Stay Strong

Chapter 13 Friendly Advice

Liam's POV

"Ok I'm going to go grab us a couple waters I'll be right back handsome." Melanie says this to me as I sit down in the bench she has directed me to.

I smile up at her and say, "I'll be counting the seconds until I see you again."

She scoffs and asks, "Could you be any more corny?" I nod as I respond, "of course I could.. but all that matters is that it worked right?" Her face blushes and she nods saying, "Yes it worked."

I chuckle at her response as she turns walking away. I sit there for a moment watching the people skate around together. I really did have fun trying this, I'm so happy I came with them.

I feel a hand on my shoulder as I say, "Well that did take long did it beautiful? Did you miss me that much?" I look up to see it's Sammy from our work.

"Oh sorry Sammy I thought you were Melanie. What's up?" I say to her as she looks nervous and keeps looking around suspiciously. "I just wanted to make sure to come say hi and see if you wanted to go hang out sometime just the two of us?"

Maybe because she is asking me out is why she looks nervous, but for some reason her invite doesn't even sound remotely genuine, it sounded almost forced or robotic.. but either way it doesn't matter because I'm a taken man now.

"No I'm sorry, thanks for the invite but Melanie and I are together." I say to her because maybe she didn't know which isn't too suprising at all, since it just happened. But here she still stands looking awkward still glancing around and is starting to really make everything awkward like this is forced.. She looks like she doesn't know what to do and looking over at something then nodding before saying, "She wouldn't have to know."

I shake my head in confusion because what is she not getting about my first answer. I look over in the direction she keeps gazing at, trying to see who she is looking at as I respond, "I would know and I already told you no, I'm a faithful man and there is nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. Have a good night Sammy." I say in a stern tone so she knows this conversation is over with.

"Yea, have a good night Sammy." Melanie says spitefully from behind me gaining my attention. I look back and she has a jealous look on her face which makes my heart skip a beat. She is jealous over me.. that means she really does like me.

I can't help the smirk that crosses my face as I just stare at Melanie ignoring Sammy as she stutters through her sentence saying, "ok.. ill.. um.. see you both later." I hear her walking away but I don't take my eyes off of Melanie.

She rolls her eyes at Sammy, watching her walk away. She glances down at me and realizes I'm staring at her, she does a double take, asking shyly, "What?"

"Look at you over there getting protective of your man.. Whether you decide to say it or not I know you care because of your jealousy just now." I say knowingly to her as she blushes and smirks at me. "Don't get a big head about it. So what I like you.. don't make it weird!" She says playfully, sitting down next to me then leaning over and handing me a bottled water.

I take it willingly from her as I say, "Thank you Mylady." She smiles and nods.

"You did great for your first time ice skating I don't know if you ever want to try it again but if it makes you feel any better no one I have taught has been able to skate on their own on the first lesson." She says almost sounding nervous with her reassurance.

"Well you honestly did a great job teaching and probably the perfect person to teach me because man you look like some sort of professional out there." I say smirking over at her.

"Thanks I don't train with skating anymore since my mother passed because she was my motivation and biggest cheerleader to keep it up.. so I stopped being able to go to practice and competition or even games for hockey because I had to take care of my siblings.. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change that if given the chance because I love my sister and brother and they are not burdens by any means.. I have just always loved skating and I wish I could have seen where it would have gone.. skating and serving are the only two things I'm good at.. so since I can't do one, I might as well do the other one." She states as if it's a matter of fact.

"You're amazing at more things than you think." I say smiling at her and she just stares at me for a moment looking like she wants to say something.. But when she opens her mouth, her brother Caleb skates over looking frustrated as he flops down on the bench next to us. Gaining all of our attention.

"Hey Cay.. what's going on?" Melanie asks him but he doesn't answer her. He just sternly crosses his arms over his chest and stares forward, so I follow his gaze seeing the girl he was smiling at before being talked to by this bigger than him guy. They are standing and chatting against the side of the rink.The girl is laughing and looking like she is having a fun time.

I tap Melanie's shoulder and she looks back at me with a confused look evident upon her face. So I whisper to her, "Baby switch me seats I think I know what's wrong with him and can you please give us just a second to talk, this is a guy thing." I ask as she nods and gets out on the ice and skates away. I scoot over close to him as I lean in gaining his attention.

"So don't count yourself out Caleb, this is just the beginning for you.. even if it doesn't work with her, there are plenty of other girls out there.. but I have an idea that always worked for me.. Skate over to there and stop abruptly in front of her, as if your almost caught off guard and tell her she has the most beautiful eyes you have ever seen.. then skate away." I say to him as he looks shocked and replies, "Just skate away? But I want to talk to her."

"Oh I know that.. if you say something nice like that to them then leave, it peaks their interest in you.. wanting to be around you, so then she will come to you, as long as you skate away and act nonchalant like you barely notice her across the way. Then she will come to you and start the conversation with you." I explain to him as he nods and asks, "Does that really work?"

"Not all the time but most of it.. just give it a try because you never know until you try." I reply as he smiles and gets up skating over across the rink and doing exactly as I instructed. He stops abruptly, I can't hear what he is saying but I'm sure he is saying what I told him to and I watch him perfectly execute the exit making his way back over to me very nonchalantly.

"Perfect, that exit was perfect.. now it's just time to wait, but stay right where you are and make sure you're never really out of her line of sight." I explain to him as he nods.

Melanie comes back over and has curiosity on her face. "Is everything alright over here?" she asks softly.

I look up at Caleb who doesn't know what to say so I answer for him. "Um.. we still have to wait to find that out."

"Um.. ok.. well.." Melanie starts as I interrupt her putting my hand on her leg saying louder than normal, "Caleb! You are hilarious. You always know how to make me laugh." This is my signal to him that the girl is on her way over.

He stiffens up looking nervous as the girl gets closer and softly says, "Hey Caleb, sorry to interrupt but can I talk to you?"

"Oh yeah of course but I still have my skates on.. would you like to come skate with me?" He asks shyly as she smiles and nods, getting her skates on as she follows him out onto the ice, I watch them skate away together.

I look over at Melanie and she has a look of shock so I decide to clarify for her. "I think this is his first girl crush and he wanted to know how to talk with her so I told him a trick that always got the girls attention that I wanted, and apparently it worked for him."

"Wait you taught my little brother how to pick up girls? Wait.. is that something you used on me?" She asks sounding offended.

"No baby you had me speechless, I didn't know what to say to you so I didn't treat you like the others.. and I just told him to give her a nice compliment and just walk away. He is not womanizing or anything.. with how young he is I'm sure this is just the beginning but he doesn't have anyone else to teach him these things.. so why not? He needed help that I knew a solution to so I helped him." I try to explain as best as I can.

"Thank you for helping him that is sweet of you.. But Really? Speechless? Why?" She asks staring at me intently wanting to really know why. It's one of the most attractive things when a girl doesn't know she is beautiful.

"God because your drop dead gorgeous are you kidding me? You act like you don't look at yourself in the mirror every single day.. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and the more I get to know you the more and more I like you.. I didn't know what to say to you because I knew you were different than any other girl I have ever been around." I try to explain.

"Really? I just keep waiting for you to figure out you're too good for me and leave. You make me seem like I'm the most interesting person when I know I'm not... but that's part of the reason why I like you and yes I'll admit it I like you.. you just make me feel so.. special.. whether it's a trick or not I like it." She says to me glancing back and forth between my eyes and the ground.

I put my hand to her chin lifting it up making sure she is looking at me when I say this. "This is not a trick, I'm not some ladies man. I just.. like you a lot already and I don't want to come off crazy or anything to you. But I treat you like you're special because to me you are.. I could care less what anyone else thinks because I know how I feel when I'm around you and that's all that matters to me." I say as I can hear her breathe hitch in her throat before she whispers. "How do you feel when your around me?" She asks this with an anticipation in her voice for my answer. "If I told you that then you would think I'm crazy."

"Would I now? It's nice to know you can decide for me what I should or shouldn't know assuming what I would think.. but you should never assume because it will always make and ASS out of YOU and ME.. and if you want to know one thing about me, you should know I would never judge you like that." She says standing up, getting back out onto the ice as she turns around staring at me so I say.

"I'm sorry Mel, if you come back here I'll tell you." I say trying to persuade her to come back as she looks me right into the eyes saying, "Nope you had your chance to tell me and chose not to because you had already decided for me, before even giving me the chance... maybe some other time." She says spinning and skating around the rink by herself..

"It's ok Liam, when sissy gets mad at us we just make her something nice or do something nice to show her we care and she always loves that, then forgives us." Emily says as she sits down next to me almost panting as if she has been going non stop since we got here.

"I think I lost the chance to getting her forgiveness." I say a little sadly as Emily looks confused and says.. "Why do you say that? She likes you a lot." I shrug and say. "I don't know about that." I say back as she says. "Well you're the first guy she has ever said yes to." She states as if it's just obvious.

"What do you mean?" I ask still confused about what she is trying to explain.

"She gets asked out all the time by guys, even around us but she has never said yes to any of them except you. There is something she likes about you, unless you put her under a spell.. are you a witch?" She asks as if this is normal conversation.

I laugh and respond, "No I'm not a witch and I didn't put her under a spell but now I wish I would have thought of that first.. that's a good idea.. So I'm the only guy she has said yes to?" I ask as she smiles and nods saying, "Yea your the first guy we have even got to meet.. exciting right? We are pretty cool kids." She says confidently as I smile and nod thinking about what she just said. "Yea you guys are good kids.. Maybe you're right, maybe I have a better chance then I think with Mel. Thanks Emily."

I get up saying back to her, "I'm sorry to leave you Emily, but I just need to make sure I still have a chance by the end of tonight." I step onto the ice wearily. Slipping here and there, but still staying on my own two feet.. to my own suprise.

I inch my way across the rink where Melanie is and hasn't noticed me yet just skating around like some sort of enchantress hypnotizing me. I keep inching closer, as I watch her spin in place over and over until I wrap my arms around her, stopping her abruptly.

She looks completely taken back and caught off guard as I press my lips to hers, kissing her with such a hunger, literally taking her breathe away as I seperate from her than say before I lose my nerve. "I'm pretty sure I'm falling for you. You make me feel so many things I have never felt before and I never want that to end.. but I have no idea what these feelings mean because I have never felt them before so I'm just trying to not f*#k any of this up.. whoo there I said it. " Just spilling my feelings all at once, making sure she knows everything, since I wasn't brave enough to tell her before.

"What?" She asks in almost a shock but I know she heard me. "You heard correctly beautiful.. did I assume correctly that you now think I'm crazy?" I ask still holding her tight as she shakes her head and pressing her plump lips to mine.

I taste her sweet flavor just wanting as much as I can get but I can't, not here.. She knows how I feel and still kissed me, so now I can't keep pushing.. I'll just see how everything plays out after this. We seperate and stare at each other, deep into our eyes as she whispers, "No I don't think you're crazy at all. Don't ever just assume my feelings again please. Let me decide for myself.."

I nod at her and say, "I promise I won't assume again baby... so are we ok?" She scoffs at me as she says, "What? do you think I'm just a weak little woman who runs at the first sign of a hard time? No I'm a fighter and I might get mad at you and your assumptions but I'm not going anywhere. I will always fight for what I want in my life."

I like what she has to say so I nervously ask, "Am I something you want in life?" She rolls her eyes at me as she states as if it's just a matter of fact, "Of course Liam." She touches my cheek softly as she says, "Good job getting over here to me.. you must have been really motivated to make it that far." She says playfully smirking at me.

"Yes you're the only motivation in my world that's worth going after, even if I do look like a baby calf learning to walk for the first time.. you do realize I'm using you to keep myself standing right now." I say so playfully as she giggles and retorts, "No I guess I didn't notice that part sadly enough... But hopefully next time."

I Humm in response as I say, "It's nice to know there will be a next time." She giggles once more before retorting, "Of course.. you can't get rid of me that easily."

I shake my head and respond back, "Oh my love I never want to get rid of you.. the only way I'm going anywhere is if you get rid of me."

"So are you guys better now?" Emily says skating back up to us. "We were never not ok.. no matter what he thought." Melanie says playfully grabbing my chin softly as I smirk back at her.

"Well he WAS worried so I helped him.. didn't I Liam?" Emily asks as she looks up at me so sweetly.

"Yeah thanks for the help Em I really needed it." I say to her making her smile so big and bright at me. The happiness is emanating off of her so much that I just can't help but smile at her.

She hugs my side and I give her a side hug back until I look up at Melanie who has a look of adoration on her face.

"You're so sweet." She states softly to me as I grin my iconic grin at her then I wink. "Thanks beautiful."

"Sissy? Liam? I'm hungry." Emily whines as I look at my watch and realize it's been close to 3 hours we have been here skating.

"Oh okay well we can head out and get dinner whenever you guys wants to." I say to her as she smiles big and zips away to Caleb, who is across the rink still talking with that little girl. I see Emily talking to him as he smiles and nods and she comes right back to us.

"Caleb says he is hungry too he just wants to say goodbye to his friend." Emily informs us as we smile and nod watching Caleb hug the girl as she kisses his cheek and his face gets beet red as he turns and skates over to us a little quickly.

I softly slap his shoulder as he looks up at me letting out a nervous breathe saying, "Thanks a lot Liam."

"No problem little man. If you need anyone to talk to about guy stuff. I'm here." I say a little softly to him as he smiles and nods. The kids skate over to the edge as I turn and look at Melanie. She looks stunned as she bites her bottom lip staring at me, with a look of I think lust.

"Mel.." is as far as I get before she crashes her lips to mine with a hunger laced in every second of that kiss. She literally takes my breathe away as she breaks the kiss and says, "That was one of the sexiest things I have ever seen.. You're going to be an amazing dad someday." She says as she skates away to the edge leaving me stunned with shock apparent all over my face. I look over and she skates back to me saying. "Come on handsome don't tell me I stunned you in place." She says playfully. I reach out but just keep nodding as she grabs my hand and pulling me behind her as she giggles the whole way. That was a fun first time ice skating now I guess it time to go to dinner.