Page 13

Helen asked Liam, “Do you want to eat now or later?” as I quietly talked to Levi.
I could see him looking back and forth between us with gritted teeth from the corner of my eye. “I’m not very hungry.”
He then walked over to the fridge, pulled out two pieces of bread, and put butter on one of them. He then put the second piece of bread on top of it to make a breadbutter sandwich.
Helen questioned him with a trace of enjoyment in his voice as he was cooking it. “Do you want some jelly with that butter?”
That appeared to scare him. “W-what?”
Helen said again, this time in a much more serious tone, “Do you need some jelly?”
“No,” he said, and with the sandwich in his hand, he went out without looking at us again. I shrugged and kept eating.
I asked Levi, “Do you want to watch some films together?” after we were done eating.
He grinned. “Of course.”
A minute later, we both sat down on the couch in front of the TV in the living room. Levi moved closer, put his arm over my shoulder, and I put my head on his shoulder as we hugged. And I watched the movie.
It was a funny movie, and Levi and I both laughed a lot during the whole thing.
I heard someone come down the stairs in the middle of the movie, and my laughing started to fade.
I turned my head to the side to look behind us and noticed Liam standing there with his hands in his pockets, observing us. His face was twisted into a grimace, and his jaw was tight.
When he spotted me gazing at him, his frown went away. At the same time, Levi looked at him and smiled, which Liam did too.
“Don’t you think the movie and your laughter are a little too loud, Sophie?” Liam asked in a kind voice.
He doesn’t say nice things to me. What’s wrong with him? Is he simply playing with Levi?
“Oh…” I said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“It’s okay.” He said it in the same lovely voice, smiled at me one final time, and then went back upstairs.
I frowned at his strange behavior and turned down the volume on the TV. We both kept watching.
After the movie, Levi kissed my forehead and went to bed. I also went upstairs to Liam’s room with a grin on my face.
Liam was already lying down on the couch c*m bed he got because I didn’t let him share the bed with me when I walked into the room.
He had both of his hands under his head and was staring at the ceiling, lost in meditation.
I got dressed in the bathroom and then lay down to sleep with my back to Liam.
It made me very pleased to see Levi again after so long. My thoughts went back to all the memories of us as kids.
Liam’s words brought me back to reality: “He looks like a very close friend of yours.”
When I heard him, I turned around and looked at him. He was still in the same place, staring at the ceiling.
I said, “He’s been my best friend since birth. We’re meeting after eight years.”
He took his hands out from behind his head and turned his body towards me, leaning on his elbow for support. “Why now, after eight years?”
I looked down and nervously started doodling strange shapes on the bedsheet. “Um…I…because I left the orphanage when I was seventeen and never talked to those people again.”
I looked up, and he was staring at my face. “Why?”
“Why do you want to know all this?” I questioned in a loud voice. “Just curious.”
“Don’t be. Some stories shouldn’t be told.”
He rolled his eyes as I said it. He made fun of me by saying, “Not all stories are meant to be told.”
I looked down at my stomach and rubbed little circles on it with my palm. Liam’s eyes fell on it, too.
“After I have the baby…” I whispered quietly as I looked at my tummy. “Are you going to kick me out of your house?”
He tilted his head in doubt and slowly got up and moved closer to the bed. I realized he was virtually n**e, and the heat raced up my neck.
He sat next to me on the bed and put both of his hands on each side of my head. His body was above mine but not touching.
His eyes were fixed on mine, which made me flush. “I’m not kicking you out, Sophie, even after you have the baby. It’s up to you. You can leave if you want to, but you are welcome to stay.”
“And the… child? What will happen to it if I leave?”
He let out a sigh. “It stays with you. If you don’t want it to, that’s a different story. A child needs a mother more than a father. It stays with you, but I get to see it every day.”
“Okay,” I said gently.
He glanced at my face and then at my tummy and remarked in a sad voice. “Are you sure you don’t want this child?”
I told him the truth since there was no use in lying to him. “I do. I want this child, Liam.”
He seemed shocked. “But you said you didn’t want it.”
“I was just really angry with you. I said all of that in anger. I always wanted a child, but not like this.”
I could feel tears coming to my eyes. “I don’t want to,” I said in a whisper.
“Sophie, it’s okay. Everything will be fine. I’m here with you. I know you don’t like me being here, but I’m not going to leave you in the middle of all this.”
I sighed and held back my emotions. “Thanks.” I smiled at him tightly. He winked in a fun way. “You’re welcome.”
I giggled quietly, my eyes going down his body, and my cheeks got heated again.
I swallowed hard and looked away.
He said in a smug voice, “You do know you’re blushing, right?”
I clenched my teeth to disguise how embarrassed I was. “Get lost, Liam.”
He laughed hard at that and stood up. He said, “Goodnight, honey,” as he walked back to his sofa bed.
The endearment made me blush even more. “Goodnight,” I muttered.
Levi said, “Good morning, Sophie,” as he walked into the kitchen and softly kissed my forehead.
“Levi, good morning.”
Helen wasn’t there, and the breakfast was already on the table.
We both sat down to eat, and Levi’s eyes went to the dish on the side of the table that had a buttered bread sandwich on it. “Can I have that?”
I thought it was for no one in particular because it was left on the table. “Okay. You can have that.”
Levi has always liked the bread and butter sandwich.
We started eating breakfast. Levi gladly ate the sandwich, and I ate the eggs and bacon.
Liam came in wearing his professional uniform just as we were about to finish eating. And looked around the kitchen for something and scowled in perplexity.
He called her, “Helen?”
Helen came in a few seconds later. “Yes?”
“Where’s my buttered bread sandwich? I left it on the table…” Oh no! Sophie, you are so dumb! So, so, so dumb.
Levi and I stared at each other with embarrassment. “Umm…Liam?” I said.
He looked at me and said, “Yes?”
I rubbed my neck in a shy way. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that sandwich was yours. Levi ate it.”
Liam gazed at Levi and tightened his jaw. Levi said, “Sorry, Liam.”
“It’s okay,” Liam replied in a frigid voice as he left the kitchen. Helen responded to him, “It’s okay.” “At least eat something before you go.”
“I’m not hungry!” The front door banged shut. Helen left the kitchen, shaking her head.
“He obviously doesn’t like me,” Levi stated to me. “What? Why would you say that?”
“Anyone can see it. I should go.”
“No,” I moaned. “You can’t leave. Besides, you have to come back tomorrow night. It’s only one more day. Please don’t listen to him.”
He hummed in answer and completed his meal.
Levi told me he had some work to do and would be back in a few hours. I took a day off from work because I wanted to hang out with Levi.
I felt horrible when Liam departed without eating breakfast, so I cooked two buttered bread sandwiches, wrapped them in aluminum foil, and put them in a little plastic bag. Then, I called a cab to take them to Liam’s workplace.
I took a minute this time to observe the tower in front of me. The sun made it glow.
I already knew where his office was, so I took the lift to the 40th floor.