You're so Weird - 2. Chapter 2

Breakfast next morning is so awkward. I eat my cereal trying to ignore the half-naked twins chasing each other around the house and Maggie trying to get them to put on some clothes. Her husband, coffee in one hand and phone in the other, waits for his taxi to take him to the airport. He's off on a business trip and won't be around for a few days. He looks like the type of father who's not really present even when he is around. Not that I'm judging. At least he didn't leave his wife two days after seeing the pregnancy test result. That said, I'm not used to an adult man - or other boys - in the house, so maybe it will feel at least a little less overwhelming.

Liam, sitting next to me, seems miles away. In less than twenty four hours we've seen each other naked. Right now, though, it feels more awkward than anything else, and Liam doesn't seem keen on talking about it. Neither am I. I'm a bit surprised when he sits on the back seat next to me as Maggie drives us to school. I wish he would say something but he's still silent.

After a few turns, Liam's phone buzzes, and he pulls it out of his pocket. I sneak a glance and see a picture of a very pretty girl, labeled "Olivia," on the screen. He stares at it for a few seconds before muting the phone and putting it back. So, he's ghosting his girlfriend. Nice. Or maybe he doesn't want to talk to her with me here in the car. A twinge of jealousy courses through me.

"You boys alright there? You're not fighting, are you?" Maggie checks in through the rearview mirror. We just give a noncommittal shrug and mumble something vague. She doesn't push it. Looks like her plate is already full without having to deal with our issues.

This time, Liam doesn't ditch me immediately after we arrive.

"So..." he begins, a bit awkwardly. "You're not much into sports, huh?"

I give him a weird look. "Uh, no, not really. Why?"

He starts speaking really fast. "It's just that me and the guys, we mostly talk about sports, cars, that sort of thing. You'd probably get bored."

It takes a moment for me to catch up with his logic. I realize I'm always on high alert when I talk to him, ready to fight, flee or freeze. "Yeah, I guess I would be," I admit.

"Cool, see you around then?" he says, offering a smile and lifting his fist.

I return the fist bump, this time with a genuine, if a bit sheepish smile. "Yeah, see you."

And then he ditches me. I think this counts as an improvement. I can't stop imagining him naked as he walks away. Most people look so weird without clothes, but Liam... he's not a demi-god or anything, but he just seems... right. Ugh, you get my drift, right? I'm just really horny for him.

The day passes quickly. I try calling Mom during recess, but she doesn't pick up. I stress out until she texts back, promising to call tomorrow.

Back at home, I do some online research on fixing broken plastic. I'm not good with these things. I'm relieved to find that using super glue could solve my problem. I go downstairs to ask Maggie.

"Hi Maggie, do you have any super glue?"

She looks up from the TV, a puzzled expression crossing her face. "Super glue? What do you need it for?"

Crap, I hadn't thought this through. "Oh, just need it for a school project."

"Hmm, okay," she says and luckily doesn't dig deeper. "But I don't think we have any."

Just then, we hear footsteps and Liam comes down the stairs in his nice clothes.

"Liam, will you take Mike to the mall?" Maggie asks and I roll my eyes. I know where it's going.

"Mom, I've got plans with the guys. Can't it wait?" Liam protests.

"I think I can go by myself," I offer meekly.

"Not on my watch," Maggie raises her voice. "You're a terrible host, Liam. I asked you to try and include Mike some more. Take him to the mall, then you can both go and meet your friends."

"Sure, it's always my fault," Liam mutters, reluctantly starting to put on his shoes. "Fine, let's go."

Maggie gets up and hands Liam a few bills from her purse. "And pick up some eggplants while you're there. I'm planning eggplant lasagna for dinner. They should be roughly the same size, around 7 or 8 inches. You know what that looks like, right? Maybe take a ruler if you're not sure."

I go red on my face and Liam throws me the most hateful look yet. I'm trying to send him a telepathic message - I didn't ask for it. I hate it more than you do. I've never done groceries on my own in my life. The closest I've gotten to eggplants is the emoji on my phone.

Liam shoves his hands into his jacket pockets and starts walking fast, me trailing just two steps behind. He's not that taller than me, but I still feel like I walk comically fast. He's all pouting and silent. For whatever reason, he seems to enjoy guilt tripping me every chance he gets.

"Hey, I think I know the way," I tell him, a bit out of breath. "You go see your friends, I won't tell."

He just makes a "humph" sound and starts walking even faster. Just as I thought. He secretly enjoys being a victim. Just when I thought we may actually start getting along. The urge to punch him grows stronger. We reach the Target next to the mall in what feels like record time.

"Sorry for screwing up your plans," I mutter, trying to catch my breath as we enter the brightly lit store. Liam glances at me, and for a moment, the annoyance in his eyes softens. "It's not your fault," he says, almost begrudgingly. "Let's just get this over with."

The store is pretty crowded at this hour. People shopping on their way home from their jobs, stocking up for the week. Liam makes his way between other shoppers and I follow closely. Veggies are just next to the entrance and it doesn't take us long to spot the eggplants, looking purple and vibrant and... well.

"How many did she say we needed?" Liam asks without looking at me.

"I don't think she specified," I answer, holding up two eggplants for inspection. "Think this is about 8 inches?"

Liam picks up a smaller one, and smirks. "This one looks like yours.".

"Oh yeah?" I reply, trying not to blush. I grab two kiwis from a box next to me and juggle them in my hands. "These totally look like yours. Even the color matches."

"Ha-ha," he says, stepping closer to snatch the kiwis from me. "Better be careful, they're sensitive."

We grab about 10 eggplants that don't look too large or too small, and head to the checkout. I could swear the cashier gives us an odd look.

"So, why are we here anyway?" Liam asks.

"I just need a few things from the mall. This and that," I say, scratching the back of my head.

"Okay. Do your thing and let's meet next to Burger King when you're done."

I'm grateful he doesn't insist on going everywhere with me. I really don't want him to start asking questions when he sees me buying super glue.

I make a beeline for a hardware store to grab the glue, then walk into H&M. A couple of boxer briefs and another black tee join my collection Not that I need them that much, and I'm a bit short on money, but I need a decoy for Liam. I tuck the glue tube in my back pocket and go looking for Burger King.

I'm not in a rush. There's so many good looking boys that I wouldn't mind getting lost in here for a full day, maybe catch someone's attention if I'm lucky. My dick is constantly chubbed up in my pants, as if to constantly remind me that it demands attention and is ready for action on a short notice. For the first time I realize that, despite the circumstances, I'm happy to have left our hometown. Here's to a fresh start, and maybe, just maybe, not messing it up this time.

I spot Liam exactly where we agreed to meet, but he's not alone. He's chatting with a girl looking very much like the picture on his phone in the morning. Damn, she's cute, even I can tell. I slow down, trying to decide what to do. They're close, laughing and looking like they're having the best time. It sucks to admit, but they look good together. I feel a sting of jealousy. I promised myself not to let another straight jerk break my heart ever again, and just look at me now.

He notices me before I can hide in the crowd. Something changes in his face when he sees me, but it's too late to avoid them now. I walk over, feeling awkward. Maybe I'll just say I forgot to buy something and let them be alone.

The girl gives me a curious look as I come up, and Liam seems uneasy doing the introductions. "Olivia, this is Mike. Mike, Olivia."

So this is her. It's the girlfriend. She exists after all, against my hopes. Anyway, her smile fades and she does this really strange thing. She squints at me, then at Liam, and back at me. "Wait. Not Mike Mike, right?"

I give her a nervous smile. Am I famous or something? Does everyone in the country know that I tried to kiss a straight boy at my previous school? I don't remember it making headlines, but I do stay away from the news when I can. I could've gone over my head.

"Yeah, the new roommate Mike," Liam says with an eye roll.

"Oh my Goood, it's so good to finally meet you!" Olivia bursts out, pulling me into a hug that squeezes the breath out of me. It's the most welcoming hug I've gotten since Maggie picked me up at the airport. Out of the corner of my teary eyes I see Liam looking around nervously. Just perfect. As if he needed more reasons to hate me, now he's going to think I want to steal his girlfriend. Nothing further from the truth. If anything I want her out of the picture, just for being the competition to sucking his dick, and having an unfair advantage of being a girl!

"Liam told me so much about you!" she chirps and looks genuinely happy to see me. "So, what's it like living with him? He's such a grumpy ogre, right?"

I chuckle nervously seeing Liam bite his lower lip. "Hehe, I guess. He is fine, though." I start sweating. Why do I feel like every word could be my last?

"He's mad fine," she says, patting Liam on the back. "He's just good at hiding it, right?"

"Liv..." Liam says. He rolls his eyes so hard it makes me laugh.

"Got anything nice?" She's already digging through my shopping bag before I can even answer.

"Just some stuff," I say, blushing.

"Oh, good taste!" she proclaims raising my new Rick & Morty boxers to her eyes. "Right Liam? He's gonna look so neat."

"Jesus, Liv!" Liam shakes his head but I can see he's trying not to laugh.

"Alright, alright," she says and returns it to my bag. "I've been dying to meet you! Liam's been all secretive. I'm so happy I ran into you. So? Why don't we all hang out?"

"Another time," Liam says gesturing at the bag. "We've got groceries to deliver."

"Your mom making you run errands again?" she smirks.

"Give me a break. She's extra mental these days," Liam says and clears his throat when he remembers I'm listening. "We should get going. I'll text you."

"Sure. How about tomorrow? We could hit the arcade. What do you think, Mike?"

I glance at Liam, who's suddenly found something fascinating in the opposite direction. "Uh, yeah, sure," I say.

"Then it's a date!" she says and hugs me first, then Liam. "Say hey to Maggie from me. And to the rest of the fam too."

She walks away and leaves us in a very awkward silence. Why is it so awkward? What exactly happened? I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I'm just feeling second-hand shame for Liam. He's acting really weird for some reason.

He's lost in thoughts as we go back, but just before we arrive, he stops.

"Say it," he says, looking at me. "I know you want to."

I'm bamboozled. What the hell is going on? "Uhh... what do you want me to say?"

"Oh, come on, just say it."

"But... but what?" I ask.

"Dude, come on, you know what I mean."

"No, I don't. My head is literally empty, dude. I don't know what's going on."

"Dude, I wasn't born yester..."

"I'm an idiot, okay?" I blurt out. "If you knew what I think about for most of the day, you'd lose the little respect you have for me."

I pant like a dog. This confession took a toll on me. But I think he sees in my eyes that I'm being honest. He looks away and bites his lip again. He does it a lot when he doesn't know what to do.

"Okay, never mind," he says and starts walking again. "Let's get this bag of dicks to my mom. I need to lay down."

"Aren't you meeting your friends?"

"Nah, I'm not in a mood anymore."

Fantastic. Being in a room with him is unbearable again. He thinks I can read his mind, but I can't! I can barely understand my own thoughts. A couple hours later, I finally come up with something to say.

"Hey," I say and he looks up at me from his phone. "Olivia is really nice and all. If she wants to be friends, I'm down. Nothing else, of course. But if you want me to stay out of it, then I will."

A small smile spreads across his face. "You weren't joking. You really are an idiot."

He barely dodges a pillow that I throw at him. Before I know, he tackles me onto my bed and we wrestle very briefly before he inevitably pins me down. I struggle to get free, and my dick struggles to get free from its cotton prison. All I achieve is that he pushes his crotch against mine. I gasp and freeze. If I can feel him so well through our shorts, so can he. He looks down at me with satisfaction.

"You're an idiot, but in a good way," he says. He holds me for a few more seconds, then lets me go and looks all sad again. I breathe hard and put a pillow over my crotch. Does he even realize what he just did to me? But damn. He's messed up, maybe even more than I am.

Just in time to save me, Maggie calls us for dinner. I wait a little for my boner to go down and follow Liam downstairs. Her eggplant lasagna is beyond delicious. Somehow it gets everyone in good moods and Liam opens up a bit. Even the twins are behaving, busy asking for seconds.

Later, I'm in my bed and listen to the sounds of the shower running behind the wall. My skin is electrified and tingly. My nipples are hard. I look at my forearm, and the soft hair there reminds me of hairy caterpillars. The butterflies in my stomach frantically look for a way out. My whole body is brimming with anticipation. I'm in lust.

I push the cover down, uncovering my naked, skinny chest. I can't decide how much of me I want him to see when he comes out. I push it down to my thighs, my new Rick & Morty boxers bulging invitingly. That's too much. And silly. I want it sort of erotic, but not slutty. I pull them up just enough to make sure my belly button is still visible. This looks casual enough. Should I be on my phone? I want to appear uninterested, but not inaccessible. I decide to play some music and leave the phone next to me, looking like I'm lost in thoughts. I'm overthinking, I know. I just can't help it.

When the water stops running, my heart skips a beat, then it doubles. Blood whooshes in my ears. I struggle to keep my breath steady. My palms are wet.

I wait, listening to him brushing his teeth, and I can't take it anymore. Finally, the door opens, and he comes out, a towel wrapped around his waist. He gives me a quick look but doesn't linger more than a second or two. It's not a tragedy, yet, I tell myself. I watch him come to his bed, facing away from me. Then, he slowly, carelessly, lets his towel drop to the floor. I almost groan. He's already wearing a fresh change of underwear. Then, without wasting any time, he gets in his bed and turns off his bedside lamp. So, that's what angst feels like. All build-up, no payoff.

"Goodnight," he says, and his voice soothes me a little.

"Goodnight," I say back and roll onto my side. Time to sleep. Nothing else will happen today.