Flavor of the Week

If Claire had to pick a perfect date with Liam, it would have been sitting at the beach, with their bodies pressed against the sand, as they watched the waves cast in and out in front of them. It was like the producer’s read her mind, and when they were guided to a beach straight out of Claire’s dreams, she wondered if she had mentioned something like it in one of her interviews. At that point, it just seemed like they were trying to make her fall for Liam.

“Would you like to sit?” Liam asked, as they made their way closer to the shore. The waves were just a few feet away now, but they would sink as the moon got higher in the sky.

Claire nodded her head, even though she didn’t really want to sit. She was wearing a dress and was worried about all the tiny sandpaper like grains that would rub against her skin, but she would have sat down on hot coals if Liam had been sitting there with her.

He sat down, spreading his legs out wide, before tapping the place between them for Claire to sit. She quickly obliged, crossing her legs in front of her, as she leaned back against his chest. His hands fell to hers, wrapping around them, and his thumb rubbed gently against her skin.

Being so close to Liam – closer than she’d ever been before – made Claire’s heart thud inside her chest at such a rate that she was positive he would be able to hear it. At the very least, with how close they were, he should have been able to feel it.

He wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to hold her that way, but he didn’t want to let her go, ever, and as their time at the house was coming to a close, he wanted to get as close to her as he possibly could. He knew he was taking a leap, but he had faith that it was leap in the right direction. If Claire had known, it only would have made her feel worse about the whole situation.

“What do you think is going to happen when we leave?” Claire asked, and she immediately hated herself for saying it. A part of her wanted to know the answer, but an even bigger part of her was scared to hear the answer.

“I guess that depends,” Liam said, his voice cracking a bit at the end. It was strange to hear his voice falter so much, and Claire wondered what it was that had his voice all wound up. “Lou will probably get back with Eleanor, I think.”

“Really?” Claire asked, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. It was interesting to her, but really, she was just thanking the gods that he hadn’t said something about how he’d be off with one of his exes. If let her that little bit of hope.

“Yeah, all he’s done here is switch about between girls. I don’t think he’s ever found one that can keep his mind of Eleanor for long enough.”

All Claire could do was nod her head, because it seemed to be true. Louis had gone through quite a few girls since he arrived at the house.

“What about you?” Claire asked, gaining a bit of courage from a place in her body she didn’t even know she had. “What do you think you’ll do after this whole things over?”

Liam shifted a bit in his seat, causing Claire’s back to press even deeper into him. It seemed like that was what he wanted, because he stopped moving the second she did.

“I’ll just be on tour, I guess.” He paused for a moment, clearing his throat very quietly. “Maybe I’ll have a reason to visit the states a bit more.”

Claire wasn’t sure, but she thought that might have been him hinting that he’d be visiting her. There was no way for her to be certain aside from asking him, and she was too much afraid to do that, even though she was dying to know. She’d have to settle for hinting at things herself.

“It’d have to be a pretty good reason to make you fly all the way out here.”

Liam paused for a moment, and Claire could’ve swore she felt his arms tighten around her. “It would be.”