Two Way Street

I felt incessant poking in my shoulder. I rolled over on my stomach and groaned, seeing Harry’s bright green eyes smiling obnoxiously at mine. “Ever tried sleeping, Curly? Because some people need it to play nice with others.”

He grinned, “Bringing back the nicknames, are we? In that case, I’ll call you Snarky.”

I groaned, “Is that because of my shocking sense of sarcasm or because of my shocking sense of sarcasm?”

His grin widened, “It’s definitely not because of your shocking sense of sarcasm. I think it’s more your shocking sense of sarcasm.”

“Alright, now you’re just being stupid. It’s because I’m sarcastic, let’s leave it at that, yeah? Now get out before I forcibly remove you. Lord knows I could too.” I rolled over on my side and pulled the blankets over my head, covering myself from the light.

He poked me again before tearing off the blankets off my body, “Get your snarky ass out of bed.”

“Why?” I groaned again. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Do you have something magical planned for me today? Something like unpacking all my luggages and putting all my things away? Because that’s what I planned on doing today after I’ve slept a considerable amount.”

“And have you slept a considerable amount yet?”

I shook my head vehemently. “Not at all. I still need six more hours.”

“You do have to work, you know that right?”

I frowned and tapped his cheek with my hand. Though by the way he flinched, I guess my early morning strength was more than I expected. However morning was a term used lightly. It was nearly noon when I dramatically looked at the small digital clock on my nightstand.

He sighed, “That was uncalled for, but whatever. You’re getting up because Liam’s going to knock on my door any second and you’re not even dressed all the way. Not even close to being dressed all the way. Do you always sleep in your panties?”

I blushed and pushed him off the bed, pulling the blankets up to my stomach. “You sicken me, Curly. Beyond reason. Yes, I always sleep in my underwear. Do you always say the word ‘panties’ with a perverted glare that reminds me of my uncle?”

His eyebrow rose and he lifted his hands in surrender, “Your uncle? Your uncle saw you in your underwear? Because that would give any man a-”

“Say it and it’ll be the last thing you say because I will forcibly remove your tongue and your reproductive organs and shove them all down your throat,” I hissed. I pushed him out the door while I managed to cover myself completely. I was modest to say the least. Even after my night with Liam. In which I’d given him my virginity.

Oh god.

Thinking about what I’d done sent shivers up my spine, in a bad way. I wish I hadn’t been drunk when it happened. Maybe then I’d be able to remember what it felt like.

I groaned and let my head fall onto my pillow. The regret and the remorse washing over me. I heard a knock on my bedroom door. “Harry, I’m still in the process of waking up. Unless you want an impromptu castration done in your own house, I suggest you leave me the fuck alone!”

The door opened and I grabbed my shoe, throwing it hard across the room as I turned my body. I saw Liam’s curly hair just as my shoe collided with his chest. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

I threw the blankets away from myself and jumped at him. “I had no idea that you were here!”

He laughed and rubbed the post where my shoe crashed into his chest. “It’s fine, Mara. It’s fine. And an impromptu castration on Harry? What the hell did he do to you?”

He rested his hands on my hips and lightly pulled me closer to him. I blushed, “He woke me up when I wasn’t ready to be awake.”

Liam chuckled and brushed my unruly hair from my face, “You’re just as bad as Zayn in the mornings. And is that a blush I see? Is the Mara Beckett blushing at something I said? This is spectacular. A rare occurrence to say the least.”

“It’s not that rare!” I objected, pushing away from him. I walked to the other side of my bed and pulled my favorite pair of trousers on. I buttoned them and straightened my shirt. “Anyway, I’m not as bad as Zayn. No one is as bad as Zayn.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I think it’s hilarious that you’re wrong on both accounts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush and you are as bad as Zayn. And he’s pretty bad,” Liam jested. He sat down on the corner of my bed and watched me pull my hair into a messy bun.

I frowned when I saw him in the mirror, “Why are you watching me, you sketchball? It’s creepy and I don’t like it.”

“You don’t like the fact that I’m staring at you while you’re still waking up?” he asked curiously.

I nodded, “I don’t like it one bit. I have bad morning breath, my hair looks like shit and my face looks like death. You staring at me is a little bit creepy. Give me an hour and then you can stare at me if you’d like.”

“Nah,” he protested. “You look lovely in the morning.”

“Okay, what do you want? You’re being incredibly nice right now and I want to know why. There must be some caveat to your niceness...” I sighed. I sat down on my bed and clasped my silver bracelet around my wrist.

I heard the bed move and then I felt his arms wrap around my waist. “I can’t be nice to you without having a reason now? What’s wrong with being nice to you?”

I frowned and turned in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Because being nice doesn’t get you anywhere.”

“Neither does being rude. You should know all about that one, Mara.”

I rested my cheek against his shoulder while he held me in my bedroom. “I do. And honestly, I regret that. I regret not being nice to you and the other boys right away. It’s like, if I had been nice to you, maybe my friendship wouldn’t have been ruined with Lou. Maybe we wouldn’t have gotten off to such a bad start.”

“Then we wouldn’t be in the position we are right now. Things happen for a reason and I’m sure that if you hadn’t been rude to me that day, I wouldn’t be hugging you right now. Or thinking about kissing you,” I glanced up at him and felt his lips meet my own. I felt something creeping inside my stomach that felt suspiciously like butterflies.

I hoped it wasn’t butterflies...

I felt him sigh, “I like this.”

“What? Kissing while I’ve got dragon breath? Because that’s disgusting,” I said in between kisses.

He grinned and tapped my nose with his index finger. “You’re strange, you know that? And I wasn’t talking about your dragon breath. I was talking about kissing you and holding you in general. It’s nice and I like this.”

I frowned, “What is this?”

“Whatever you decide it to be. Right now, it’s whatever you let me make it be.”

I let my eyebrows raise, “And if I don’t let it be what you want it to be?”

“Then that’s the end of it.”

I sighed, “You’re patient aren’t you? You’re one of those types of guys who just waits around forever until he gets an answer. The answer that you want that is, yeah?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I’m patient. I’m not waiting around for the answer that I want. Any answer will do. Just preferably the answer that I want.”

I scrunched my nose, “Cute, Liam. Very cute.”

He shrugged and let his arms fall from around me. He turned around and left my room. He called over his shoulder, “I try.”

I frowned and threw my other shoe at him, hitting him in his back. “Don’t get arrogant, now. I’ll start calling you Wet Mop again.”

I heard his laugh ring out, “I’ll try not to get my arrogance up.”

I sighed and slapped on some makeup, getting myself ready for the day. Once I was more awake, I stepped into the living room, witnessing a poke fight between Harry and Liam. I rolled me eyes. “You two are so childish. Honestly.”

Liam smiled and Harry ignored me, making a jab at Liam’s stomach. Liam grunted and kicked Harry’s leg out form underneath him, laughing hysterically. “Good god, my boyfriend’s insane...”

Harry jumped up cartoonishly, “You’re kidding right?”

“Kidding about what?”

“You called Liam your boyfriend,” Harry’s mouth stood agape. “Do my ears deceive me?”

I shrugged, “If you heard me say ‘good god, my boyfriend’s insane’ then you heard right. But I’d get your ears checked just in case. You seem to have a problem hearing. Or perhaps listening in general. I distinctly remember telling you that I don’t wake up earlier than noon.”

I ventured a glance at Liam who was smiling. He strode over to me and kissed me, wrapping his arms around my waist and twirling me around in circles when my feet lifted off the ground. I squealed and punched his arm when he set me down again. “Don’t ever do that again. I don’t do the whole romantic cliche thing.”

He winked at me, “Maybe I’ll convince you other wise.”

“I doubt it,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. I sighed again. Liam was my boyfriend. Officially.

We’d been labeled...