Noon the next day. After arriving downtown with Liam, I took him to the Nike store located in the mall. Liam said in a bright voice that he knew I’d go to that store.
“From the bands you wear on your wrists to the shoes you wear, everything’s Nike.”
“I originally only buy their stuff anyway…… And I ended up receiving this.”
I showed Liam the gift card Alice had sent online. Liam’s expression hardened as soon as he saw it, and I very carefully brought up a question.
“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to. Really. But, um, what happened with Alice?”
“……Alice is a really good person.”
After pausing for a moment, Liam brought up what seemed like a somewhat random topic. But since I agreed to some extent with the opinion that Alice was a good person, I said “right” and held my breath waiting for what Liam would say next. However, Liam only said he would be the one to help pick out good sneakers, and that we should hurry into the store.
I realized anew while picking out sneakers with Liam that the criteria for choosing sneakers for a football player and a high jumper were quite different. I didn’t want to reject what he’d gone to the trouble of picking out, but all the sneakers he recommended in the store were unsuitable for me. When I kept turning down every sneaker he recommended one after another, Liam finally stepped back and quietly watched what kind of sneakers I bought.
“I guess I still have a long way to go. Not only did I not even think to buy you a gift for winning, but I only thought from my own perspective when picking sneakers, so I wasn’t particularly helpful.”
On the way out of the store together, Liam said with a bitter smile.
“If that’s the issue, don’t dwell on it. You were the only one who came to congratulate me yesterday. And the sneakers…… You know. It was just an excuse.”
The reason I brought up sneakers in the first place was only because I didn’t have the confidence to directly ask Liam to go on a date.
“I don’t need your gifts or help.”
After saying that to Liam, I entered a Randy’s store that happened to catch my eye. Then I bought two pink raised donuts with lots of colorful sprinkles scattered on the surface and handed one to him. And facing Liam standing there holding the donut, I said.
“Just seeing you and talking like this, that’s enough. And if we’re talking about still being lacking, I’m no slouch either.”
“Why?”
Liam asked as if he genuinely didn’t understand.
“I didn’t even ask what kind of donut you wanted to eat and just gave you my favorite one right off the bat.”
It happened with the cream soda last time too, and I made the same mistake. Without much thought, I bought what I liked best and held it out.
“No. I really like this way of yours.”
Liam said that and took a big bite of the donut. His teeth marks remained hugely on the shiny surface of the fried bread coated thickly with glaze.
“This way I can learn what you like.”
A few sprinkles were stuck rather mischievously on his lips as he said that, so after staring at them for a moment, I suddenly reached out my hand. Instead of avoiding me, Liam sent me a look that said he’d watch what I would do, and I picked off the sprinkles stuck to his lips one by one and put them in my mouth. The long, thin pieces stuck to my fingertips melted on my tongue with a sweet taste.
“……Did I ever tell you that if I got a date, I wanted to try walking along the riverside while eating donuts together at least once?”
When I asked slyly, Liam replied that he didn’t think he’d heard that, then laughed.
“Walking along the riverside while eating donuts. That’s cute. Romantic.”
“It was really just a vague wish, but I didn’t know I’d end up doing it with you.”
“I think I’ve dated you in my imagination about a hundred times or so.”
Liam said with a very playful expression. I told him to try hard to recall what he did in his imagination, then headed toward the riverside outside the mall.
“I want to try doing everything you wanted to do with me, one by one.”
Standing on the stone bridge, gazing at the shadow of greenery reflected on the calm water surface, I said to Liam. Then I folded the donut I’d been holding and popped it into my mouth in one bite. Liam saw that scene and even clapped his hands, roaring with laughter, and I just tilted my head, not knowing why he was laughing.
When we finished our walk and got in the car, Liam pounced on me as if he’d been waiting and kissed me. More fired up than usual today for some reason, though he was always aggressive on other days, he moved without stopping, lips firmly pressed together as if he couldn’t be apart from me for even a moment. I wrapped one arm around his waist and groped in the air with my other hand, then naturally grabbed the back of Liam’s neck while touching his hair. The hair that sparkled both under sunlight and artificial lighting was soft as velvet.
While I stroked his head along the grain as we kissed, Liam made “mm, mm” sounds as if savoring the touch and burrowed into my embrace. It was fascinating, and a bit amusing, to see such a huge guy—so big that the word ‘large’ couldn’t even describe his build—snuggling in…… Above all, it was cute.
Even after kissing Liam for a while, I stroked his head for a long time.
Pitapat, pat, pat
When I came home and saw a short but clear post had been uploaded to Liam’s social media, I pressed the ‘Like’ button and spent time smiling for no reason for a while.
***
After eleventh grade ended, the summer vacation everyone had been eagerly awaiting arrived. While everyone was busy planning how to spend these three months, my entire schedule consisted of coming to school to train, preparing for competitions and going to them, just like during the term, so I couldn’t really feel any difference between before and after vacation. Liam and Nathan, whose situations were similar to mine, were still excitedly busy talking about what they’d do during vacation. Listening carefully, Liam was all pumped up about making money with a short-term part-time job during vacation, and Nathan was all excited about participating in all kinds of fun activities.
“I heard Leda’s throwing a big party today to celebrate summer vacation, you guys are coming too, right?”
When Nathan asked excitedly, Liam glanced at me and shook his head. Then Nathan looked at me and asked if I was still dwelling on being rejected by Leda, and in that moment, Charlotte, who was next to Nathan, struck his thick waist with her elbow.
“I’ve forgotten about the Leda thing, but I’m just naturally not cut out for parties.”
“Wow, I’m meeting a kindred spirit here. I hate parties too.”
At Charlotte’s words, Nathan asked if he was the only one here going to the party, and everyone nodded at that question.
“I decided to stay home all night and watch the Star Wars series. I bought tons of butter caramel popcorn too.”
When Charlotte revealed her plans for today, Virgil’s eyes, which had been shut until then, grew as big as fists. Because the Star Wars series was his most beloved movie in the world.
“Virgil seems extremely interested in your plan.”
At quick-witted Liam’s words, Charlotte said that anyone interested in her plans for today was welcome to come over to her house and spend the night. Then Virgil, myself who had no choice but to say I’d go after receiving his glare, Liam who said he’d go with me after seeing me, and even Nathan who had originally said he’d go to Leda’s party—we all ended up going to Charlotte’s house.
“…With this many people, won’t we run out of popcorn?”
Charlotte asked with a laugh, looking at the crowd that had gathered in an instant.
***
In Charlotte’s room, cluttered with all sorts of competition trophies, medals, and various inventions, we turned on the Star Wars series and ate popcorn while unexpectedly playing a round of TORD. Even Virgil, who would normally tremble saying “this is an insult to the movie,” was so caught up in the interesting atmosphere that he didn’t even have time to feel humiliated.
“So, since I’m today’s party host, I can go first, right? I have something I’m curious about for Liam Blake. What will you do? T, or D?”
Charlotte, who had volunteered to be the first questioner, asked Liam. Liam chose T, and Charlotte smiled triumphantly as she threw out her question.
“About Alice and Sophia fighting recently. I heard it was because of you—is that true?”
At Charlotte’s question, Nathan whistled while looking at Liam, and Liam mumbled evasively that it might be true. Seeing this, Virgil grumbled discontentedly, “Some people are so lucky to be popular.”
“Your answer is too vague. If it’s true, it’s true, and if not, then not. If you’re going to do it like this, accept a penalty.”
“Fine, fine. What penalty?”
When Liam came out with a very compliant attitude, Charlotte laughed mischievously and ordered him to call someone he was usually interested in and flirt with them. Liam immediately said okay and called somewhere, and after a while, the smartphone in my pants pocket started buzzing. With a ‘no way’ feeling, I took out my smartphone and answered the call, and Liam looked at me with a bright smile and asked:
“Hey, Cheick?”
“…Yeah.”
Oh my God. He really called me. What should I say? I was afraid of what would come next, but felt relieved that he had chosen me—it was truly contradictory. Whether knowing or not knowing my complicated feelings, the kids who firmly believed Liam was just playing around just laughed happily.
“Now it’s my turn to ask. T, or D?”
What should I do? Whether I choose T or D, I feel like I’ll be placed in a situation where I have to answer a mischievous question or do something really painful.
“T…”
As soon as I barely decided on a path, Liam paused for a moment before throwing out an incredible question.
“What do you think of me?”
Asking what I think of him. Should I answer this seriously? Looking at him snickering right in front of me, that’s clearly not it.
“Just a hunk who’d appear in a teen movie.”
A hunk who’d appear in teen movies full of dreams and romance. I once thought that way. It wasn’t even long ago. But now that’s just an extremely small part of my idea of “Liam Blake.”
“So there’s nothing like finding him annoying or anything?”
Nathan asked with a mischievous smile toward me. I firmly stated I wouldn’t answer that. The person with the right to ask questions this turn was Liam, not Nathan.
“Anyway, it’s my turn to ask now. I’ll ask Virgil Praxis.”
“Me?”
Virgil seemed unable to believe that I had something to ask him. Because we usually live without hiding anything from each other.
“When are you planning to ask Sophia out on a date?”
I brought up what we had promised before and asked Virgil. Then both Charlotte and Nathan looked at Virgil with excited faces, and Virgil mumbled his answer very awkwardly.
“Well, think about it. Sophia likes Liam anyway, so even if I ask her out on a date…”
“Do you think I asked Leda out because I thought she’d accept?”
“You did that because you wanted to get rejected!”
Virgil brought up what we had talked about among ourselves before to refute me. It was content that didn’t particularly matter even if revealed in front of the others.
“I don’t want to get rejected. I’m different from you. It’s not like I want to get cleanly rejected and neatly sort out my feelings. Meanwhile, Sophia even fought with Alice because of Liam… If you were me, could you readily tell her to go on a date in this situation?”
When Virgil asked as if lamenting, Charlotte, who had been watching the situation for a moment, asked Liam to go downstairs and bring popcorn or juice or something. Liam readily agreed and went out of the room. When Liam left, Charlotte whispered to Virgil in a lowered voice.
“…Let’s not speak too definitively in front of him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
