I let out a shaky breath. “Do you even remember what you said about me that night in undergrad? At that house party you and your teammates had after you won that game against North Dakota?”
He frowns like he’s never been more confused in his life.
He shakes his head. “No. What did I say?”
Tears prick my eyes as the memory resurfaces. I swallow back the lump in my throat. I shouldn’t care so much. It shouldn’t hurt this much. But it does. Because I had a huge crush on Liam, but to him I was nothing.
I swallow back the lump in my throat.
“You were in the garage with your teammate. I was going to say hi, but I overheard you guys talking about me. He askedyou if you and I were together. And you said, verbatim, ‘Not in a million years would I ever hook up with Kendall. Are you kidding? I go for hot girls. Not mousy little bookworms like her.’”
All the color drains from Liam’s face. “You heard that?”
“Yeah.” I sniffle and wipe my nose with the back of my wrist.
Liam shoves both hands in his hair. “Shit…” He closes his eyes as he leans his head back. And then he looks at me and drops his arms at his sides. He walks up to me.
“It’s not what you think.”
Chapter 29
Liam
It feels like I’ve been punched in the gut.
Seeing Kendall like this, looking so hurt and broken because of me, makes me feel like the biggest piece of shit in the world.
Because I am.
That’s why she started distancing herself from me during junior year. That’s why she stopped hanging out with me and why our friendship has been strained all these years.
Because I hurt her.
I forgot about that night. I forgot about what I said until she brought it up just now.
But she didn’t. She’s been thinking about what I said for the past nine years.
I take in the pained look in her big brown eyes, the way her lips tremble as she struggles not to cry.
My chest feels like it’s going to collapse into itself. Seeing her like this is fucking agony.
I need to tell her the truth.
She lets out a sad, weak laugh. “Liam, don’t try to bullshit your way out of this. I know what I heard.”
I shake my head. “No, you heard right. But what I said was a lie.”
“What are you talking about?”
The memory of that night comes flooding back to me. Nerves fire off inside of me. I take a breath.
“That teammate I was talking to? He was pissed that I got captain over him. So to get back at me, he started going after the women I was interested in.”
She looks so confused. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. He was a creepy asshole. The day after I made captain, he started flirting with the girl I was dating. She dropped me to hook up with him. And the second I started showing interest in someone else, he went after her too. It happened two more times after that. I was pissed, but I couldn’t kick his ass like I wanted to. I’d lose my spot as captain,” I say. “When he started asking about you at that party, I didn’t want him to go after you too. So I lied and said I wasn’t interested in you so he wouldn’t pursue you. Even though I liked you. A lot.” I pause for a second, working up the nerve to admit this. “I had the biggest crush on you.”
Her eyes widen as she stares at me. My heart pounds in my chest. I hope she believes me. Everything I’ve said is the truth, but I wouldn’t blame her if she thinks I’m lying. I’m the guy who talked shit behind her back. She has every reason not to trust me.
