complicated. More than I've ever told anyone. I had no idea he'd show up that night and we were truly not together." I hope he believes me. I pause and see him nod slightly.

"I believe you, Sarah. Are you worried I'm going to think you're lying?"

"More worried you don't trust my word any longer. Liam this is not going to be easy today. You are not going to like what I'm about to tell you." His face changes from intrigued to concerned.

As I open my mouth, the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Danger, I think....and then it makes itself known. My hand is already trembling before I hear that voice. The one I wish I'd never let into my ears.

“Sarah! So sorry I’m about thirty minutes early for our date.” My heart plummets all the way out of my body as I turn my head to find Paul standing there smiling at me. “Hello again. Leo right?”

I manage to not scream or cry though it truly takes a Herculean effort. Liam’s eyes narrow on him before he glances back at me.

“Sarah…” he says slowly. It’s like watching as you pour baking soda slowly into your childhood science experiment with the volcano. Liam’s fury creeping into his eyes as he stares at me. Fury that this time is directed wholly AT me and no one else. “You have a date with him right after we talk…”

I say nothing as Paul moves closer. I want to throw myself at Liam’s feet and cry. Let him hold me like when we were kids and he’d say it’s going to be alright. That he’d take care of the mean kids.

“Sorry I know I’m interrupting but just missed you so much after we spent the whole week in California. Got used to not sharing her.” Paul pulls out a chair.

Liam stares down at his plate for a full minute. I scream in my head. “Good thing you don’t have to then. I’m done anyway. Shouldn’t have bothered in the first place.” He stands and throws down some money. “Goodbye Miss Larson. I doubt I’ll see you again until my sister’s wedding. At least I can hope.” His tone is flat and his eyes are dead as they meet mine briefly. With that he turns and strides out, not once glancing back. Everything in me shatters knowing he meant every word. When the door shuts behind him, obscuring him from my sight, it’s symbolic of him shutting me out for good. I hurt him twice and there would be no third chance. Paul’s annoying little finger tap on the tabletop; the reminder to keep my wits and show no emotion as I lift my head.

He stares at me coldly before he makes a mocking sympathetic sound.

“You have been a very bad little muffin. Did you forget your place?” I am numb and his menacing words can’t even scare me right now. I say nothing, knowing it won't matter what I'd utter. He tilts his head, smiling in his usual fashion. It's like someone who's enjoying a dog being beaten. And it makes me want to stab him.

“It seems you did. Don’t forget again. You belong to me, Sarah.”

Liam

I open my truck door very carefully and climb in before closing it just as carefully. Otherwise, I might slam it hard enough to break glass. I wanted to punch that asshole in the face. To let him feel all the anger and hurt I did realizing she’d repeated the same thing. She asked to talk and then to find out she’s back together with him. She scheduled a date with him only an hour after our time to talk. Guess she didn’t plan on saying much. What a f*****g joke I am to her. Here I felt bad for how she’s isolated herself and how I lost a friend. Apparently, I didn’t mean that much to her no matter what her demeanor had shown.

I drive home determined to head for the gym and then go for a very long run. Blank my mind and pack up any mental boxes in there that contain anything to do with Sarah Larson. Throw them into a mental bonfire and let them burn to hell.

As I park, my phone goes off. “Not talking to you Sarah.” I mutter.

It isn’t her though. It’s another guy on the team, Ian. His girlfriend has a cousin she thought I should meet. I’m about to say no when I shake my head. What am I waiting for…

“Send me her name and number. My schedule is really open.”

He does and I stare down at the name Piper. Without second guessing it, I press the number.

“Hi. This is Liam Jameson. Is this Piper?”

Time to move on with my life.