"Ahahaha."
Liam rolled his eyes as he ate his bacon, the middle-aged cop who sat in front of him was laughing his ass off while pouring honey on the half-eaten pancake he was eating. Liam’s dad was also wheezing with laughter, it felt like they were in a competition of making their children cringe with dad jokes.
"Dad, come on."
Clara, who was standing beside the cop with a steaming coffee pot in hand, pouted her lips. Liam rolled his eyes again, the drama so far in the morning was too much for his mental health.
"How can you think my son is gay? It makes no sense, ahaha."
"No, he’s just too well-spoken and polite. My bad, dude."
"I am sorry, Liam."
Clara leaned forward slightly and poured coffee into Liam’s mug, she almost whispered into Liam’s ear, her hot breath made Liam’s whole body shiver, and an electric jolt seemed to shoot down his spine.
"It’s... It’s alright. Can... Can you please keep a little distance?"
Seeing her huge breasts almost shoved into his face, Liam leaned back and dodged it. Clara looked innocently surprised by his behavior, like, how can he even think like that?
"See? He’s just too shy, that’s why I thought he was gay or something."
"I get it, ahaha."
The two dads looked like they had been friends for a long time, they hit it off well, while Clara behaved like a well-adored daughter-in-law who was quietly doing her chores alongside her mother-in-law.
God damn it, this coffee is so fucking sweet, I don’t like it.
"Liam, all jokes aside, I am really grateful that you became her friend. She wanted to go to the pathetic community college we have, but because you’re shifting to Princeton, she also gets to study at Rider."
Kevin smiled as he finished the uninvited breakfast with a final dip in Liam’s maple syrup, Liam could just nod his head in response awkwardly.
"You have a little bit of grease on the side of your lips."
Clara intimately touched Liam’s shoulder, and wrapping her arms around his shoulder in a loose hug, she rubbed the corner of his lips with her thumb. Liam’s deadpan face looked at Kevin blankly, as he was her father, but he just laughed it off, while Michael just looked away.
...
"I will leave Clara in your capable hands, Liam, I must go, for duty calls. As you both have the same flight, I can rest assured."
Fixing his belt around his waist, Kevin smiled, they were standing outside the Carter house. Kevin was taking his leave, Clara was standing beside Liam, trying to grab his hand constantly while he was swatting it away.
"Dad, I will miss you so much."
Then go hug him.
Liam rolled his eyes once again, she was yelling in Liam’s ear that she would miss her dad. He was just standing there, but she was not moving at all.
"I will miss you too, darling. Listen to whatever Liam says and behave yourself."
"I will."
*BRRM*
The cop car left the neighborhood, leaving behind Liam and Clara, who was now poking his cheeks to see if he had dimples in them.
"Alright, kids, are you ready?"
Rachel came out with a smile on her face, she was satisfied with such a pretty girl being with Liam. Not only was Clara very beautiful, she was also obedient and mindful of elders.
"Yes!! Wow, Mrs. Rachel, you’re looking so pretty."
"Oh! Come on, girl, stop. Liam, help her with her suitcases."
Of course, Mom, sigh!
Liam looked at the two huge suitcases that had arrived with Clara, he was not certain with his current body he could even pick them up. Cracking his neck, he walked ahead to distance himself from Clara, who was busy talking with Rachel.
"Take care of her, she’s a good girl."
As he was about to pick one up, Liam heard his dad’s voice beside him, and then while picking one up, Michael started talking.
"Are you sure? I feel like she is just fake."
" Oh? "
Michael raised an eyebrow, then looked at Clara’s way, who was talking with his wife, and then looked at Liam, who was now rolling the other suitcase to the car.
"Even if she’s being fake, taking care of a girl from the same town is a very basic human thing to do."
The old 2005 Toyota Corolla dipped when both of them put the suitcases into the trunk. Liam just nodded his head at Michael’s word, he was not going to abandon Clara in mid-flight anyway.
After reaching New Jersey, our lives will be different. I...Sigh! I just feel guilty about the system manipulating her.
"Okay, you two sit in the back, Liam and I will sit in the front. You’ve taken every document right for the admission, haven’t you?"
Michael asked as he pulled the door for the ladies to sit in, then gestured for Liam to sit in the front passenger seat. Clara squinted her eyes, as she didn’t get to sit with Liam, but Michael’s tone was casual and unquestionable.
*BRRM*
"Liam!!"
As the car started, Emily ran out of the house. She was smiling, but Liam could see she was very sad, her eyes looked red, but she was waving at him proudly.
"Remember my words."
"I will."
Liam smiled as the car slowly drove out of his neighborhood, although he was not driving, but he could see hundreds of flaws in his father’s driving.
...
"So this is it."
Michael smiled as Rachel was crying while hugging Liam. Liam was patting her mother’s back gently, the love he received from these two was immeasurable. Even when he was sixty-eight and dying, this love made him smile, it was just that thick and heavy.
"Mom, I will come soon, don’t worry."
I want to say so many things out loud... Why do sincere promises always sound so childish that they stick in your throat?
"Let him go, they will get late."
Michael came and patted on his wife’s back, she nodded her head and side-hugged Michael while looking at Liam with tearful eyes.
"Okay, I will leave now, Dad. Look into Venice, especially the east venice beach area."
Liam knows prices of that region in LA will increase severalfold in the upcoming years, so whispering this, he waved at his parents for one last time and turned around only to see two suitcases ready for him to push inside.
"Where is she?"
Liam looked around for Clara, she went to the washroom as soon as the cars were parked. Michael and Rachel also looked at the direction she left.
"Liam!! I bought a pizza for us."
Sigh! The whole journey will be a headache.