When he opened his eyes that morning, the first thing Liam wondered was whether the sun had always been so blinding. He squeezed his eyes, untangling an arm from the sheets to cover his face. Then groaning when the movement made his stomach turn over in a way not pleasant at all.

His head was bursting, it seemed as if someone was beating him repeatedly from the inside against the right temple. Liam mentally noted that he would never again accept alcohol from Josh, or any other person in the world, to be fair.

While taking this sacred vow with himself, he pulled the blanket to cover his face and didn't have to face like this the outside world for at least a few more hours. Or at least tried . Because that didn't seem interested in cooperating.

"Liam stop fucking pulling" Theo's voice moaned somewhere behind him, sleepy but somehow already full of annoyance since early in the morning.

Liam jumped violently, because that was really the last thing he expected to hear at that moment and in that place. He whirled around just to see Theo sleeping in his bed, next to him, in his boxers . Maybe alcohol was still playing tricks on him, because really, that was surreal.

He didn't have time to figure out or question himself about this, because his stomach got badly revenge on him for his abrupt movement, the bile that climbed his throat forcefully.

Running in the bathroom was a thought that didn't even come close to him at that moment - he would be buried in shame later, when he would be sure that dying was no longer a possible risk - while he threw up on the floor leaning out of bed.

Disgusting, he thought, blinking his eyes full of tears, a grimace that tilted his lips.

He heard Theo laugh behind him, the asshole , as he slowly fell back against the mattress, humbled. "Don't laugh, you asshole" Liam muttered, his cheeks now red with shame, looking at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Hey, I told you not to drink, if you didn't want to, remember?" Theo said quietly, looking at him with a half smile on his lips.

"Actually, I think I don't remember anything at all" Liam murmured slowly, squinting, trying to put the pieces of the previous night back together. Then he finally turned to Theo, looking at him suspiciously. "Why are you in my bed?" He asked, and raised an eyebrow "And why are you in your boxers ?"

Theo rolled his eyes. "It's such a long story" he just said.

"I have all the time in the world. I'm not going to get up of here for the next five years."

"Don't be dramatic. And know that I will not clean the whole mess down there all by myself, Mr. This-is-also-my-party "

Liam groaned at the thought of the mess that could have happened downstairs. He raised his hands to rub his temples and Theo laughed again.

"I hate you" Liam mumbled, then moved his hands to cover his eyes.

"Mmh, that's not what you thought last night" Theo said, his voice suggestive as a sly smile curled his lips.

"What?! " Liam croaked in response, his voice high-pitched, widening his eyes and turning back to look at him, his stomach protesting again violently.

Theo burst out laughing at his reaction, to the point that tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "I'm kidding, you idiot" he gasped then, shaking his head

Although I wish I wasn't kidding , his mind presented him, treacherous.

Liam kept looking at Theo with his eyes wide open, his heart still throbbing against his chest at the image that Theo's sentence had formed in his mind as he waited. Waited.

Eventually Theo stopped laughing enough to talk, and looked at him. "I just dragged your very drunk ass out here, and I wanted to make sure that you didn't choke in your own vomit, you know..." Liam grimaced "-and then my room was too far away, so I stopped here" he finished, dramatically

Theo decided it was better to keep silent the other part of the story for now. Or maybe for good. Because Liam probably didn't even remember it. He was quite off his head at that time after all. Also because he wouldn't have done that if he wasn't completely drunk.

Theo bit his lip, thinking back to the way Liam had smiled at him. You are kind. The way he took his wrist, asking him to stay. And that kiss ... Theo's eyes slid over Liam's lips, at the memory. It hadn't really been a real kiss, more a light touch, almost a caress, almost non-existent, but that had done nothing but increase in Theo the physical need to feel them again, to taste them, this time for real.

He quickly brought his eyes up, before Liam noticed. Don't go there, he ordered to his mind. Don't think about it, you know it will never happen, Theo.

Liam was still looking at him waiting "That doesn't explain why you're in your underwear" he mumbled, still red in the face.

Theo rolled his eyes. "Josh made me do a striptease" he just said.

Liam stared in shock "Oh my God... you and Josh?"

"-No! Ew , I'm going to throw up too- it was the stupid dare to quit playing the stupid bottle game, remember?" Theo hastened to explain, with a grimace.

At those words, Liam's eyes widened and he looked back at the ceiling. "Oh yeah, it's true ... God, shit... I don't remember anything" he moaned desperately.

"Nothing at all?" Theo asked faltering, after a few seconds of silence.

"Complete blank since we started playing the stupid bottle game" Liam slapped his forehead. He remembered the dinner, when Mason and the others had come, parts of when they had danced, the glasses full of alcohol that were passed, the deafening music, but the rest were just confused clips.

Along with the strange feeling of having done something awkward.

"Please tell me I didn't make a fool of myself"

"No more than usual, no" Theo replied quietly. "I mean ... there could have been multiple falls, medical hypotheses of imminent death, some bizarre questions about my being kidnapped or not by some aliens-" Liam blushed mortified. What? Did he actually ask that? Theo paused and thought of probing the waters "-and a few kisses, no biggie" he concluded with nonchalance

"Kiss? What kiss?" Liam exclaimed, his eyes widening slowly, probably remembering. "Oh my god." He exclaimed a few seconds later.

Theo's heart jumped into his chest as he looked at Liam in anticipation. Did he remember it? What would he say? Theo was already regretting having brought up the subject.

"Oh my god. I ..." Liam repeated, turning to look at him flustered. "I kissed Hayden!"

Yeah, he was officially regretting having brought up the subject. Theo's heart sank rapidly as he looked back at the ceiling. He had almost forgotten about Liam and Hayden so far. "Yeah" he sighed in response.

He glanced sideways at Liam, who was nervously biting his fingernails now, his gaze lost, probably as he remembered the details, the red cheeks and the big eyes, almost shining. He forced himself to look away.

If he had told him about their kiss, Liam's reaction would not have been that at all. He probably would have been disgusted, horrified, incredulous at the idea of actually having done it. He will never have that expression so flustered and happy at the same time for you, it was something he had to accept.

Then Liam froze, with a confused expression on his face. "Wait, you said 'kisses'. Plural. Who else did I kiss?" He then asked even more in a panic. Theo turned to look at him, a smile already spreading across his face, while Liam continued to stare at him with anxious anticipation.

"You also kissed Mason"

"What?" Liam screamed as Theo burst out laughing again, falling back against the mattress.

*

After a few minutes, Theo probably decided that it was starting to be embarrassing to lie next to each other in the same bed. Although his was a large double bed and another person could have been probably fixed between them, even though Liam was under the blanket, and Theo was not, it was still awkward. Especially since Theo was almost naked, and it was difficult to avoid letting his eyes slide over his bare shoulders and his perfectly built body every time he turned to look at him. Yeah, the idiot was an asshole, but he certainly had a perfect body, he had to give it to him, not that he would ever admit it out loud. For this he was pleased when Theo announced that he was going to take a shower.

Liam cleaned the mess on the floor before he flung himself back on the bed, finding no willing in himself to get up again, let alone go downstairs. But he took his cell phone from where he had left it the night before on the nightstand and unlocked it.

It was almost 13:00. He cursed internally, and quickly checked the texts he had received. There was one of his mum who asked if everything was okay, to which he promptly replied with an affirmative message. Then he opened the chat with Mason.

Are you alive? He had written to him almost two hours before.

Liam's lips tilted into a smile as he answered. I have my doubts.
Do you remember everything?

Pieces. Knowing already where Mason wanted to get with that question, he preceded him. I remember about Hayden

Liam waited for an answer, which did not come. Because a few seconds later, Mason was calling him. "Hey dude. So how are hangovers going?" Mason chuckled from the other side of the line.

Liam snorted. "I'll tell you when I find out how to get out of bed without throwing up again."

Mason laughed. "You were so wasted, man"

"Don't tell me" Liam groaned "Please"

"I could swear I saw you greet a plant at some point"

"Oh my god" Liam covered his eyes with his hands, blushing "Are you serious?"

"Never been more serious."

"Kill me" Liam groaned, making Mason chuckle.

His laughter faded slightly as he finally brought the conversation back to the reason why he called. "Sooo .. will you talk to Hayden?"

"I don't know?" Liam said uncertain "I mean, it was just a kiss during a stupid drinking game. It doesn't mean anything."

"Kissing me during a stupid drinking game doesn't mean anything, not kissing Hayden, you've had a crush on since you were 8!" Mason said wisely.

Liam blushed, but didn't comment. "What should I do, Mase? She already got a boyfriend, a boy who once struck Theo with a knife, I'd like to remind you. I don't think it's the guy I would piss off-"

"Well I officially inform you that Hayden and Gabe are no longer together" Mason muttered dramatically.

"What? How do you know?" Liam asked right away, his heart skipping a beat.

"Yesterday Gabe changed his status on Facebook"

"Really?" Liam said deadpan "Is it still something you do?"

Mason chuckled. "Apparently yes. My status on facebook still says 'in a complicated relationship with my bed' since I was thirteen"

Liam snorted a laugh.

"So what are you going to do?"

"What should I do?"

"Call her?" Mason suggested.

"And what should I tell her? 'I'm glad the bottle made us kiss, would you like to go out with me?'?"

"Well it's the truth"

"Mason! You're not helping here."

"Just ask her out, Liam, it's very simple, it's not aerospace engineering." Liam could almost swear he sensed Mason to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"What if she says no?" Liam whined.

"Liam" Mason sighed. "She does nothing but look at you, invites you to lunch, defended you with Theo, makes excuses to talk to you all the time. She obviously likes you, so let her know that you like her too, so you will finally live happily ever after"

Liam stood for a moment contemplating brooding the ceiling, the phone still pressed against his ear. "Okay" he finally sighed.

"Okay?" Mason repeated almost not believing what he had just heard.

"I'll ask her out. Today" Liam added firmly.

"Great! Okay, well ... how?"

"I'll text her" Liam replied with a shrug. It was the simplest and most painless way. If she said no, at least it would have been less embarrassing and humiliating, right?

"Liam, I would like to remind you of what happened the last time you tried to write to Hayden about your feelings, but I feel that is not the case, since the little demon could be within earshot"

Liam rolled his eyes, finding himself suddenly holding back the strange and unusual need to defend Theo. "He's not here" but he just answered.

"That's what you think" Liam snorted a laugh. Then Mason sighed. "Okay, listen to me. Now you need to get up-"

"No-"

"Get up, take a shower, then I'll come to you and bring food, lots of food-"

"Just the idea of food disgusts me right now"

"You'll change your mind very soon. And we can play video games, as I instill in you the courage to text Hayden, because I know that otherwise you won't do it if you're alone."

Liam laughed "I'd like, Mase, but I have to help Theo clean up the house. Our parents come back tomorrow night and here is a fucking mess"

"Better yet. I will help you clean up."

"No you don't ha-"

"I want to do it, okay?" Mason insisted.

Liam sighed, too tired to protest "Okay"

"Well, now go take a shower, and please don't drown."

"I can't guarantee anything" he mumbled, making the other chuckle.

"See you later, Li"

"See you later, Mase"