the phone. We don’t even bother saying bye, I slam the phone onto the receiver and hurry out the door toward her house at a full sprint.
I knock on her front door, all the while trying to control my rapid breathing after my short sprint across our lawns. Myrah swings the door open, her face brimming with excitement, the dimples in her cheeks out in full force. She grips my hand and pulls me inside, and we both giggle uncontrollably.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, bye Mr. and Mrs. Robertson,” I say with a laugh, following after Myrah. We fly up the stairs to the guest bedroom her cousin is using. The door is cracked, and there’s movement behind it. She doesn’t bother knocking, instead just pushes the door open pulling me inside.
And that’s when I see him.
My feet stop. My breathing stops.
And I swear, even my heart freezes mid-beat in my chest.
Everything just stops.
Liam wasn’t your average boy…oh no, there was nothing boyish about him. As my gaze travels up and down Myrah’s cousin, I know without a shadow of a doubt, he’s trouble—wrapped in one beautiful package.
His hand freezes above his suitcase when we barge in, and his eyes immediately fall on me—glued to mine. My stomach does something weird in that first moment, when his eyes meet mine. Something flutters inside of me, the force so strong I feel like I might puke from it. I place a trembling hand over my belly, willing the sensation to cease.
I’ve never had a boyfriend before, I’ve truthfully never even thought about it. I mean, why would I? I’m only thirteen. So why am I suddenly thinking about it now just from looking at him?
He has a head of dark shaggy hair, longer on the top than it is at the sides, and a pair of the brightest blue eyes. The color is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It reminds me of those snow dogs, Husky’s I think they’re called. The ones with bright, and hypnotizing eyes. His clothes are nice—expensive looking. Even wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans, his clothes look better than both mine and Myrah’s.
Just staring at Liam, I can finally see the appeal of having a boyfriend. All the girls at school have already had their first kiss, including Myrah.
Everyone except for me.
All our friends used to think Myrah’s older brother was hot, but I never saw it. Evan was always just Evan, like an annoying older brother. But staring at Liam, I know something is happening inside of me that shouldn’t be happening.
“Liam, this is my best friend, and neighbor, Bea.” Myrah finally breaks our trance, gesturing to me. “And B, this is my cousin Liam, the one I’ve been telling you about.”
I swallow thickly, unable to take my eyes off him. His expression is unreadable. Like he’s at a loss for words. The way he’s staring at me makes my face flush with embarrassment. My heart gallops wildly, and I will my body temperature to cool, or somehow revert to normal so I’m not standing here looking like a tomato.
Finally, he says something, slicing through the silence. “Nice to meet you, Bea.” The sound of my name rolling off his tongue does strange things to my heart. “I really need to finish unpacking,” he says dismissively, gesturing to his bags, making my heart drop, the thrill from earlier no longer present. Myrah’s face falls as well, and she just nods her head.
Gripping my arm, she drags me out of the room, but not before I glance over my shoulder to get one last look. His eyes are still on me, but they’re narrowed now, as if he’s in deep thought. With one last tug, I’m pulled out of Liam’s room, unable to see him anymore.
“Sorry,” Myrah grumbles irritably. “He seems like he’s in a pissy mood right now, sometimes that happens. It’s probably the stress from the move. C’mon, let’s hang out at your house.” She grips my arm again, and we walk to my house. I find myself looking back at Myrah’s house a time or two wondering what he’s doing now.
After spending time at my place, Myrah and I didn’t go back to check on Liam, much to my displeasure. Instead, she stayed for dinner, and we watched movies all night. It almost helped me forget about him.
Almost.
After breakfast this morning, my mom told Myrah she’d have to go home because today was the day her husband and my new stepbrother were