You're so Weird - 7. Chapter 7

After all, I’m ready to ultimately agree with Einstein’s general relativity. With Liam on top of me and our lips glued for… that’s the point, I don’t know how long, I feel like in a time bubble. Like if the time has frozen, and as long as we kiss, it won’t move by a single second. Or maybe it’s the world that has frozen and we’re moving at the speed of light, and when we stop, it will be the year 2350, or something. I don’t know how it works, alright?

Liam is an amazing kisser, too. Especially if he hasn’t done this before. Has he? I need to ask. But do I want to know? Was it with a girl? With a boy? I don’t know what’s worse. Or maybe he’s just a natural. I hope I’m not that bad, too. We started with small kisses, little slurps and bites, just to see what feels good and feel each other out. Liam’s clearly in control, but not aggressive, just leading the way, and I do my best to respond, and sometimes surprise him. I run my tongue along his upper teeth and it feels exciting, but in general, we limit the tongue play to the minimum, so there’s something left for next time. At least that’s how I explain it to myself.

And as great as kissing feels, it’s nothing compared to being there, just us, wanting each other. I’d never dream that anyone would want to kiss me that way, and here he is, one of the hottest boys I’ve ever met, one that, just an hour ago, I’d never accuse, or rather suspect, of being… gay? Is he even gay? No straight male can kiss another boy like that, it’s impossible. Fooling around is one thing, but this... I’d ask him, but it’s not the right time.

We’re both dressed, just as we were, in our shorts and t-shirts. It doesn’t take a detective to realize our bodies are ready to jump to the next base, but I don’t even want to. I wouldn’t know what to do, and I don’t want to ruin it.

Eventually, we take a small break, our faces a little reddened and looking at each other with silly smiles. Another scientific fact about kissing - it decreases IQ significantly. Trust me, I don’t have to do a math test to know.

“Took you long enough to do it,” he says, grazing my cheek with his fingers.

“To do what?” I ask, feeling like coming out of anesthesia.

“To kiss me.”

“Uh, you could do it yourself, Mister,” I counter.

“Nuh huh. The deal was different. I was supposed to drop hints. You, to decide when to do it. And if.”

“I don’t remember signing anything,” I say, stretching out. “Also, what hints?”

“You’re really dumb. Or blind.”

“Hey, I’m not blind.”

Then we kiss some more. Much more. Liam’s grinding his crotch against mine and I’m about to melt and become one with the bed. Is it another hint I’m supposed to take advantage of? I’m the worst person in the world to interpret hints! I need it painted plain and straight. I need…

A car pulling up on the driveway. No, that’s not what I need. So the time hasn’t frozen after all. It was just a stupid illusion, Mr. Einstein. Not so smart after all, huh?

“We should…”

“Yeah, we better…”

We get up and steal a few quick kisses, before fixing our clothes and adjusting boners.

“Fuck,” Liam says looking at his phone. “Forgot about the game. I need an excuse.”

“Say you’re babysitting all day,” I suggest as we go downstairs.

“Not fully untrue. I like it. You’re not that dumb after all.”

“It rubbed off on me from hanging with you.”

“Oh yeah? And what do I get from you?”

“Snoring.”

That’s when the main door opens and the twins rush in carrying huge water guns.

“Mike, look! It can turn from a jet stream to a mist!” one of them showed me.

“And here you can put ice cubes to make the water super cold!” the other one joins him, grinning at me with excitement.

“Wow,” I say, thinking this thing should be banned. It could get someone a heart attack on a hot day. It also bothers me a bit how they ignored Liam and came straight to me.

“Remember what we agreed to. No playing inside!” Maggie says as she comes inside. Her husband follows closely. It’s been just a few days, but he looks differently. He clearly hasn’t shaved in a few days and his brand new baseball cap makes him look like he’s come from vacation, not a business trip.

He greets us with a warm smile as he shakes Liam's hand and gives him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Here’s my welcome committee,” he says. Then turning to me, he asks, “How were things at home, boys? Maggie always speaks in superlatives, but she tends to sugarcoat things.”

“Good,” I reply and look at Liam, a meek smile appearing on my face against my will.

“All good,” Liam says. “Mike met Olivia and Abi the other day.”

“Awesome,” Michael says. “Good to see you boys getting along. You will need to cooperate so me and Maggie can have a night out, I’m counting on you. But for now, I have something for you. No it’s not water guns. Follow me.”

We follow him to the car and watch as he opens the trunk.

“You’re going to have to share this one,” he says as he hands Liam a box with a Virtual Reality Headset. I’ve never seen one up close but it looks futuristic and high-end.

Liam takes the box and hugs him. “Wow, thanks Dad!”

“Thank you,” I say, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but then Michael lets go of Liam and gives me a hug. I don’t know what to do, but I return it as well as I can with my stiff limbs. Will I ever get rid of impostor syndrome?

“Enjoy, boys. I hope it’s a good distraction. But don’t forget to spend some time in the real world, too.”

We spend the afternoon hanging out downstairs, with Michael talking about his trip, while Liam, the twins and me report about school. Then pizzas arrive, and I get busy cherry picking jalapeno peppers from mine and putting them on the plate, from where they are immediately stolen by either of the twins. They ordered every single one with hot peppers and now eat them like pickles. Eugh. I’m a bit overwhelmed with the commotion, so I listen more than I speak. Everyone else is making so much noise there’s no space left for me anyway, almost as if they’ve learned to fill every bit of space over the years. I’m just a guest, so I see no point in forcing my way into their scene just to leave an empty spot in a few weeks.

I keep glancing at Liam, hoping to read something in his eyes. We chose a bad moment for our little heart to heart. It won’t be until the twins go to bed that we can have some more time to ourselves. What if Liam changes his mind until then? What if it was just a rush of the moment, and he already regrets it? What if in the evening tells me it was a mistake? Or just never mentions it again? I try to tell myself it’s my low self-esteem speaking, but I know I won’t get rid of this thought until he ensures me over and over.

I want to call Mom, but I don't know if I can keep things hidden from her. I need to find out what's going on in Liam's head before talking to her. I know she'd be happy for me, but she'd also freak out. And somehow, telling her than Maggie and I are coming next weekend feeks even more scary. This day is already too much. I just take a quick selfie of us at the table and send it to her, saying I'll call tomorrow.

Soon, Maggie and Micheal start getting ready to go. Only then, Liam starts looking back at me more with this little Mona Lisa smile. But we don’t talk, like, all we have to say to each other is only meant for our ears. At least that’s what I hope is the case.

“If you go outside, don’t go too far and be back before dark,” she says as I stand next to Liam, Brody and Patrick in a row.

“And lock the door,” her husband says. “And needless to say, no booze or parties,” he adds, looking at Liam.

“Dad, are you for real?” Liam rolls his eyes and I stop myself from laughing.

“Can we fill the pool, please?” one of the twins asks.

“It’s too late for that. We can fill it tomorrow, if you remind me in the morning.”

“Awww.”

“Liam, Mike, call us if anything happens, okay? We should be back by ten, but don’t worry if we’re not.”

“Are you going to be drunk?” Liam asks.

“Of course not,” Maggie says and winks at us. “Now, have fun and don’t blow up the house.”

For a few seconds, I watch them walk outside and to the gate. Guess they’re taking a taxi. When I turn around, Liam is already gone and I hear him closing the door upstairs. He probably just needs a bathroom. The twins just stand there, looking at me expectantly.

“Well, I guess we can do something?” I try.

“Yeah, let’s play games!”

“Sure, why not,” I say. “You will probably beat me, but I don’t mind.”

“We’ll go easy on you,” the other twin says with a smirk.

“Okay, but first, how about you show me how to tell you apart.”

“It’s easy, Brody is the dumb one.”

“Patrick has smelly armpits. And he’s the dumb one.”

“You’re dumb!”

“Guys, guys, I’m for real,” I say, trying not to sound desperate. “Okay, you’re Patrick, and you’re Brody. Green shirt, white shirt. That will do for now.”

I’m starting to see some differences between them, like how they smile, talk and laugh a bit differently. But I still can’t tell who is who with confidence. We go upstairs to their room and they switch on the console. I sigh when I see the FIFA logo. At least they will be having fun. I consider calling Liam, but it looks like he’s taking his sweet time alone. It seems a bit unfair. Patrick and Brody look like they really need someone to play with, and considering I haven’t seen any of their friends come over yet, they don’t seem to have many options. And honesty, apart from being loud and energetic, they aren’t that bad. They can sit in one place for a long time if they have something fun to do. They don’t call each other names or even use bad words. It reminds me of when I cussed in front of them and called Patrick an idiot. I was too freaked out by the almost broken window to think about it, but now I feel like an idiot myself. It crosses my mind to say sorry, but they probably forgot about it a long time ago.

I end up making it up for them by losing hopelessly in FIFA. I get a little better as I get a grasp of the controller, but it will be a while before I catch up with their experience. I’m still having fun and decide it will be easier than expected, even though Liam isn’t helping.

And just then, I hear him come out of his room and a second later he shows up in the door.

“Mike, can you help me with something real quick?” he asks.

“I guess,” I say, not looking away from the screen. “I’ll just finish this game.”

“Cool,” he says and disappears in his room again.

It’s hard for me to focus on the game. What does he want from me this time? If he needs help to undress again, I won’t complain. As long as the twins don’t follow me.

“Be right back,” I say to them and go to our room. I fight the urge to knock, and just come inside.

“Close the door.” He’s relaxed on his bed, not doing anything in particular, so I feel a little anxious and excited when I close the door behind me.

“So?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything.

“Aren’t you gonna thank me? I saved you,” he says.

“Saved me from what?”

“From the twins. Don’t worry about them, they can mind their own business. Mom thinks they’re still five years old. So, what do you want to do?”

I look at him, my hand still on the doorknob. “Dude, I can’t,” I say. “Your mom asked me to spend time with them."

“She asked us. It will be on me if she finds out.”

“I can’t,” I say, and the thought of letting Maggie down fills me with dread. “Why don’t you hang out with us? We can… do something later.”

“Are you crazy?” he whispers, sitting up. “If you make me spend five minutes with them, I’ll go crazy. Trust me, they can play games for ten hours straight. They won’t even notice you’re gone.”

“I’m going back,” I say and open the door.

“Mike!” he hisses but I’m not turning back.

“My turn,” I say when I sit on the floor next to Brody, and he gives me a weird look as he passes me the controller. “What?”

“We thought you weren’t coming back,” he says.

“To miss the party? Never,” I smile, not letting them know how close it really was.

We play for just a few minutes, when I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. Of course, it’s a text from Liam. “I just want to talk.”

“We can talk later. Now come and hang out with us,” I text instead and then add, “Please?”

For a few minutes, there’s nothing, but then a new message pops up. “You’re lucky that I like you.”

Before I can process it, Liam shows up in the door and I suddenly feel guilty.

“What are you guys playing?” he asks, barely concealing reluctance.

“FIFA. Do you want to play?” Patrick asks, looking as surprised as Brody.

“Sure,” he says and sits next to me. I can almost fill his grudge through my skin.

And honestly, I have no idea what bothers him so much. The twins are barely present when they’re playing. When they have to wait for their turn, they jump and wrestle on their bed, or run up and down the stairs to bring snacks or soda, but otherwise they’re harmless.

Some time later, there’s a breakthrough when I beat Patrick 1:0, marking my first victory ever in a FIFA game.

“Woohoo!” Brody whoops, punching the air. “Mike, now you have to beat me. I’m the final boss!”

“I think I’m done,” I exhale, putting down the controller and sitting on the bed. “You have to quit when you’re winning.”

“Come on, chicken! Just one more!”

“Can’t we do something else?” I ask. I don’t really care about losing to Brody, but we’ve been playing for two hours and I’m really done.

“Let’s play hide and seek!” Patrick exclaims and claps his hands.

“No way,” Liam groans and stands up. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Come on, just like we used to?”

I give Liam a look, but he looks away. “Mom is right. You are still five years old.”

“Come on, old man,” Brody comes over and hugs him from behind. “Or else we tell Mike all your secrets.”

“Yeah, Mike is cool,” Patrick chimes, throwing his arm around my neck.

Liam shakes his head but stands there. “This doesn’t work on me. I guess we can play for a while”

I’m not sure about playing hide and seek, but it looks like an unlikely interaction between Liam and his brothers happened, so I don’t say anything. Still, I feel uncomfortable about the prospect of snooping around the house. One week on, and I still feel like an intruder.

Of course, they make me the first seeker. Liam isn’t even trying and I find him on his phone on the couch downstairs. He smiles at me when he sees me. “Oh no, you found me!”

I just shake my head and go looking for the twins, which is more of a challenge, but I eventually locate Brody in the garage and Patrick hiding behind the kitchen counter.

“Just do it for thirty minutes and then later we can do something else, please?” I whisper to Liam before the next round.

“Fine, fine,” he says and turns to the wall. “Better find a good spot. 20. 19, 18…”

We play a few rounds and it’s actually fun. I wonder what made Liam stop hanging out with the twins. I get it, they’re annoying, but they just seem to need attention.

After a few rounds, it’s Brody’s turn to seek and I ran out of a good hiding place. At the last moment, I remember my future room. I make it in at the last second, and decide to hide inside the large wardrobe that I luckily managed to empty for the most part.

I close the door with my fingertips and hear Brody yell from downstairs. “Ready or not, here I come!”

I start wondering if there’s an unspoken rule of this room being out of. But well, sometimes to win you have to play dirty.

And then I feel an arm wrap around me and a hand covering my mouth from behind.

“Boo,” Liam whispers and I almost get a heart attack.

“Liam,” I hiss when I turn around. “I thought it was a murderer, Jesus Chri…”

“Shhh,” he says and covers my mouth with his index finger. I freeze, listening to Brody walk just outside the room.

“Where are you?” he calls, wanders for a minute and then goes back downstairs.

Liam keeps his finger pressed to my lips and he doesn’t look like he’s taking it away soon. Then, something happens. I don’t even notice when and how I open my mouth a little and it slides in by an inch or two.

“Ewww,” Liam giggles and pulls it away. But after a few seconds of silence, he presses his finger to my lips again. “Shhh…” he whispers.

And I take it to my mouth again. This time he doesn’t pull away. The feeling of his index finger in my mouth brings me to the state of extreme arousal. Why? I don’t know. But I lap on it with my tongue and imagine it’s something else. Until Liam giggles again and pulls away.

“We’re so weird,” he whispers.

“Maybe you. I’m not weird,” I whisper back.

“Yes you are. Thank God,” he says. And then he puts his finger to my lips, again! “Shhh…”

I swallow almost all of it this time and let out a soft whimper.

“Mmmm,” Liam murmurs and starts slowly sliding his finger back and forth. “You like it.”

I’m too proud to agree, even if it’s kinda obvious. Also my mouth is kinda full, so I can’t talk.

Then he puts his hand on top of my head. “Nod if you like it.”

I nod.

“Nod twice if you like it a lot.”

I nod twice.

“Nod three times…” he says and pauses for a second. “Nod three times if you also have a boner.”

I nod, more than three times, then I stop because he grabs my hair and pulls gently.

“Mmmmhhhmm…” I moan completely and absolutely blown away. My hands act on their own. I place my palm on Liam’s chest and slowly move it down, waiting for him to stop me. But newsflash, he doesn’t. And I find out that he wasn’t lying about the boner.

“Ohhhh fuck,” Liam whispers and pushes against my hand. Then he removes his finger from my mouth and replaces it with his lips. I almost lose consciousness as I do my best to kiss him back. I lose track of time, and only Brody snooping upstairs again shakes me up.

“Are you hiding here?” he asks and I hear his footsteps in the room.

As quickly and soundlessly as we can, we adjust our clothes. Liam puts his finger on my lips again, and then, well, he comes out of the closet.

“You got me,” he says before closing the door behind him. “Have you found everyone?”

“No, still looking for Mike. Have you seen him?” I hear Brody ask.

“I think I saw him leaving the house. Maybe he’s in the garage?”

“I already checked.”

“Well, then check again.”

I calm my breath as I hear their footsteps descending the stairs, until they’re gone.