Page 107 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“And?”

“And I stood on the field wondering what kind of guy apologizes to another guy for getting hit with a ball.”

“I wasn’t apologizing for you hitting me. I just… I don’t even know, I don’t even remember doing that, but if I did, it was out of nervousness.”

“Maybe, but I found your behavior so interesting that I kept trying. I was waiting for you to finally react like a normal person.”

“That was a normal person’s reaction! Besides, I didn’t always apologize.”

“True, you stopped later. I mean, first you’d apologize with irritation, then you’d just give me the ball back without saying anything, sometimes you’d wince or mutter something under your breath, but nothing more. And I waited. I was waiting for you to defend yourself, to tell me I was a jerk, to tell me to leave you alone.”

“So what? This was some kind of social experiment? I did do that, eventually.”

“I know. And it was awesome.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t feel awesome last year. And don’t be surprised I reacted that way. I was scared. Look at you, you’re huge, you’re on the team, you have tons of friends… Are you really surprised I didn’t want to get on your bad side? Besides, you should be glad it ended with a few snarky comments, because there were moments when I seriously wanted to punch you. Good thing I didn’t,” he added with a hint of fear. Treating a werewolf like that couldn’t have ended well.

“I wouldn’t have hit you back,” Liam replied, amused.

“How was I supposed to know that?”

“You couldn’t have. You can never be sure until you try. That’s why it’s worth a shot.”

“What if I’d hurt you?”

“You, hurt me?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’d like to see that.”

“If that lunatic could handle you, I might have been able to as well.”

“Fair point,” Liam admitted, half-serious. His eyes were sparkling. He looked happy. But then he added seriously, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. I shouldn’t have picked on you like that. I guess I just didn’t think this through.”

“Apology accepted.”

They had one more drink each and decided it was time to go. Well, actually, Liam decided, because Will was so drunk by then that rational decisions weren’t really his style.

They walked through the city together, still deep in conversation.

“So what guy did you kiss?”

“Why are you so nosy?”

They were close enough that their shoulders were practically brushing.

“I’m not nosy, I just want to know.”

“I just want to know is the definition of nosy.”

“No, it’s not!” Will protested, then swayed violently.

Liam caught him just in time, steadying him.

“God, you’re such a lightweight.”

“I know,” Will confirmed proudly.