He drops it, shrugging, and places the fork in his mouth. I watch him eat. He catches me, and his lip curls. "You think I'm likeable."
"I'm not stupid, I know you're fishing for compliments."
"I'm not super vain, I just want compliments from you."
"Why?"
"Because I care about your opinion," Liam says.
I stare at him and he stares at me, before glancing down at the slice, and I feel the heat of his leg disappear. I don't know how to reply and the quiet makes me feel itchy, so in the end, I pick up my fork and eat some of the slice, just to have something to do.
*
That evening, after dinner, Liam and I plan to study. That lasts about fifteen minutes before Liam suggests we have a typing speed competition. We use a website to compete, and he wins, which I hate. I suggest we play a multiplication game. I find a multiplayer one from my primary school days where kids all over the world race. Ten people race at a time and Liam and I obliterate the children playing. More importantly, though, I beat Liam every time.
We waste the rest of our evening playing old computer games from our childhood. It's surprisingly entertaining, and Liam and I can't stop laughing as we compete against each other. At ten thirty, I push my computer away.
"I was supposed to write a practice essay."
Liam gives me a sympathetic smile. "At least we practised our times tables." He closes his laptop lid and tidies his notebooks and textbooks, and I do the same.
"Do you want to watch a couple of episodes before bed?" Liam asks.
I open my mouth, about to say yes when my eyes catch on his lips.
"Er," I say, "I think I'll just have an early night. Shower and read and then go to sleep."
His brows jump up, but he nods. "Good idea," he says. "We'd end up staying up too late, anyway." He rubs his palm over his side.
You on your knees. I like looking down at you.
Okay, why am I thinking about that?
I remember sharing the hammock with Liam. The way he fell out. Lunch today, with his leg against mine.
Stop it, Curtis.
"Yeah," I say, faking a laugh.
We share an awkward wave and "night" before I walk up the attic stairs and Liam disappears down the hallway into the master bedroom.
In the attic bedroom, I shower and pull on my pyjamas. I stare at my reflection in the mirror and plan the rest of my night. I will crawl into my bed and read my book for half an hour, and then fall asleep, and definitely not have dreams about Liam wearing nothing but those goddamn pyjama sweatpants low on his hips —
Ten minutes later, I'm knocking on the master bedroom door.
"Curtis?" Comes Liam's voice.
I poke my head in. "Um. Hey."
"Something wrong?" Liam says. He's lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone, which rests on his stomach. His eyes flit over me. Not because he's checking me out or anything. Definitely not.
"You're not watching anime?" I ask, opening the door and standing in the doorway.
"Nah, if I watched it without you, you'd have to catch up."
"Nothing's wrong," I say, answering his earlier question.
"Okay."
