The Girlfriend Act Pt. 2

Even as Liam sat beside you on the bed, his arm draped lazily around your shoulders, fingers tracing absentminded circles along your arm, she kept digging.

“Oh, you guys are so nauseating,” she said, leaning back against the couch and propping her feet up. “It’s actually offensive.”

Liam smirked, absently running his fingers along the curve of your knee, tracing small circles against your skin. You hated how natural it felt.

“Hey, can’t help it,” he said, shooting you a wink. “She’s just too irresistible.”

You played along, fluttering your lashes. “I am a catch.”

Chloe snorted. “Alright, I need some water before I throw up.” She waved Liam off. “Go fetch me a bottle, lover boy.”

Liam sighed dramatically but pushed himself off the couch. “Fine, princess. Keep her entertained for me, will you?” He shot you a wink before disappearing into the kitchen.

The moment he was gone, Chloe turned to you, grinning.

“Okay,” she said, voice low and conspiratorial. “I need to know.”

You blinked. “Know what?”

She smirked. “Liam? The most handsome nerd ever?”

You scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on,” she said, throwing her hands up. “It’s Liam.”

Your stomach twisted at the way she said his name, like it was something sacred.

Chloe sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “God, he definitely got hot.”

You nearly choked. “Huh?”

She gave you a look. “What? Don't act like you disagree! You're his girlfriend!”

You hesitated. “I mean—he’s attractive, obviously—”

“Attractive?” Chloe cut you off, scoffing. “Babe, he looks like he was manufactured to ruin lives.” She leaned in, eyes gleaming. “Tell me the truth—he’s good in bed, isn’t he?”

Your heart stopped.

You recovered quickly, scoffing. “Chloe—”

“Nooo, don’t you ‘Chloe’ me!” She smacked your thigh, grinning. “Come on, spill! He’s, like, secretly insane in bed, right? All that nerdiness? That attitude?” She wiggled her brows. “Bet he dominates.”

Your face burned. “I—I mean—”

Chloe cackled. “Oh my god, that was such a tell!”

You groaned, covering your face. “You are ridiculous.”

She shrugged. “What can I say? I have always been a little curious.”

You peeked at her through your fingers. “Oh?”

She grinned, unabashed. “I knew he was gonna turn out like this. I knew it.” She sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “Not that I was, like, weirdly into him when we were kids—”

You shot her a look.

“Okay, fine, I may have had a tiny crush back in the day,” she admitted, smirking. “But, like, not in a creepy way! Just a hunch! I knew he was gonna get so hot.”

You shook your head, laughing. “That is insane.”

“Hey, I was right, wasn’t I?” She waggled her brows. “And now you’re fucking him.”

You choked. “Chloe!”

“What?” she said, completely unapologetic. “You are, aren’t you?”

You bit your lip, playing into the role, letting your expression turn just a little mischievous. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Chloe shrieked, smacking your arm. “You bitch!”

You grinned, but before you could say anything else, Liam strolled back in, bottle of water in hand.

“What’d I miss?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

Chloe beamed at him. “Oh, nothing! Just talking about how hot you are.”

Liam blinked.

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

His lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. “Too late, babe.”

You shoved at his arm, but he just chuckled, sinking back onto the couch beside you, slinging his arm around your waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And the worst part?

It felt natural.

“So,” she said, dragging out the word as she leaned forward, her mischievous gaze flicking between the two of you. “You’re really telling me that my brother’s best friend, who I’ve known since he was an awkward little gremlin, is now in some serious relationship with a girl he’s never once mentioned?”

Liam scoffed, shifting slightly, which only pressed you further into his side. “Again with this?” He smirked at you. “She’s relentless, babe.”

You sighed dramatically, playing into the moment, your fingers reaching up to graze along his thigh as if you’d done it a thousand times before. “She really is.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t babe me. I’m just saying—it’s a little suspicious, don’t you think?”

Liam sighed, shaking his head. “I knew this was going to happen.” He glanced at you, his expression softening into something dangerously convincing. “This is why I didn’t want to tell her, baby.”

You exhaled, biting back a smirk. “I know. But she had to find out eventually.”

Liam pulled you closer, pressing a quick, lingering kiss to your temple. The warmth of his lips against your skin sent an unexpected shiver down your spine.

Chloe watched with narrowed eyes, her lips pursing in thought.

Then, suddenly, she clapped her hands together. “Alright. Fine. I guess I’ll believe you—for now.”

Liam groaned in mock exasperation. “Oh, thank god.”

Eventually, Chloe sighed, stretching her arms over her head. “Alright, I give up. Lucas clearly isn’t showing up, so I’m heading out.”

You fought the urge to exhale in relief.

Liam stood. “You sure? You can stick around if you want.”

“Oh, I want to, but I have places to be,” Chloe said, shooting you both one last smug look. “Besides, I think you two wanna be alone.”

You groaned. “Chloe—”

She just cackled, grabbing her bag and heading for the door.

“Love you, babe,” she teased, blowing a kiss. “Take care of my brother's best friend.”

And with that, she was gone. The second the door shut, all the tension—everything you’d been holding in—came crashing down.

You turned to Liam, breath hitching. His gaze flicked to yours. And suddenly, you were very aware of how close you still were.

Silence hung heavy in the dorm room, thick with unspoken words and the awkward weight of a month’s worth of avoidance.

Liam shifted, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced toward the door where Chloe had just left. “Well,” he started, voice hesitant. “That was…something.”

You let out a breath, exhaling a disbelieving laugh as you plopped down onto your bed. “Yeah. Something is one way to put it.”

For a second, neither of you spoke. It was the first time you’d been alone together like this in weeks, and the distance between you felt unfamiliar, almost foreign.

Then, Liam huffed out a chuckle, shaking his head. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

You snorted. “I can’t believe she actually bought it.”

That was all it took.

Laughter bubbled up between the two of you, the tension cracking like shattered glass. You doubled over, covering your face with your hands as you wheezed through your amusement. Liam practically collapsed onto the bed beside you, shaking his head as he laughed into his hands.

“Oh my god,” you gasped, wiping at your eyes. “We really sold that, huh?”

Liam groaned, flopping onto his back. “I swear, I thought she was testing us at some points. I was waiting for her to scream ‘AHA! I knew it!’ and call us out.”

You smirked, nudging his shoulder. “Guess we’re just that good.”

Liam turned his head, his expression softening slightly. “Yeah. I guess we are.”

The laughter faded into a comfortable silence, and after a moment, you swallowed hard, voice lowering. “Hey…um.” You hesitated, picking at a loose thread on your sweater. “I’m sorry.”

Liam blinked, sitting up slightly. “What?”

You sighed. “For—well. Everything.” You gestured vaguely. “Ghosting you. Not talking. Just…shutting you out.”

Liam frowned. “You don’t have to apologize for that.”

You looked away. “I kinda do.”

Liam exhaled through his nose. “No, you don’t.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If anything, I should be apologizing. I—I was pushy. I tried to make decisions for you, and I shouldn’t have.”

Your chest tightened. “Liam…”

“No, seriously.” His voice was earnest, filled with regret. “I thought I was helping. I thought I was—I don’t know—protecting you. But I didn’t listen. And I made things harder for you.”

Your throat felt tight. You **** a shaky breath. “It’s been really hard, Liam.” Your voice wobbled. “This trial—all of this—it’s been so hard. I didn't appreciate your support as much as I should have.”

Liam’s jaw clenched, his gaze darkening with something unreadable. “I know.”

You swallowed. “I feel like I’ve been figuring this all out alone. And it’s been exhausting. I didn’t mean to shut you out, but—I just—I didn’t know how to deal with it all.”

Liam sighed, nodding slowly. “I get it.” He hesitated, then said, “It’s been hard for me too, y’know.”

You blinked, surprised.

“I mean,” he continued, “I’m used to having you around. In lectures. In class. Just…there. And suddenly, you weren’t. And I hated it.”

Your chest ached.

Liam exhaled, then suddenly stood. “C’mere.”

You hesitated, but then stood as well, and before you could second-guess it, Liam pulled you into a tight, warm hug.

You squeezed your eyes shut, gripping onto him like he was the only solid thing in the world. Your breath hitched, the overwhelming weight of the past few weeks pressing against your ribs. You were seconds away from sobbing—

“Okay, nope, do not cry on me,” Liam said suddenly, his voice muffled against your hair.

You choked on a laugh, pulling back slightly. “W-What?”

He groaned dramatically. “Your makeup is gonna get all over my shirt.”

That sent you over the edge. You cracked up, laughter bubbling up through your chest. “Oh my god, Liam.”

“What? It’s my only clean hoodie.”

You wiped at your eyes, still laughing. “I hate you.”

He smirked. “No, you don’t.”

You huffed, shaking your head as you settled back into the hug.

And that’s when you felt it.Your eyes widened slightly.

Oh.

“Uh, Liam?”

He tensed. “Yeah?”

You pulled back slightly, arching a brow. “Are you—uh. Excited about something?”

Liam froze. His face flushed. “Oh fuck.”

You bit your lip, watching the panic flash across his face.

“I—shit—I swear this isn’t—” He groaned, running a hand down his face. “Look, you look really good today, okay?”

You stared at him. Then, you grinned.

Liam groaned again. “Oh fuck off.”

You lost it, laughing so hard you had to clutch your stomach. “Liam, that is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”

He scowled. “I hate you.”

You smirked. “No, you don’t.”

He exhaled, shaking his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

After a beat, you crossed your arms. “Well, now that the awkwardness is out of the way—”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, so gone.”

You chuckled. “I should probably catch you up on some things.”

Liam huffed. “Yeah, well—I’ve got some things to share, too.”

Your smirk faded slightly, replaced with curiosity. “Oh?”

Liam’s expression turned serious. “Yeah.”

You met his gaze, something unspoken passing between you. This was going to be a long conversation.