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“I’m starting to think karaoke was a bad idea.”
Corey sat next to Liam on the couch and gently brushed his shoulder against Liam’s, a muffled and slightly drunken giggle coming through his fingers. He wasn’t as drunk as Mason and Theo, but much happier than his usual self.
Liam was more lucid than anyone else at the party. By guarantee? Perhaps. He knew that either he or Theo would have to drive home—and Corey had made it clear that he would kick everyone out when he thought it was time to celebrate his boyfriend’s birthday alone. Theo could have taken them to the party, but Liam knew he wouldn’t take them back.
Earlier, when they were getting ready for the party, Theo promised Liam he wouldn’t drink tonight. As he always did when they go to a party or go out together. He promised not to drink, and by the end of the night, he was a mess and Liam ended up taking care of his boyfriend’s hangover and his light mood. Liam didn’t hate when Theo got drunk. He thought it was funny how his shyness hid after a few beers or shots of tequila and silly challenges.
Theo loved proving to someone that he could do something. Sometimes that ‘something’ was harmless, but Isaac and Malia weren’t. They loved it to provoke him. It started with ‘Hey, I doubt you drink that’ and in the blink of an eye, it became ‘Hey, I doubt you swim naked in the preserve’s lake’ and almost get arrested. Perks of being best friends with the sheriff’s son.
The problem was that Theo went overboard every time. And this night was no different. ‘I bet you twenty bucks I’ll stay sober all night,’ he said. Liam almost burst out laughing, but he bit his tongue and squeezed his boyfriend’s hand. As if. Now it was past midnight, and there was Theo, shoes who knew where, shirtless and disheveled hair, singing—or getting it wrong—the lyrics to a pop song that he clearly didn’t know. All because neither he nor Mason wanted to give up karaoke. Not even the owner and birthday boy of the house could use his belongings.
Liam smiled. His boyfriend was an idiot. Now he was twenty dollars richer and with a nice sight.
It was kind of adorable, how happy Theo was about something as silly and simple as karaoke. You wouldn’t expect this of him when you met him, looking at that pretty face before a soft smile; however, Theo Raeken had a cheerful and lovable soul. Liam knew this more than anyone. No one knew Theo like him. Liam kind of loved it. He didn’t know if it was some kind of possessive feeling, but he certainly didn’t care. That was his man.
However, a part of him was a little irritated by his boyfriend’s lack of control. Liam knew it wasn’t bad or intentional, that Theo just wanted to have fun and have peaceful moments, without worries; amid such a turbulent life decorated with a list full of traumas, he had every right to allow himself to live. Liam understood, he also had his own demons following him like a shadow, but as much as he recognized all these things, Theo also managed to be a pain in the ass. Especially when he was hungover.
‘I told you,’ Liam would say. Theo would roll his eyes and let an annoyed ‘Shut up’ before turning away and pretending he wasn’t in the same room as his boyfriend.
Liam kept an eye on Theo while they enjoyed the party and socialized, winning the stupid bet they made didn’t really matter, he just liked to tease; but one of them needed to stay sober, Liam was too weak for drinks, and if Theo was a mess on alcohol, the two of them together was an even worse mess.
“I’m not complaining, I mean, look at that view!” Corey’s voice brought Liam back to the conversation. “But this singing battle isn’t good for anyone’s ears.”
“That’s why you’re not allowed to participate,” Liam replied, pushing Corey’s shoulder with his, as he had done minutes ago. “Karaoke is for people who can’t sing. It’s supposed to be fun, you show off. And stop drooling over my boyfriend!”
Corey raised his eyebrow with a chuckle.
“Why would I drool on your boyfriend when I already have a delicious boyfriend right here in front of me?”
Liam wrinkled his nose. Mason was amazing, the best friend in the world, but his amazing and Corey’s amazing were two completely different things. He didn’t need more details.
“Very convinced of you to think that everyone is interested in your boyfriend,” Corey added with a roll of his eyes, still in the same soft tone. “You know, not everything is about you and Theo.”
“Okay, okay. I get it,” Liam grumbled and pulled Theo’s truck keys out of his pocket, the keys jingling for a second.
Normally, Theo wouldn’t let Liam drive his baby —not even keeping the keys, no matter how stupid that was; but Liam caught it when they were making out in the bathroom. Theo wasn’t super drunk yet, but they were both horny and when Liam’s hand slipped into the front pocket of Theo’s jeans, he didn’t even notice.
Liam knew he could share an Uber with Theo and get the car later, but if Theo was going to irritate him with his drinking, Liam would pay in kind. Like two grown men.
“Time to go,” Liam hummed, taking the microphone from Theo’s hand and handing it to Mason, who smiled the widest, drunkest smile Liam had ever seen. Liam intertwined his hand with his boyfriend’s. “Corey said you two are fucking bad singers.”
Mason’s smile faded. Theo was still laughing.
“Liam!” Corey shouted after him, running towards his boyfriend. “That’s not what I said! Mase— Okay, time to go. “He looked back at Liam, grumbling. “Goodbye! Come on!”
Liam rolled his eyes, the smile still on his lips. He wished his best friend one last ‘Happy Birthday’ and dragged Theo out of the house.
“Hey, my shoes!” Theo exclaimed, looking back, his arm stretched out to the wind, looking like a child. “Wait, where’s my shirt?”
“We’ll get it later. The party is over.”
“Why are you being such a buzzkill today, Li? It’s a bir-th-day par-ty,” Theo spelled slowly, gesturing grandly at the nothingness in front of him.
Liam bit his lip. He wanted to laugh. Theo looked like a fool—that’s how he acted when under the influence of drinks. It was funny, and deep down, Liam didn’t really resent him, but the grumbling the next day was irritating. So of course Liam would tease his boyfriend in the way he thought was right. Wasn’t that what adults would do?
“You said you weren’t gonna drink” Liam replied and opened the passenger door for his boyfriend to get in.
“It’s Mason’s birthday, duh!” Theo raised his eyebrows at the open door. “This is your seat.”
“Not today, big guy.” Liam pushed his boyfriend inside, arranging the boy in the seat and buckling the seat belt around his body. For some reason, Theo found this funny. “Don’t vomit in your beau-ti-ful car.” And kissed his cheek.
“You’re a terrible driver,” Theo reminded him as soon as Liam slammed the door and put the key in the ignition, a snort mixing with his laughter.
Liam turned his face so Theo wouldn’t see him. He thought it was cute when his boyfriend let out that snort when he laughed, he knew Theo hated it, and that was just another reason why he loved it.
“I have a driver’s license, you idiot.”
“After ten tries, you idiot.”
“Oh, fuck off!”
“If we make it out alive…”
Liam rolled his eyes and drove off. Maybe he wasn’t the best driver in the world, but he wasn’t the worst either. He only got a little bit stressed and anxious behind the wheel, it wasn’t like he was driving using his phone or drunk it out of his mind. It was just… Well, not everyone needed to know how to drive. Liam was good at many other things. Lots of it!
Theo didn’t say anything else along the way, his gaze lost on the window. Liam was driving slowly because as much as he was joking with his boyfriend about throwing up in the car, he didn’t really want it to happen. Not just because cleaning would be a bitch, but also because Liam didn’t want to see Theo in this state. He could tease the boy all he wanted, but the truth was that Liam was completely and stupidly in love with the idiot sitting next to him. Even drunk and sweaty, soft hair falling on his forehead, barefoot and shirtless, all dizzy— even so, Theo was still one of the most handsome men he had ever seen in his entire life.
“Come on, Teddy.” Liam opened the passenger door for Theo, who had gotten tangled up in his seatbelt. Liam unbuckled him, holding his hands to help the boy get out of the car. His mood softening as he guided his boyfriend into the house. Noticing the silence between them, Liam decided to ask: “You okay?”
Theo freed himself from the comfort that was Liam’s embrace and awkwardly sat down on the couch. Liam sat down next to Theo and turned towards him, his arm stretched across the back of the sofa. Looking at Theo at this moment, the downward curve of his lips, matching his drooping eyebrows and without the amused sparkle in his eyes, he looked quite shaken.
“What is it?” Liam insisted, moving closer to the other boy. “You were so happy just now.”
“I lost,” he murmured, a pout on his lips and looking down. Liam almost didn’t hear him. But he did. And he rolled his eyes with the stupidest smile in the world.
“Forget it, it doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to you.”
Only Theo Raeken could make him smile like that. Only Theo Raeken was capable of making him fall in love like that.
Just him.
Then Liam kissed him. Just like that. Soft, gentle hands disappearing into Theo’s hair, tongue playing, Theo’s hands pulling Liam’s hips and sitting the boy on his lap.
“Why was that for?” Theo asked breathlessly, his lips still close to Liam’s.
Liam pressed his forehead to Theo’s, a shy giggle escaping.
“I just wanted to. Do you?”
Theo kissed him. And this time, the two went all out, throwing their shirts and pants in the air, swearing and moaning unintelligible things. Falling off the couch, because, of course, they were too messy and stupid to forget to remember that having sex on the couch was a bad idea—for a variety of reasons. So they did it on the carpet, then in the shower, until they got to bed, a little more sober, but still, tired as fuck.
“You still owe me 20 bucks,” Liam reminded his boyfriend, who was lying next to him, one leg intertwined with his and his head on Liam’s chest, playing with the hair there. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“You’re an opportunist, Dunbar,” Theo returned. “Only want my dick and my money.”
Liam patted Theo’s head lightly.
“Oh, stop being dramatic, Raeken. I know you liked it.”
“Perhaps.”
“Uhum, okay.”
Theo laughed, although he didn’t really care, he was just happy to have Liam around in all these moments of his life. In fact, it wasn’t from today that this thought was orbiting in his mind. It had been a few years, but everything between him and Liam was still perfect. Coming from a family that hated him for the death of his older sister, their favorite daughter, Theo didn’t expect that one day he would be loved by someone else like that. He had friends, of course, great friends. But Liam... Liam wasn’t just a friend, he was everything. The sun orbiting his Earth. The yin to his yang or… some shit like that. What mattered was that Liam was special, and Theo was grateful to have him in his life all these years.
“You still there?” Liam stroked his hair and Theo closed his eyes, almost forgetting to respond.
“Partially,” he replied with a groan, and Liam’s laughter filled the room.
The lights were off and the two were under the covers, cuddled as one. Liam lying with one arm behind his head and Theo hugging him. Silence enveloped them for a moment.
Until Theo added,
“You know I love you, don’t you?”
Liam frowned and made a noise with his nose as if he was laughing.
“I’ve been your boyfriend for almost six years, Teddy.”
Theo patted Liam’s chest.
“You know what I mean.”
“Of course I love you... dumbass. On—”
“Li, will you marry me?”
Liam almost choked on his own saliva.
What?
Oh, my God!
His heart was frantic and loud, pulsing in his ears as if Liam was living this moment in slow motion. Oh, my God! What the fuck was that?! Theo asked him to marry him for real? Or was his lucidity not 100% ready for a question as serious as that? Was it an impulse or was he serious? Damn, Liam was thinking too much.
He never found out, however. When he was ready to say something,—anything!—Liam noticed that Theo’s breathing became heavy and his grip on his body became looser.
He fell asleep.
Liam was unable to answer or resolve his doubts. He knew these thoughts would consume his mind until this conversation was resumed. Either way, Liam already knew what his answer would be.