Last Girl Standing

After the exes vs. newlyweds challenge, Jenna and Liam realized how little they knew about one another. Even though they were stupid, meaningless things that didn’t really define a relationship, Liam and Jenna were determined to know as many random details about one another as possible, and with every odd thing Jenna learned about Liam, she fell for him even harder.

She loved that he was afraid of spoons, as dorky as it was, and that he was afraid to shave his hair. She laughed at the stories he told her about falling off his bike when he was young and nearly keeled over when he told her the story of the time he wet his pants in primary school.

Everything he told her only made him seem more perfect, yet more human at the same time. She wanted to learn a thousand things about him and hoped she’d get a chance to.

“What’s your favorite memory?” Liam asked, as they walked across the lawn, to the place the producers had set up their date. It seemed pointless, to Jenna, for them to have a date where only Kass wasn’t invited. It was cruel and even though Jenna and Kass didn’t get along, she still felt bad for the girl. No one deserved that.

At Liam’s question, Jenna opened her mouth to speak, before he quickly shushed her. “Favorite memory that isn’t in the Love Games house.”

Jenna chuckled at him, as he tightened his grip around her hand. Of course, he knew any one of the dozens of moments she could have said would involve him, but he already knew those things. As much as he would love to listen to her gush about how wonderful he was, he wanted to learn more about her, and there was plenty of time for her to go on about him later.

Pursing her lips, Jenna thought for a moment, as Liam led her to the farthest blanket on the lawn. Since Zayn won, he and Abelia got to share the large sofa, which had been hoisted from God knows where out to the lawn. The blanket would be much less comfortable, but Jenna didn’t mind, and it appeared no one else did either.

Liam sat on top of the blanket, patting the space between his legs so Jenna could sit with her back against him. She moved quickly and leaned her head comfortably against his chest. A smile fell to her face, as he entwined his fingers with hers, like he had hundred times before. She should have been used to it, but it still set her cheeks on fire and she was thankful that he couldn’t see her blushing.

“I’m waiting,” Liam said, smiling as he clicked his against his teeth, mimicking the sound of a timer.

Jenna chuckled. “Give me a second. I’m thinking!”

“You’ve had plenty of time to think,” Liam whispered, placing his lips against her ear. “I want to know what your best memory is.”

Teeth tugging at her bottom lip, Jenna pressed further into Liam, placing her head in the crook of his neck. “I’d say it’s when I was a little girl, on my 6th birthday My dad would always go away on business trips and my mom and I would miss him like crazy, but he always promised he wouldn’t miss my birthday. His flight got in late, just after midnight, so when he got home he ran through the house and changed all the clocks back and woke me up, insisting that he’d made it home in time. It was well past when I should have been asleep, and my mother would have killed him if she’d known, but he took me downstairs and baked me a cake, and we celebrated just the two of us, with candles and everything. It was my favorite birthday yet.” Jenna chuckled. “That sounds lame now that I say it.”

Liam shook his head quickly, pressing his lips to her ear in a soft kiss. “I think it sounds like a wonderful birthday. Better than any I’ve had.”

“You’re lying,” Jenna said, laughing as he pulled his arms around her chest.

“I’m not,” he said, shaking his head again. “I think it sounds wonderful.”

From the sofa, Zayn called to them, a sarcastic tone in his voice. “That’s enough talking, you two. We’re trying to watch the film.”

Liam waved him off, before whispering to Jenna. “Really, Jenna, your father sounds wonderful. I hope one day I get to meet him.”

Jenna smiled to herself, before nodding her head. “I hope you do, too.”

More than anything, Jenna wanted to introduce Liam to her father. He’d be the first guy she’d taken home and she desperately wanted that. She knew her father would love him, as he loved most everyone, and she knew her mother would gush about how polite he was. Liam was everything that Jenna could have dreamed of, and she knew how lucky she was to have him.

“When the competition’s over, do you think I can?”

Jenna nodded.

“And you can meet mine?”

“Your parents will hate me.”

“Will not,” Liam said, shaking his head. “My dad will love you and my mum loves pretty much everyone. It’s my sisters that you’ll have to worry about.”

Jenna shot around, her eyes wide. “Really?”

Liam chuckled, smiling at how big her eyes managed to get when she was scared. She had the most beautiful eyes, and Liam just loved to look at them.

“No, not really,” Liam said, placing a kiss on her cheek, just below her enormous eyes. “They’re going to love you, just like I do.”

The moment the words fell from Liam’s lips, they both froze, knowing just what he had said. It was a slip, of course, nothing more than accident, but it made both of their hearts race. At the same time, the both let out a nervous laugh, before Liam pulled her to his chest. Her cheek landed comfortably against the cotton of his shirt and he pressed his lips to her hair.

Smiling against her, he spoke. “I adore you, Jenna.”