"Liam?" The blurriness I was staring at slowly became a handsome face.

The irony of having Liam standing in front of me at the most embarrassing time almost made me laugh. Almost.

I wasn't sure if his concern was for my lack of coordination or the shock and embarrassment on my face. "Hey Zephyrine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I realized his hands were still on my arm, steadying me.

He followed my eyes. "I'm sorry."

I waved him off. "It was totally my fault. I should really watch where I'm going."

"You seemed distracted."

"A little. It's been one of those days." I laughed without amusement.

He squinted. "It's noon."

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He finally released my arm.

I considered this. I didn't really want to talk about it. No matter what I said, things wouldn't change. I did want to talk to Liam though. I wanted to see if there could be anything between us. I remembered Vanessa. Something told me she wouldn't mind me being a little late under the circumstances.

I looked up at his big blue eyes. They were a darker shade than Grant's, and much larger. His eyes were ginormous. Grant's eyes were piercing, whereas Liam's were inviting. I realized I was comparing him to Grant already and stopped myself.

"Maybe. When would you want to talk?"

He looked confused. "Whenever, I'm free now. Or whenever."

I thought he was sort of cute when he was flustered.

"Let me just make a quick phone call and see if I can make myself free now." I reached into my purse.  As I did, a guy walked over, carrying a bag. He stopped in front of Liam.

"You forgot your food sir." The man said, handing Liam the bag.

Liam looked embarrassed. "Not again." He muttered under his breath. "Thank you so much."

The guy nodded and walked away.

"Not again?" I questioned Liam.

He sighed. "Happens a lot."

"What happens a lot?"

"I forget things. Comes with the football territory."

I tried to interpret what he meant by that but couldn't. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I've had a lot of concussions."

"I'm sorry. That would be frustrating." I genuinely felt bad for Liam. I could see how much it bothered him. I thought if I were in his shoes, it'd probably bother me too.

"Thanks." He smiled. "I can wait outside while you call." He offered.

I'd almost forgotten about calling Vanessa. "Okay. I'll be out in a second."

As I'd suspected, Vanessa was more than happy to wait to hang out. I put my phone back in my purse and headed out to meet Liam.

Liam was sitting on a bench outside The Bagel Place, tossing his water bottle up and down.

"What did that water bottle ever do to you?" I took a seat beside him.

He caught his water mid-throw and turned to watch me. "Does this mean you found some free time?"

"It does."

He smiled. "Good. What do you say to going for a little ride?"

I loved car rides. I always have. Something about driving with no destination was therapeutic for me. "I say, why are we still sitting here?"

He stood up and walked towards his car, I followed him.

"So, where are you taking me?" I said fastening my seat belt.

"You don't trust me?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just curious."

"I thought we could just drive. Nowhere in particular."

There was a nice ring to his words. "I like that idea."

"I was really hoping you would." He turned down a backstreet. "So, what's on your mind?"

I wasn't sure how to describe my feelings. I felt happy, but incomplete at the same time. Nothing was wrong, but something was missing. I knew how selfish it was for me to put all my struggles on Liam. I made sure my explanation was brief and unimportant sounding.

"Basically, I don't like my best friend's new girlfriend."

He looked at me through the corners of his eyes. "Why not?"

The answer to this question required a lot less thought. It would've been harder to say what I liked about Trisha. "First of all, when she dated him before she treated him terribly. She's one of those people that forgets the world doesn't revolve around her. She'd be better off in a relationship with herself I think.  Most of the time she refuses to even acknowledge my existence." I took a moment to breath. I was talking so rapidly it deprived me of oxygen. "He could do a lot better."

Liam nodded. His opinion didn't show on his face. "Did you tell him that?"

I shook my head. "I told him the opposite actually. He really likes her, I don't want to ruin that for him. I've been telling myself I judged her too harshly."

His eyes were focused on the road. "You don't seem like the type of person that judges too harshly. Why do you think that?"

I felt myself relax in Liam's calming presence. "It's possible that maybe I was jealous." I started to add more but stopped. I didn't want to scare Liam away with Grant and I's history.

"You and Grant have been friends for a really long time. That's totally natural." He paused, glancing at me. "Unless, there's more to you guy's story..."

I felt panic rise inside me, the calmness deteriorated. Every time I talked about what happened between Grant and I, an electric shock circulated through me.

"Things got slightly romantic between us, but it didn't last long. We agreed to keep things platonic."

Liam didn't even flinch hearing this. "Ah, I see. You're still getting over your feelings for him."

I wasn't sure what to say. "I guess maybe a little."

"He's your first love, it'll take time." He smiled sweetly. "As far as his new bo, you might not be completely off. She may not be good for him."

The confirmation that I might not be a crazy ex (if you can even call it that) was a weight lifted off my shoulders.

"You're really good at this. I might have to hire you as my therapist." I half-joked.

He laughed. "I'll talk to you whenever, free of charge."

"Thanks." I said genuinely.

"Anytime." He let one hand on the wheel go.

The way Liam kept his cool and showed compassion made me respect him so much. Not many people are able to do that. I was sick of talking about myself, I wanted to get to know Liam.

"So, are you just naturally wise, or did someone teach you?"

He stiffened up a little, then laughed coldly. "Kind of. Let's just say I've been in Grant's shoes. I know what it's like to be in a toxic relationship."

I knew he dated a girl for a few years, and that they were constantly screaming and fighting. All the girl's were hoping they'd break up. After they broke up, I'd never seen Liam by himself. Not from not trying. There was always a girl constantly following him around, refusing to let him alone.  I wanted to know more.

"I'm really sorry." I shifted in the seat.

He shook his head. "No, you're fine. I'm okay to talk about it now I think."

Relief flooded through me. "Can I ask what happened?"

He didn't respond for a moment then nodded. "Yeah, umm it was just really toxic. She wouldn't let me hang out with my friends, was constantly bringing me down. She'd always call me an idiot and smack me and stuff like that."

"She smacked you?" I was shocked that anyone was slapping Liam around, his arm muscles were the size of my head.

He shrugged. "Eh, sometimes. She gave me a bald spot."

My mouth dropped. "She did not!"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Here, look." He bent his head down so I could see. Sure enough there was a vacant patch of hair.

"That's terrible!"

He laughed. "It's kind of funny."

"She seems vicious."

"You have no idea."

"Why'd you date her?" I felt bad when I realized how nosey I was being. "You don't have to answer that."

"It's okay. She wasn't always like that, it was a pretty healthy relationship at first. I guess I felt kind of trapped after awhile. "

"Well, it's her loss." I said sincerely.

"Thanks." He responded.

There was no comfortable way to ask, so I just did. "Do you have a crush on me Liam?"

I didn't think his eyes could get any bigger until I said that. He made a fake coughing noise; I assume to buy himself time. I never thought of myself as the forward type, but I had to know.

"I mean, yeah. I think I do. I've admired you from afar for a while now." He didn't look at me until he finished speaking.

I grinned. "What an honor."

His smile returned. "Zephyrine, can I take you out? Like on a date."

I contemplated this. I'd never been on a date before. Not really. I'd had guys flirt with me, but never ask me on a date. I couldn't say no. I liked Liam. I saw no reason to say no.

"I'd really like that." I laid back in the seat, happy.