Unexpected [closed]

Maisie rose from the couch, the cushion seesawing to Liam's side as she walked over to the kitchen area of the living room, sighing in relief to get away from there for a bit. Rather than going to the refrigerator initially, her fingers navigated themselves to a box beside it. Withdrawing a crinkly package and tearing it open, she put a small brown item in the microwave: a bag of popcorn. She hopped up onto the counter, swinging her legs as the device hummed and burying her attention in her phone, far away behind Liam. She would get the drinks when it was done, and well, if she forgot, she forgot. the girl gave a sideways glance in the boy's direction. He was so weird sometimes, buying her books and getting worked up about movies, having bouts of silence and bouts of bantery teasing.

She pressed her head against the shelf, looking up at the kitchen light. "I don't hate my mom," she said stiffly.

Liam hadn't been expecting her to say another word, taking advantage of her disappearance and finally kicking off his shoes, allowing himself to stretch out on across the sofa, leaning his torso up against his side of the arm. Every now and then, curiosity would get the best of him and he'd shoot a glance over the back of the couch, seeing her fight with a plastic bag or hoisting herself up onto the counter.

He'd started getting back into the movie once she'd started to speak up again, her voice barely carrying over the apartment. The Summer froze himself, not entirely sure of what to say, having doubted she would dare to bring up her family again. What was he supposed to say to that? Whatever he had to offer, he doubted she cared about.

But the silence then had turned especially suffocating in a matter of moments.

His brow furrowed, throwing his gaze to the ground. "I don't know my mother," he said simply. He wasn't even sure if she could hear him, the young man could barely hear himself then. "She skipped town when I was little."

Maisie listened. Through breathless silence she sat on that counter, tapping with her fingers on the surface. The beep of the microwave sliced. She opened it. She poured the inflated container's content in a bowl, mulling, mulling about mulling. Her heart ached, but only because she did not want it to ache; her guilty eyes were masked with the focus on the task at hand. Popcorn. Popcorn was the only thing that was on her mind, not anything else, nothing happened, nothing happened.

Maisie sat lightly down next to Liam. She didn't bring a drink. Popcorn became her only task. The bowl in her lap, she pressed her shoulder to his, saying nothing, eyes forward, mouth straight and frozen. The birds twittered outside, the elegant sound peeking over the words of the movie.

The silence was so thick then that it was almost suffocating, but Liam had expected as much. There was some small satisfaction in feeling the curt regret in the air, like chills down his spine, but that feeling hardly lasted long at all. He had only come to leave that manga book. They'd only meant to watch a movie together. Instead now there was a stranger distance between them when he'd come to bring them just a little closer in the first place, for whatever reason.

He shouldn't have said anything, Liam thought, quietly scratching at the arm of the sofa. He was completely focused off the TV now, acutely aware of when she returned. The young man sat back up, making room and admittedly somewhat surprised when she took the slot just next to him.

"Thanks," He said, scooping up a few pieces and popping one into his mouth. Whilst the Psycho played on, the main hero and heroine looking through the elder motel, he took in a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. Awkwardness aside, admittedly it was a nice feeling to sit beside her.

The movie went on with little interruption from her, from them. Maisie watched with heavy eyes, her efforts to break the silence only materializing in the occasional yawn she stifled. It was a boring movie*. She never liked old movies. By the shower scene, her head had finished its slow drift to Liam's shoulder, her short blonde hair falling across her cheek. By the end of the movie, her breathing was the rolling of waves, her eyes closed save the for the occasional fluttering of her eyelashes. Every mean look she'd given him, every scowl and smirk and grimace and frown, were antithesized in that moment. In that moment, her face held nothing but the innocence of thoughtlessness. Her crossed arms slumped unopen, her fingers grazing his leg.

*The views of Maisie Meyers do not reflect the views of Ryan Malloy, or any aspect of Jay Enterprises or its subsidiaries. Ranting about this opinion on Skype, a chatbox, private message, or any other communication medium will be subject to a 1000 dollar fine and a lawsuit for slander. Viewer discretion is advised. Bad boys, watcha gone, watcha gonna do.

He found himself satisfied with the salty snack, although it made him crave a drink all the more, he wasn't about to stop and start being picky. Liam was content, his irritation washed away as the silence renewed itself. Yet, it felt different now, and by the time they had reached the most iconic scene of tbe movie, she was already slumped over, resting against his shoulder.

It took a great deal of strength to not stiffen up awkwardly then. In some stupidity, he found himself wary to move in the slightest. Hell, he was worried he might even be breathing too hard, like the smallest stir would wake the girl and set her off. It was strange, but he got comfortable enough to watch the rest of the movie in piece.

By the time it was over, he hadn't a clue of what to do.

Perhaps it was time to wake her after all, he thought, reaching over and grabbing at her hand. "Blondie, it's past your bedtime." He muttered, nimbly shaking at her wrist, but it seemed to do nothing. Liam was stuck. He couldn't find it in him to complain, even so.

What the hell was it about this girl that caught so much of his interest? She was just some girl at a party, who dragged him around and left him blue for the night. She was rude. She was stubborn. ... and she looked so adorable leaning against him.

Liam could not help himself, grazing his fingers softly against her cheek and brushing the hair out of her eyes. She was a lot of things, and yet no matter the distance between them, he had found himself throwing his life on the line for hers with no hesitation. What made her so special?

He tore his gaze away. The movie was in its credits, the sky outside was black and cloudy, and he figured the roommates were due to appear at any moment. The Summer had no more reason to stay there.

Slowly, the red-head pulled himself away from her, leaning forward off the sofa and gently easing her down onto the cushions, letting her rest there. He'd grabbed the nearest blanket he found, left carelessly on the carpet and tossed it over. The bowl of popcorn was left beside the manga book, for whenever she was ready to let it somehow find it's way into her room. The TV was shut off, leaving much of the room an empty black.

And while he shouldn't have, while it would have temped all of his bad luck to have her awaken then, he took to brushing her bangs away once more - just to savor the sweet look on her face while he could. Who knew how long before he could see it again?

Finally, finally, just as he heard stirring outside in the hallway, Liam grabbed his crisp blazer off the heater and left for the night.