With Friends Like These. . .

The Morning After

There were events that could distort reality, make you feel like everything isn’t quite right. Well, sleeping with your ex-best friends hot dad two days after your ex-boyfriend goes missing apparently qualified as one of those things. Evie still laid in Liam’s bed--She couldn’t get away from the man. One of his powerful arms laid heavily across her chest, and Evie couldn’t even roll over without risk of waking him.

For the first time in weeks, she felt truly at ease--And it made her nervous. This was all too good. The s*x, the passion, hell, the man said if she stuck around until morning, he’d make pancakes. She rolled her head to look upon his sleeping face. He looked at ease, too. There was an obvious weight he’d been carrying around for days. He must have been dreaming well.

Now, Evie considered herself a smart woman. She knew the s*x didn’t mean nearly as much to him as it did to her. After all, he was only doing it so that she wouldn’t dig into his juicy secrets. But still. . .

Could anybody really fake that much passion? She chased answers in circles in her mind for the better part of an hour. The morning sun crept sheepishly through the blinds and crawled across the floor until slats of golden sunlight stretched across their sleeping bodies. She heard Liam grumble something unintelligible.

He turned his eyes on her, and a smile as warm as the morning sun. “Mmmmm, good morning. I see you stayed for breakfast.” He teased, his voice sleepy, gravelly. Sensual.

“I didn’t really get to make that call.” Evie responded, her cheeks flushed. Her voice alarmed her, coming out much softer than she was used to.

“Oh?”

“Yeah--You fell asleep with your big arm over me.”

“Hmm. Yeah, you definitely could have moved it.” He replied, but the sparkle in his eye made Evie wonder if he was glad she didn’t. “You’re looking absolutely radiant this morning, Evie. Do you feel okay about last night. . .?” He sat up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his toned side.

“I-I feel fine about last night!” She squeaked. “It’s this morning I’m not sure of.” She was so honest, her ears rang. It was like hearing her grandmother curse--She just openly communicated her feelings with a man.

And he didn’t yell at her.

“This morning? What has you so conflicted about this morning?” He asked, genuine concern in his voice. But this wasn’t the same Liam from last night. He closed down. Closed off. She felt a little bitterness sour her stomach.

“What’s going to happen next.” She answered, unhelpfully. So, it really was just s*x for the sake of shutting her up. How disappointing. How heart breaking.

“Next? Well--Next I’m going to make you breakfast!” He replied jovially, petting her back. This didn’t make her feel any better.

“That’s. . . That’s not what I mean, Liam.” She said, so darkly it wiped the cheery expression off her face. “That’s not what I mean at all.”

“Evie--Evie, wait, what did you mean?” He slipped out of bed after her, not even bothering to get dressed. Evie was still done up in her night shirt borrowed from Liam, walking for the front door. She wouldn’t even make it out of the hallway. Liam’s fingers closed firmly around her wrist. He stopped her. “Evie please--Don’t leave like this. I don’t know what I’ve done, but I’m sorry.”

A flash of anger charged through her bleak sadness, and she swelled up, turning to face him. Evie ripped her arm out of his hand, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

“I don’t know what any of that meant to you--Or why, god, or why you even did it in the first place! You were just trying to shut me up, you didn’t want to answer any more of my questions. Why else would you do all that?”

Liam laughed. Evie saw red. She turned, storming forward so hard the picture frames rattled on the wall. Clearly he realized his mistake, as he stopped laughing. “Evie, please, that was a d**k move--Just WAIT!” The force of his bellow gave her pause. Her heart started racing. Would Liam hurt her?

But as she slowly turned to face him, she saw utter helplessness on his face, and she felt her anger start to bubble away. “What for?” She asked, sniffily.

“I laughed because I thought it was ridiculous you thought I could do all that just to shut you up.” He took a hesitant half step forward, and reach for her. Seeing the look on her face, he stopped and let his palm fall limply to his side. “For the record, I would like to bring up; you were the one who walked out in your unders giving me the bedroom eyes. What else was I supposed to do? I’m a red-blooded man.”

But that isn’t the problem! She screamed this in her head, the unfairness of it all crashing down around her. She wasn’t upset they had s*x, she was upset he used s*x to distract her! That he put on such a show, just to throw her off his trail. And that he collapsed back into his ‘Dad Next Door’ persona as soon as they slept. She didn’t mean anything to him.

But the allure of finding out what the hell Liam was actually hiding from her was far too much a siren’s song for Evie to put up resistence. Instead, she swallowed her anger. Shifted her excuse. “It’s. . .It’s just that. . . I feel like you just wanted a chance in bed with a woman, or something.” She muttered, it sounded weak even to her ears.

Liam approached her, running a hand through his bed-messy hair, sweeping the stray locks away from his worry-lined forehead. “Evie. . . “ He spoke with such gentle tenderness, Evie was surprised to find her eyes flooding with tears. “Sweetheart, let me first assure you? I have no problem ‘bedding a woman’. And I’m not the kind of dog to prey on vunerable virgins.” There was a hint of that roguish charm from last night.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Are you saying you want to do it again? Maybe you want to find some more of the benefits of our friendship? You’re worried you won’t have another chance?”

Not only can we never do that again, but I’m way more worried that my boyfriend’s body is under your floorboards! Now, Evie couldn’t say this out loud. She simply hung her head so that a thick curtain of her hair hid her face.

Liam perched her chin on his crooked index finger, tipping her head back so she’d look into his eyes. “I’d like an out-loud answer please, kiddo.”

“I guess, a little. Yeah.” She admitted begrudgingly. Alarm flashed in her heart as Evie realized--That didn’t feel like a lie when she said it. Slowly, an idea started to take root in her mind. “Worried that. . .I don’t know, Karli will find out and we won’t be friends anymore. Ive already wrecked our friendship enough. That me and you will only ever secretly enjoy each other’s company.”

He sighed a slow, heavy sigh. “Well. . . Evie, I have to set expectations now. I’m not the type of man you should get tangled up with. I’ve got demons. If you want to enjoy each others company, it’ll have to be secret. It would be dangerous for you if anybody found out. My Job, you know. . .”

Liam was giving her more than he realized. What demons could you possibly get from antiquing? The more time went by, the more Evie thought he must have killed her ex boyfriend. Every flag was red. But, she masked her suspicion well.

“I. . . I didn’t know your job could get me in trouble.” She replied, innocently. She dipped her head sadly, sighing like all the weight of the world was just put down between her shoulders.

“Yes, we have. . .Somewhat of an image to uphold. A reputation to protect. Understand?” He asked, looking pointedly at her. Somehow, she felt he was trying to tell her something. Asking her if she really understood.

She nodded slowly. “Yes,” She lied. She didn’t understand, but God, nor the devil could stand between her and the answer to this mystery. And if she had to work her s****l charm to get what she wanted? So be it. “But I don’t want to be ‘secret friends’ with you if you’re going to have other secret friends.”

“After last nigth? Wouldn’t dream of it. Not with you running through my mind all night.” She watched as his tension eased, and he slipped back into his Dadsona. “Now--Pancakes?”