Liv, in the Moment

by Dale, Tracy

  Connor glanced at his gleaming truck. His expression had a Not On Your Life quality to it. "So what's this about Brody?"

  "You heard something other than Ana-and-You-and-Sex in there?"

  "All right, you're right, I've been a jerk, ignoring you at school. I'll make up for it. So tell me about Brody."

  Liv was a little startled by how clearly he'd seen through her tirade to the heart of the matter. "Wow, maybe there is some hope for you after all."

  "Brody."

  "There's nothing really to tell. Well, yet anyway. We have a study date this Saturday night." Was she pushing it by saying study date? But the thought of tangled fingers and charming smiles made her think, nope. "And I've noticed he's been acting different with me. Chelsea said he had said some stuff too."

  "What kind of stuff?"

  "Well he--" She knew she would blush if she had to say it. Telling Connor a guy found her attractive was not a conversation she was remotely accustomed to having.

  "He what, Liv? Tell me."

  "It's nothing. I didn't mean to make any kind of deal out of it. I thought you were asking me about it with that whole 'who do I want to fall for me', comment you ma--"

  "What did he say?" he said with startling ferocity.

  "He said I'm looking hot." Yep, she was blushing. She knew she was. "See? No big deal. Geez."

  She'd expected Connor to laugh, or at the very least, make a joking comment. But he didn't. He just stared at her for a suspended moment before finally turning away and going around to his truck. "I'll see you at school."

  They parked next to each other when they got there and walked silently onto campus. Before they met up with their friends, Liv said, "Everything okay?" When he didn't immediately respond she said, "You better tell me quick, before you get sucked into the vortex of Ana's mouth."

  Connor's dark expression slowly morphed into a smile, and then a chuckle. "You've really held back these past couple weeks, haven't you?"

  "You have no idea."

  Ana was waiting for Connor with blatant enthusiasm, while Brody kept looking at Liv as they approached. Connor had to be aware they were being watched. He had to. But just before they reached the group, he threw his arm around her neck and pulled her into his side. "Such a funny Twiglet."

  Liv froze. Ana's expression showed such naked jealousy, it actually was painful for Liv to see it. And Brody's quickly averted eyes made her feel even worse. "Uh, Connor, what are you doing?"

  "Well, there's a commercial on the radio about hugging a tree. Figured you were the next best thing, being a twig and all."

  Liv almost choked on her laughter. She shoved him away and ignored the pang of guilt she'd felt in the face of Ana's obvious suffering. She and Connor had always had fun together, so their friendship really shouldn't come as a surprise, should it?

  "Hey Brody." Connor didn't say anything to Ana but gave her a brief kiss.

  "What's up?"

  "Liv said you guys were studying this weekend."

  "Yeah." Brody seldom said much. He had the peaceful, contemplative thing down pat. Liv thought it was rather a shame he wasn't into surfing. He fit the stereotypical mold perfectly.

  "I've got a test coming up too. Mind if I join you guys?"

  "What?" Ana said. "I thought we were going out."

  "We haven't made any plans, but you can come if you want. That okay, Brody?"

  Brody didn't look at Connor when he muttered, "Fine. But my parents will be there, so you can't be all over each other."

  Connor flushed slightly. "Sure, man. Sounds good. Thanks. Looking forward to it."

  Liv stared, stunned by the turn of events, but not even remotely fooled by his sudden studiousness. He had just destroyed her first pseudo date. Deliberately. And even though she didn't know how she felt about Brody, Connor did not know that. What he did know was that the study session was not purely platonic.

  When the bell rang, Liv waited for Ana to kiss Connor goodbye before she grabbed his arm. "Why did you do that?"

  "I need to study," he said with a look of wide-eyed innocence.

  "Connor." She wasn't buying it.

  "What? I thought it would be fun--"

  "Liar."

  "Best night ever--"

  "Don't believe you."

  "The greatest time of our life--"

  "Lies."

  Connor grinned. "I'm there, Liv. I. Am. There."

  And he was. Damn him.

  * * *

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Turning Tables

  Liv wasn't quite sure what to expect when she got to Brody's, but Connor's lazily smiling face wasn't exactly it. He stood outside, leaning against the bed of his truck, arms folded across his chest in a way that she found ridiculously sexy.

  Why does he have to be so...amazing? In every way? She didn't want to be so aware of him. Didn't want to admire all the things she didn't have the right to enjoy. He's Ana's and I don't care. I DO NOT care. Now if only she didn't need to remind herself.

  She gritted her teeth at the thoughts that seemed to stalk her and parked her car at the curb.

  "What are you doing?" she said.

  "Waiting for you."

  "Where's Ana?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know. Doing chick stuff, I guess."

  "And why are you out here?"

  He tipped his head closer to hers. "I...was...waiting...fo--"

  "Don't be so annoying," she snapped. "Why didn't you meet me at my house? We could have driven over at the same time."

  "I was--ahh..." His lids lowered briefly. "I was at Ana's house before."

  "Made sure to squeeze in some action before studying, huh?"

  Connor mumbled a flustered sort of response and looked just about everywhere but at her.

  Liv clenched her teeth to stop from laughing. Or maybe growling. "Look at that." She slid her hand across his cheek. "Red as a candy apple."

  He grinned. "You are always stealing my lines."

  "I borrow. And only a few anyway. You don't have that many gems." She stepped away from him. "Shall we go inside to my no-longer-date-thanks-to-you?"

  "Sure," he said, without showing an ounce of remorse.

  She eyed his empty hands. "Gonna bring your books? Study materials? Brain?"

  "C'mon, Liv. You didn't actually think any studying was going to get done, did you?"

  "Not with you around, apparently."

  Before Liv could knock on the door, Brody opened it. He wore a tentative smile.

  "Hi Liv," he said, before he glanced at Connor. "Hey bro. Where's Ana?"

  "She didn't feel like studying."

  "Oh. So it's the three of us." Brody looked irritated. "Well, come on in. Are you guys hungry?"

  "Always," Connor said.

  "I'm not," Liv said, at the same time.

  Connor made a sound of pity. "She's on a diet."

  "Oh yeah, I forgot," Liv said. "Maybe I should key a reminder into the hood of your car."

  "Ohhh!" Brody said appreciatively. "You better watch it, man."

  "Low blow, Liv," Connor said, sounding suitably horrified.

  Brody picked up the phone. "I was gonna order a pizza."

  "Meat Lovers!" Connor said in a deep a voice.

  "Is there any other kind?" Brody said.

  Liv rolled her eyes as she set her books on the dining room table. "We're studying in here, right?"

  "Yeah."

  "Where are your parents?" Connor said.

  "They'll be home later."

  Connor didn't say anything, but Liv caught his quick scowl before he turned away. She wondered what had ticked him off.

  While they waited for the pizza, Brody and Connor played a video game. Liv studied. She thought the pizza would lure them to the dining room when it arrived, but...no. When they'd polished off the extra large Meat Lovers Supreme, Brody said, "Want to watch a movie?"

  "Hell yeah," Connor said. "What you got?"

  "I've got an action and a romantic comedy. You
know, for Liv."

  Liv closed her books and went into the living room. It had been exactly one hour since she'd opened them. Clearly neither Connor nor Brody had any intention of studying. Would the evening have gone this way had Connor not been there? Imagining being alone with Brody, without even the pretense of studying, made her suddenly glad Connor had forced his way in.

  "I vote for action," she said.

  "Me too," Brody said under his breath.

  Liv caught the double meaning, and looked quickly away.

  Connor must have caught it as well. He gave Brody a furious glare before he moved over until he was smack dab in the middle of the three-cushioned sofa.

  Liv wanted to laugh. He had just made sure Brody couldn't sit next to her. She deliberately sat down so that she was pressed uncomfortably against Connor's side.

  Connor didn't look at her for a long moment, but when he finally did, he feigned surprise. "Oh hey, Liv. I didn't know you were there."

  "Because I weigh so little, right?" She gave him an elbow jab before scooting over to give him some space.

  Liv was incredibly bored through the whole movie. She kept peeking over at Connor to see if he was as bored as she was. His gaze never strayed from the TV, but whenever she tried to peer around him to Brody, he deliberately made it impossible for her to see him by puffing out his chest every time she'd try. At least that she found entertaining. As soon as the first end credit rolled, Liv stood up. "I'd better get going, Brody. Lots to do tomorrow. Thanks for studying." Yeah right.

  "Sure. It was fun." He gave her an intent look. "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

  "Hey man," Connor said, before Liv could answer, "what happened to your parents?"

  "Huh? Oh. They'll be back later tonight."

  "Right. See ya, bro." He picked up Liv's backpack and pushed her out the door with it.

  When they reached Connor's truck, Liv said, "Are you herding me?"

  "He fuc-ah-flipping lied about his parents being there. He was totally setting you up, Liv."

  "For what? Naughty studying?"

  "Not the studying part," he muttered. "Good thing I came tonight."

  "Yeah, you really helped us with our exam."

  "Liv! Do you honestly think he had any intention of studying with you?"

  "No."

  The breath Connor had drawn in order to launch into his next tirade came out in a whoosh. "Yeah? You get that he was planning on hooking up with you tonight?"

  "Do you really think so?" She couldn't resist acting as if she found the idea tempting.

  He loomed over her. "Oh, hell, no. Don't even try to mess with me on this. I know you don't like him like that."

  Liv gave up her act. "I don't know why you care, but you're right. I don't like him that way."

  "Good."

  "Okay, what is up with you? Seriously. Why do you even care? Why are you here, for that matter?"

  He looked back at Brody's closed door. "Let's go back to your house. C'mon, I'll give you a ride."

  "What about my car?"

  "We can pick it up tomorrow."

  Liv glanced at her beloved white beauty, reluctant to leave it. But she was even more reluctant to stop talking with Connor. "Wait," she said as he went to open the passenger door. "I'm not going to find condom wrappers on the floor, am I?"

  He looked momentarily confused, but then burst out laughing. "Not in my truck, baby." Just before he shut the door he said, "Maybe on the seat though."

  Liv gasped. She half-stood and looked for anything suspicious or gross before she sat back down. When he got in she said, "I never thought I would say this--never thought it possible even--but you are worse than David."

  "No way."

  "David needs to hand the title over to you now."

  "No. You have no idea, Liv. He--"

  "Yeah, I don't really want to know. But gross, if you and Ana--just tell me it's not where I'm sitting. Please."

  "I haven't christened the truck yet. Okay?" He sounded somewhere between exasperated and amused.

  Liv snorted.

  "I really haven't! Ana's mom is always gone so we pretty much have the place to ourselves. We--"

  "I don't really want to know about that either." The words left an awkward silence. She did not want to know the intimate details. Did not want an image painted of what he did with Ana behind closed doors. "Why did you come tonight, Connor?"

  He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Just making sure someone has your back."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Look, I--" He blew out a breath. "Brody seems pretty harmless to you, right?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, I know how he talks when girls aren't around, and he's as bad as the rest of us."

  "So, you... What? Thought I couldn't take care of myself if he tried something?"

  "I know you can't."

  "Yes I can."

  "No, you can't. You are so freaking innocent, Liv. You turn bright red over the simplest things. You have no experience dealing with guys trying to get in your pants." Connor glanced at her. "See! You're blushing."

  "Well it's not exactly flattering being told no guy finds me attractive--"

  "That is not what I said."

  "You pretty much did by saying no one would ever try to...you know, with me."

  "Oh my G-- You're hot, Liv! Okay? You're hot."

  She actually giggled. "Wow, stop gushing, it's embarrassing."

  "What?" Connor's expression showed how harassed he felt. "Liv. You honestly make me want to bash my head against the steering wheel."

  "Now that I can believe."

  Connor slumped. "You don't make any sense. It's like you're talking, but you aren't actually speaking any language known to man."

  "You know, the real shocker here is that this is the first time you've seemed to experience this."

  "I'm not going to ask. I'm not going to ask. I'm not--"

  "Do you honestly always understand the way Ana feels?"

  "Here we go," he muttered. "I don't know."

  "Oh, right. I was assuming you two actually talked."

  "We talk."

  "About what, exactly?"

  "Hell, Liv, I told you just the other day how she said she was in love with me."

  "And you understood her feelings?"

  "Well," he drawled, and a mischievous grin suddenly widened his lips, "it is me she's in love with. How could I not understand that?"

  "Ah, of course. You do have the best butt, after all."

  "Exactly. She hasn't pushed me about it anymore though. Telling her how I feel, I mean. But she says it to me all the time now. And every time we're right in the middle of it she says it."

  "Way too much information."

  "Hey, you asked about feelings."

  "Figures you'd translate that to screwing around with Ana."

  "But that's when she starts talking about love. What's up with that? That's like the last thing on my mind in that particular moment."

  "Hate to break this to you, Connor, but that particular moment is often referred to as making love." She saw a grimace pass over his face. "Probably the reason for Ana's feelings."

  He shook his head. "She knows that had nothing to do with it when we started hooking up."

  "Really? You told her that?"

  "Straight to her face, Liv. Said I didn't want anything complicated and she said, 'Let's just have fun.'"

  Liv folded her arms across her chest. "Wow. That's sad."

  "Maybe on the planet you're on."

  "Either she was lying to you or she was lying to herself."

  Connor put his hand to his mouth. "Attention everyone! Doctor Liv has entered the building."

  "I'm serious! I bet she was hoping if she slept with you, you would fall in love with her."

  "Making love. Falling in love. How many of those crappy romantic movies do you watch?"

  She sighed, and then said quietly, "I don't understand how you can sleep with a girl and not
have any feelings for her."

  "I have feelings for her," he said, sounding a touch defensive. "I told you. I like her." He pulled the truck to the curb in front of Liv's house and turned to face her. "C'mon Liv, don't look at me like that."

  "Like what?" She could hardly look at him at all.

  "I'm just being honest with you. I'm not the only one like this. Most guys are. Brody is. That's why I wanted to make sure he couldn't even try anything with you. You deserve better."

  "Are you really saying I deserve better than someone like you?"

  He stared at her like she was dumb. "It took the whole car ride for you to get that?"

  Did Connor really think he wasn't good enough for her? Not that he wanted her. But if he did...

  "Liv?"

  "Well." She cleared her throat and pretended to be annoyed. "I guess it took me a minute to see how Ana saying she loves you during sex means I deserve a guy that's not like you."

  "I'm glad you finally got it," he said, sounding completely sincere. "Come on, let's go get some cookies."

  Liv shook her head but followed him inside. While he made a beeline for the kitchen, she went to the den. She greeted Dad with a kiss on top of his head then plopped onto the sofa. "Mom at Bunco?"

  "Hgm."

  "Learn your communication style from cavemen?"

  Dad turned his head and winked. "What are you guys doing here?" he said, when Connor brought in a mountain of cookies and two tall glasses of milk.

  "We finished studying." Liv accepted a glass from Connor.

  "Did you want some milk, Mr. Jones?" he said.

  "Got m'beer. I'll take a cookie though."

  "Gross," Liv said. "Cookies and beer."

  "Mark my words, Livvy. Just a matter of time 'til the ice cream companies put that one together." When Connor laughed Dad said, "Not with Ana tonight, huh?"

  "I saw her earlier."

  "Big game tomorrow. You're here, right?"

  "Absolutely." As if it had ever crossed Connor's mind not to be there.

  "Will Ana be okay with that?" Liv said.

  "I don't have to spend every waking moment with her, Liv." He sounded irritated.

  Or Saturday night, apparently.

  Or all of Sunday, it turned out. He came over first thing in the morning and stayed late into the evening. They had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. The in-between meal times were punctuated by banter, watching or talking about sports, and even cleaning. He finally did the dishes. Liv almost felt guilty because--just for the day--she delighted in having him all to herself. She didn't bother telling herself that she didn't care even once. She didn't even try to withhold her satisfaction when he never made an attempt to call Ana.