Until I Have To Go

It was nice lying next to each other while getting dry from the sun. Although Liam had to be careful not to get too much sun, because he had the typical very pale, Irish skin and was extremely sensitive to the sun. He never got any freckles though, only strong sunburns.

“Did I never tell you that I swim?”

“No. I would have remembered that.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Well, I’m generally not very athletic, and I hated the stupid team sports in school, especially rugby. Every guy in my class was older and taller than me anyway, so being the youngest and smallest guy is not a great advantage when you have to play rugby.”

“Poor you, were those big guys hard on you?” She drew on his chest with her fingertips.

“Yeah, most of the time. The worst were American football players. After two years in America I had more bruises that there are dots on a Monet painting. Americans are so competitive, it’s crazy. Until I lived there I always thought Ireland had the least civilized teenagers, but I was wrong…”

Jo chuckled. “So you preferred swimming?”

“Definitely. There was no stupid team I had to join, and I was actually pretty good at it, not like all those other sports we had to do in school. Well, there was one thing I really liked at American high schools…”

“And what’s that?”

Liam grinned. “Cheerleaders.”

“Hey!” Jo punched him in the shoulder.

“Sorry! They were probably the dumbest girls I’ve met, but those tiny skirts…”

“I can be a cheerleader if you want me to.” She climbed on his lap. “Well, not that I can jump around like that or do any of those weird moves-“

“Oh, you move just fine.” His grin grew wider. “I just remembered that one particular lap dance of yours…”

“You will always tease me for that, won’t you?”

“It was one of the cutest things you’ve ever done.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be cute! Everybody says I’m cute, and I’m tired of being cute.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“I want others, well, you to look at me like you look at those cheerleaders. When you see cheerleaders you don’t think they are cute, right?”

“No, I think they are hot.”

“Exactly. And that’s what I want you to think of me.”

“But I already do think that of you. You are hot.” He sat up and kissed her. “But you’ll always be cute as well, and I’m glad about that.”

She smiled shyly. “Really?”

“Really.” The same moment his stomach rumbled. “I’m actually hungry. After all that swimming and other…exercise.”

Jo laughed. “Yes, me too.” She climbed from his lap. “And we will do something that I always wanted to do.”

“What’s that?”

“We will order pizza and eat it on the floor, on the expensive carpet that my mother loves so much. Oh, and of course we won’t have any shoes on.” She chuckled.

“Josephine Williams, you are such a naughty girl!”

Jo grinned and looked at him. She bent down and kissed him again. “I love you Liam.” She knew that he wouldn’t say it back, but he grabbed her butt pulled her close and kissed her passionately. The knot in her towel got loose and it slipped down. Jo blushed and felt suddenly very embarrassed.

“Jo you are so cute when you are embarrassed.”

Jo kissed him once more before she picked up her towel and climbed off Liam’s lap.

“Liam? What about our clothes?” Jo looked at the pool their cloths floating in it.

Liam chuckled. “We’ll get them out later, it is not as if anyone will be mad at us.”

Not long after they were sitting in comfy jumpers and sweatpants in the big salon on the cream coloured carpet with pizza and a bottle of red wine.

“My mother would go mental if she sees us like this here.” Jo giggled, she kept looking over her shoulder.

“Relax no one is here.” Liam smiled at her. They didn’t plan on drinking the entire bottle so far the two were still sipping at their first glass.

“Liam?” Jo sounded suddenly a little nervous, Liam looked up immediately. He knew Jo and he knew when she was scared, and right now she was scared.

“Hey what’s wrong?” Liam asked gentle.

“We locked all doors and windows, right? I mean it is a big house and…” Jo’s voice broke off.

Liam crawled to Jo and kissed her. “Yes I checked every door and every window, it is all locked. You are safe here. Do you know that the last time I had red wine in this house I got drunk and started fighting with douchbag-Victor.”

Jo giggled and kissed him, his hand was slipping under her jumper. “Whoa did you had any plans for tonight you are not wearing a bra.”

Jo giggled. “Yeah I was planning to meet my Irish secret lover. I planned in making sweet love with him in the Music Room under the big grand piano.”

“Hmm nice. I’m totally into that, but first…” Liam took both their glasses –they didn’t even use the proper red wine glasses, it were normal water glasses- and moved them further away. “… first we will see how it is to make love on the expensive cream coloured carpet, which by the way is really handy for having sex on because you won’t be about to see and stains on it.”

“Ew Liam!”

Sometime later

“You know Liam if we keep doing this all summer long we will have one hell of a sporty summer.”

“Haha yes I know.”

“Hey Liam? Wanna watch a movie? In the cinema?”

“Why should we drive all the way into town to the cinema, we can explore the house.”

“We have a cinema in the house silly. Come on I show you.” Jo grabbed her jumper and sweatpants and pulled Liam alone the corridors to show him the small cinema. The screen was pretty big (and worthy being called cinema) and there were instead of seats comfortable couches, twelve of them. And in the back were so many movies it was hard to count them all.

“I know how to use the projector. You wanna watch anything? I think dad has a recording of a show in Moulin rouge.”

“Are you kidding?” He looked at her in disbelief.

“Nope.” She rummaged through the recordings and found the one she was looking for.

“First of all, this whole private cinema is insane, and secondly, Moulin Rouge? Seriously?”

“Yepp.”

“That’s crazy. But awesome!”

She giggled and sat down next to him while the movie started. “It’s so easy to make you happy.”

“And it’s so easy to make you happy.” He put his arm around her.

“But for some reason we still manage to have a complicated relationship.”

“It’s been actually pretty good the past months, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Jo nodded.

“But?”

“I just worry-“

“Oh, there it is, the ‘w-word’! Just try not to think about what might, maybe, perhaps, happen in the future, and just focus on the presence, does that sound reasonable to you?”

“ Yes…”

“Good.”

“But what if-“ She didn’t have the chance to continue because he kissed her, and it worked, she was finally quiet. She did have a few concerns about the future. She worried that many things would change when she started the new job in London, and of course, she constantly worried that something would happen to Liam, or something bad affect their relationship. Her mind never stopped worrying, but Liam was right, she had to focus on the here and now rather than the ‘what if’ all the time.

“Man, those women…”, he mumbled while his eyes were fixed on the screen. “I can’t believe we really saw them, like, in real…”

“Oh, I can believe that just fine”, Jo said. “You seriously traumatized me when I realized where we were. What normal boy takes his girlfriend to the Moulin Rouge, out of those thousand other places one might visit in Paris when you’re on a date? You could have taken me to a brothel as well, wouldn’t have made much difference. Something is really wrong with you…” She ran her fingers through his hair. “You little freak.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy the show.” He turned his head to her, a grin played around his lips. “After all, you were the hottest chick up on that stage.”

She blushed a bit. “At least I got your attention.”

“You always get my attention.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me that again when a group of beach babes passes you. Or when someone built some weird gadget thingy that you’ve never seen before.”

“Okay, okay!” He pulled her close. “I admit, I may not be the most attentive person…”

“Oh, he admits it!”

“I know that I get very easily distracted, but there’s no one or nothing that distracts me as well as you do.”

“And I take that as a compliment?”

“Oh yes!” He kissed her head.

An hour later, after Liam admired the women on the screen but at the same time made sure that Jo didn’t feel left out, the recording ended. He looked down at Jo and realized that she had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. He was tired as well, although he didn’t want to be, but the day had been long and rather active, and he couldn’t help but feel tired and a bit exhausted. It didn’t take much longer until he fell asleep, right next to Jo.

Liam woke up early, he turned around and tried to find Jo without opening his eyes, but he was alone on the couch. It couldn’t be that late that Jo was already up. He turned around, the clock at the wall showed that it wasn’t even seven yet. Where the hell could his girlfriend be at this time of the day? It was still in the middle of the night in her opinion. He chuckled, his girlfriend never mind staying up late but getting up early was a form of torture in her eyes. Liam got up and wandered through the corridors to find his girlfriend, when he suddenly heard soft tunes out of the music salon. He opened quietly the door and smiled at his girlfriend. Jo didn’t see him and she was lost in her composing, her hair was messy and she looked tired but somehow happy.
She took a deep breath, looked at the music sheet on the piano and started from the beginning. Liam could read the title of the song.



A universe for you.

“That is beautiful.” He whispered, Jo jumped up and looked scared at him.

“You are not supposed to be here. What are you up so early?” Jo looked at the clock on the mantel piece. It was shortly after seven o’clock. Jo blushed, she felt embarrassed. She had written all night on this song. She planned to ask Graham if he could help her to record it for Liam and give it him as a Christmas present.

“It’s my normal time to wake up”, he said. “I’m just surprised to see you up so early this morning. Did Teddy wake you up?”

Jo didn’t want to admit that she had spent most of the night composing this song, because he would worry that she didn’t get enough sleep.
“No, I woke up a couple of hours ago. I felt very creative today”, she replied and got up. She didn’t want to give away any more of the surprise than he already knew. She hoped he wouldn’t start asking about the song she just played, she was a very bad liar and didn’t know what to answer him if he asked her where she got that song from. Luckily for her he was more concerned with the fact that she got up so early.

“Do you want to go back to bed? I can walk Teddy and make breakfast, so when you wake up-“

“No, that’s fine.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m not tired at all. I’ll just get changed and ready, my hair is a mess.”

“I like it messy”, he said with a grin.

“Right back at you”, she replied giggling.

After they were dressed and ready to go, she got Teddy and went outside. It was still a little chilly, but it would get warm later. At least the sun was shining and warmed their faces. The entire land around Waterfall Downs was huge and seemed almost never-ending. After they had walked for a while they approached a little English cottage. Around the cottage the grass was so neatly trimmed that it looked like someone had cut each individual blade of grass with tiny scissors.

“Who lives here? The Garden Fairy?” Liam looked around.

Jo laughed. “Almost. This is the property of Glen.”

“Who’s Glen?”

“I’ve told you about him.”

“No, you haven’t.”

“Really? Well, he’s in charge of the entire plot of land that belongs to Waterfall Downs. He’s like ancient, and he’s called ‘The Master of the Gardens’.”

Liam stared at her in disbelief for a moment, but then burst into laughter. “Seriously? The Master of the Gardens?”

“Don’t be so loud, he could hear you. Oh no!”

“What?”

“Teddy!”

The two watched the little dog taking a dump on the neatly trimmed grass of Glen’s garden.
“Oh God, no!” Jo looked nervous, while Liam didn’t stop laughing. “Stop it, he’s going to kill us when he sees that! We have to take Teddy and get out of here as quickly as possible, before…what are you doing?” Her eyes followed Liam who just walked up to the front door of the house. The door was open and he peeked inside.

“Come back!”, Jo hissed.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“No! We have to get out of here before he knows that it was us who let our dog running around on his perfect grass and-“ She held her breath when she saw that her boyfriend just walked in. “Dammit!” She walked to the door and shook her head. “Oh Liam, sometimes you’re just impossible!” She put a leash around Teddy’s neck and tied him next to the door so he wouldn’t run away, then she followed Liam.
“Liam?”, she whispered nervously.

“Jo, check it out.”

“What?” She appeared next to him, looking at the old man who just sat in his arm chair, staring into nothingness.

“That’s Glen.”

“I think he’s dead.”

“What?”

“He’s not moving. He’s not even blinking.”

“Oh God…” Jo looked nervously from Liam to the old man.

“I’ll be right back”, Liam said, turned around and walked outside, but came back before Jo had the chance to start panicking.

“What are you doing with this?” She eyed the stick in his hand suspiciously.

“I just want to see if he’s really dead.” Liam approached the old man slowly.

“You’re not going to poke him with a stick, Liam!”

He didn’t pay much attention to her, he carefully stretched his arm and poked Glen’s shoulder.
The same moment the old man startled, his eyes widened, and he made a weird sound, almost as if he was suffocating.
Jo cried out, and Liam himself startled so much that he dropped the stick and both stormed out of the house, right behind one of the huge bushes.

“Shit, he was alive!” Liam took a deep breath. “He bloody scared me!”

“I almost got a heart attack! Why did you have to poke him with a stick, you idiot?”

“Sorry, I just wanted to see if he was dead- which he obviously wasn’t.”

“Oh no, Teddy!”

“What’s with Teddy?”

“He’s still in front of the door.” Jo looked at Liam who shook his head.

“No, I’m not going back there.”

“Liam you get the dog!”

“No!”

“Yes! You were the one who walked into Glen’s house and poked him with the stick, so you get Teddy back.”

Liam sighed and got up. He felt stupid being afraid of the old man, especially since his girlfriend was watching him. He quickly ran to the door, untied Teddy, grabbed the dog and ran to the bushes again.
“Okay, now let’s get out of here!”

Jo giggled, took Liam’s hand and pulled him away. They heard Glen. “Who the bloody hell shit on my grass?”

Jo and Liam exploded in laughter, while they were running back to the house.

“Hey Liam, there are so many rooms left we have to discover together.” Jo grinned dirty at her boyfriend.
Liam turned around and looked at his girlfriend. “Really? You know I always thought those very official long boring dinners organized by your mother should have a nice distraction.”

Jo giggled. “My mom would be furious if she knows what we are about to do.”

“That’s part of the fun.” Liam unleashed Teddy and pulled Jo into the dining hall, his hands roaming over his girlfriend’s body and their clothes flying to the floor. They would never look at the dining hall in the same way as they did before, and Liam will feel maybe a little bit more comfortable sitting in the dining hall he had sex with his girlfriend under the table.

“Oh my God, kids seriously…?” Lorelai’s voice came shocked from the door.

“Oh shit, Lor. What are you doing here?” Jo tried to get up and hit her head hard at the table. “Ouch!”

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see this.” Lorelai was covering her eyes. “Can you please get dressed?”

“Lorelai get out. Please.” Jo begged her cousin.

“Fine.” Lorelai turned around and closed the door behind her.

Jo fell back on the floor. “I can’t believe Lorelai caught us. She saw us doing it in the dining hall.” Jo looked miserable at Liam she covered herself with her arm. Silent tears were running down her cheeks. “This is so embarrassing.”

Okay, it really was embarrassing at first when Lorelai walked in and caught the two literally in the middle of the act. But while Jo started crying, Liam suddenly calmed down again. He did not only calm down, he actually started to get all sort of ideas in his head. And Jo noticed it. Jo noticed that something was going on with him, but she was too embarrassed and upset and busy putting her clothes back on.

“Why are you crying?”, Liam asked, way too calm.

“God, Liam, you know how embarrassing that is? I never felt so ashamed!” Jo’s cheeks were flushed.

“You know…we could ask her if she wants to join us.”

Jo flashed him a furious look.

“Just kidding!”, he quickly said before she could wrap her hands around his throat and strangle him.

“You did not just say this!”

“It was just a joke…” He laughed nervously. Maybe it wasn’t really a joke, just a thought that he had better kept to himself. Jo looked like she was going to rip his head off.
“Really, Jo. Just…get dressed and forget what I said.” He looked for his pants and shirt, but as soon as he turned away from her he had to bite his lip so he wouldn’t start laughing.

“This is just so messed up!” Jo wiped off the tears on her cheeks. “This is so…God, how can I even look at her now? And you could at least pretend to be a little embarrassed!”

“Well, would you rather want your parents to march in and see us? That would have been way more embarrassing!”

“I know, but this whole situation is still embarrassing enough, and I can’t believe you’re so freaking calm about it!”

Liam pulled the shirt over his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Well…it’s not like she hasn’t seen me naked before…”

“Okay! That’s it!” Jo shook her head and got up from under the table.

“That’s what?”

“I need a moment to myself before I start talking to you again.”

“What?” Liam seemed a bit confused. He got up as well, but Jo crossed her arms and ignored him.

“Why are you so upset?”

“I’m not.” She didn’t even look at him.

“You’re not?”

“Just don’t talk to me for the next ten minutes, okay? Just…stay here and I’ll go to my cousin and apologize that she had to see…us.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

Jo took a deep breath. “You know what you said, Liam. Now think about it, and I’ll talk to you again when I’m sure that you won’t say any more about… God, there are just some things you’re not supposed to talk about, okay?” She turned her back on him and walked out of the room to find Lorelai. Liam just stared confused at the door. What was that about again? Sometimes he just didn’t get Jo. Or girls. Yeah, actually he didn’t get girls in general.

Jo marched out of the dining hall and found Lorelai in the small Salon.

“Lor… I… so… sorry.” Jo just started crying again when she saw Lorelai. Her cousin was a beautiful as ever.

“Hey, hey baby, come here. Trust me it was not anything I really wanted to see but it wasn’t that bad. I mean you and Liam you look nice together not that I watched you a very long time. And…”

“Lor he suggested that you join us.” Jo hugged her cousin tight and hid her face in Lor’s chest. “How can he suggest this? You of all people, for one thing you are married and second you are… this super sexy woman with whom I never can compete.”

“Sweetie I told you a million times that I don’t see him like that.”

“I know, but he still has you on this podium and then you see us and he suggests you should join us.”

“Okay Sweetie, listen you go and make dinner while I’ll talk to Liam.” Lorelai kissed her little cousin on the cheek and went to find Liam. She found him still in the dining hall.

“Liam! Seriously! You suggested having a threesome with me and Jo? Are you fucking insane? You know that Jo is insecure about how different she and I look, you can’t tell her you want a threesome with me. How would you feel if she would have told you she wants a threesome with you and Victor? Liam seriously sometimes you have to think first before you speak and sometimes you have to lie to make other people happy. You can’t hurt her like this. Because know she looks at herself now and wishes she would look like a girl that you like to look at.” Lorelai was really angry and looked reproachfully at Liam. “I thought you are smart?”

Liam finally got what all the fuss was about. He really had no clue until Lorelai directly confronted him. And that woman was not only beautiful and hot, she was freaking intimidating too, especially when she felt like a boy crushed her little cousin’s heart- and as always, he happened to be that boy.

“What? No! I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Oh yeah?” She crossed her arms.

“It was just a joke.”

“You’re jokes are often very inappropriate, young man, and you know that!”

“Actually, I don’t.” His eyes wandered to the window. “Jo takes most of it way too seriously.”

Lorelai rolled her eyes. “Goddammit, I thought you have learned from your mistakes in the past year! You know how insecure Jo gets when it comes to her looks, and the fact that you keep talking about me, even if it’s only a joke, doesn’t help her at all.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s Jo you have to apologize to, not me. It wouldn’t hurt if you put a little more effort into making her feel valued and loved. I understand that you have difficulties telling her that you love her, some men do, and I have to accept that, but you can at least try to make her feel appreciated.”

“But I appreciate her-“

“Then make it more obvious and stop talking about other women!”

“But-“

“There is no ‘but’!”

Liam looked at Lorelai. She would have made one hell of a great lawyer. A very sexy lawyer…ah, stop picturing her in a lawyer outfit!

“I…um…” He cleared his throat. “I really appreciate her, you have to believe me.”

“Then stop staring at my boobs.”

“I’m not…I…um…” He stared at the floor.

“Liam, do you think your mother would have wanted her son to grow into a man who objectifies women and treats them disrespectfully?”

That stopped him cold. He didn’t even want to argue with her, because she was right.

“Well, I know that you don’t treat Jo disrespectfully, but making inappropriate jokes and talking about other women doesn’t show much respect towards her either. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Liam nodded quietly.

“Good. I don’t expect you to shower her with gifts and flowers to show your appreciation. Just don’t make her feel like she has to complete with other women all the time, and you know, it wouldn’t hurt if you say one or two nice words once in a while…” Lorelai looked friendlier than before. “You still have to learn so much when it comes to women.”

“I told Jo from the beginning that I might not be the boyfriend type…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course you’re the boyfriend type!”, she said. “And now go to your girlfriend and talk to her.”

Liam didn’t wait any longer, he looked for Jo and found her in the kitchen preparing dinner. She didn’t look up when he came in, not even when he appeared next to her.

“I’m sorry, Jo. You know that it was a joke, right?”

She didn’t react.

“I really wasn’t serious about it.”

Jo shrugged her shoulders, still ignoring him. “Whatever.”

“Jo, seriously. You know how much you mean to me…”

She was cutting the carrots so aggressively that Liam feared he was the next object that was acquainted to the knife in her hand.

“You put Lorelai on a pedestal, and that’s where she will always be.”

“So, who the hell cares if she’s on a bloody pedestal if you’re the one who’s in my heart?”
Wow, where did that come from?

Jo stopped cutting the carrot and starred at it. Her hands were shaking. “Liam why are you sometimes the biggest jerk when you don’t think and then other times when you don’t think you say those cute things.”

Liam took the knife out of her hand and pulled into a hug.

“You know you are my only girl don’t you?” Liam whispered in Jo’s hair. “Man your hair is getting long.”

Jo giggled and looked up at him. “I love you, even when you are the biggest jerk. Just no more threesome jokes anymore, okay?”
Liam chuckled. “Okay.”

A few days later they had invited Ricky to come over to have a little pool party and barbeque with the two teenagers.

“Liam? We have to act normal around Ricky and not as if we saw him and Alfie do um you know. He is our friend. So we act around him normally.”

Jo blushed she felt rather awkward trying very hard not to remember what she had seen at the graduation. “Alfie won’t be here and we know Ricky, there is nothing new. Also we have everything for cocktails we can make some, and go swimming and have a fun night.”

Jo looked at her boyfriend. “You’re going to act normal around him, you hear me?”

“What makes you think I won’t act normal around him?”

“Ahem…because I know you. And don’t you even think about making any inappropriate jokes or remarks about…um…you know.”

“Relax, I’m not going to say anything about…could we just stop talking about…um…”

“Yeah, good idea!” She nodded and they went into the kitchen where Jo got everything they needed for the barbeque. While Jo started to prepare everything, Liam already tried some of the alcohol secretly, but Jo noticed it.
“Hey, you’re not getting drunk, are you?”

“No, I was just…testing if the stuff is alright.”

“You know you have a low tolerance to alcohol, so don’t start already or you’ll pass out by the time Ricky comes here.”

“Says the person who isn’t even allowed to drink alcohol…”

“I won’t drink much, just have a few sips.” She took away the glass in Liam’s hand. “And now stop with the alcohol and set the table next to the pool.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded obediently and went outside. He was actually starting to feel a bit tipsy already, but he didn’t tell Jo, although it was not hard to notice when he was slightly drunk, because then he talked even more than usual. While he was busy setting the table, she went upstairs to get changed. After she put on a nice, simple summer dress she looked at her reflection in the mirror for a while and thought about how much her boyfriend admired women with feminine figures, and she felt like a little girl compared to them. She wanted him to be attracted by her, but she doubted that he was, not when she looked like a little girl. She felt stupid doing this, but she longed so much for his attention that she actually stuffed her bra with some sort of kerchief she would usually wear around her neck. It looked a bit strange, but she didn’t care, she just hoped she would get his attention. When she went back outside he looked up briefly, and it was obvious what he was staring at, but then he asked: “Is that a new dress?”
She wanted to reply something, but the same moment Ricky arrived, and Jo greeted him as always friendly and hugged him, but this time Liam- in is slightly tipsy state- hugged him too.
“Hey, Ricky, man, so nice to see you!” He almost squeezed him to death while Ricky blushed so hard that there was no way he could hide it.

“Wow, easy there…” Jo grabbed Liam’s arm and laughed nervously. “You don’t want to kill the poor boy, right?” She threw him a ‘what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you’-glance, and then quickly turned to Ricky. “Liam had a few sips of alcohol already, although I specifically told him not to.”

“That’s okay.” Ricky’s cheeks were still flushed, and Liam only grinned goofily. Jo managed to keep him quiet while she talked a bit with Ricky about his summer plans, and she tried to avoid any subject that had to do with Alfie, because she knew she would only blush. The dinner went well, they talked and laughed a lot, and Jo could finally even laugh about the fact that Ricky’s dad walked into the hunting hut and scared the two almost to death.
After dinner they had cocktails, although Jo had really just a few sips and was way too busy making sure that Liam didn’t drink too much. But even a little was enough for him to get drunk, and when she went to the bathroom he quickly had another full glass and drank fast so that Jo wouldn’t know about it.
“Don’t tell her”, he said to Ricky, who was slightly tipsy, but still sober enough. “She doesn’t want me to get drunk.” He giggled. “As if! I don’t get drunk.”

Ricky raised his eyebrows. “Actually, I think Jo is right…”

“I’m right about what?” She came back outside and sat down next to the boys.

“Nothing.” Ricky smiled innocently.

“So, Ricky, can I ask you something?” Liam ignored Jo’s warning glance. Even when he was sober he tended to be a little too outspoken, but when he was drunk…Jo knew something was coming.

“Sure.”

“Why do you like guys?”

Jo bit her lip. “Liam, that is really not-“

“What? It’s just a question. I really want to know…” He looked at Ricky. “I mean, the best thing about a girl are her boobs, right? By the way, Jo, yours look very fine tonight…”

“Liam!”

“Anyway…”, he turned back to the other boy. “When you’re into guys, the best thing is missing and-“

“I’m so sorry, Ricky.” Jo looked apologetically at her friend, but he smiled.

“That’s okay.” He cleared his throat and looked at Liam, trying not to blush. “Well, Liam…it’s hard to explain…”

“Do you think I’m attractive?”

“Oh my God…” Jo hid behind her hands. She swore to herself never to give him any booze for the rest of their lives.

“Ahem…” Ricky blushed. “Eh…yes…”

Since Liam was more drunk than sober he reacted completely calm. “And what is attractive about me?”

Ricky drank almost the entire cocktail in his hand at one gulp.

“You don’t have to answer him”, Jo said, kicking Liam’s leg. “Ricky, do you-“

“And how does it feel to kiss a guy? I bet it’s weird”, Liam interrupted Jo.

“Um…well…”, Ricky started, but he didn’t have time to finish his sentence because Liam leaned forward and kissed him. Ricky held his breath and his eyes widened while Jo gasped in shock. Liam, however, reacted completely normal and didn’t really seem to notice how shocked the other two were.

“Hm…that’s interesting.” He looked at Jo. “It almost felt like I was kissing you.”

Jo looked shocked at her boyfriend. Liam just had kissed Ricky. Liam had kissed another person right in front of her. And then told her it almost feels like kissing her. Hey that is as if he compares sleeping with Lorelai and sleeping with her, like making a pro and contra list. Jo got up and went to the other side of the pool, when her back was to the boys she unstuffed her bra and sat down at the stepps of the pool. Her feet were in the cool water. She heard Liam sing one of his Irish songs when Ricky sat down next to her.

"Hey girl." Every other person she would be offended by being called girl, but Ricky said it more like a compliment.

"Hey." She didn't look up.

"You know that you don't have to change for Liam, right?" Ricky asked gentle.

"Can we not talk about it."

"Listen it was nice to kiss Liam, but it doesn't mean anything to him or me. For Liam it was nothing but an experiment and for me, well just the proof that I am over him. He is still good looking, but I bet you say that about John too."

"Maybe." Jo felt stupid. First Liam suggest a threesome with Lorelai then he kisses Ricky and he didn't even notice that she tried to look pretty for him. Well he did for less then a minute.

"Ricky please excuse me, but I would rather be alone right now. As I told you earlier feel free to stay overnight. You can sleep in any guestroom you like. Please lock the door when you come inside. I see you in the morning."

Ricky nodded and went back to Liam, while Jo went inside. She went in the library took her new sketchbook full with drawings of Liam and continued her drawing of his face. She tried so hard not to feel so much but sometimes Liam was simple impossible and didn't even realize that he was trashing her feelings with a huge hammer.

Ricky sat down next to Liam who obviously didn’t get what was going on. He didn’t even seem to realize that he just kissed a guy. He just sat there and looked for star constellations.

“Hey Liam, can we talk?”

“Sure.” He kept staring at the sky.

“I think you hurt Jo.”

“Why?”

“Ahm…because you kissed someone in front of her and compared it to her.”

Liam turned his head slowly towards him, and when his eyes met Ricky’s, the older boy immediately blushed. Since he had first met Liam he had wished for the day that he would kiss him, but now it felt wrong, because Liam was drunk and Jo was hurt.
“Can I…can I ask you something?” Ricky tried to stop blushing while he looked at him. “Why do you have such a hard time telling Jo that you love her?”

Liam didn’t respond. He just stared at the other boy.

“I mean, when you love someone as much as you love Jo, and I have no doubt you do, why is it so hard to tell her? I’m aware that straight guys have more difficulties showing their feelings, but even my dad, who is really not emotional at all, tells my mum that he loves her now and then. But you…If I wouldn’t know it any better I would think that you don’t want to tell her.”

There was no expression on Liam’s face, Ricky had no idea what the other boy was thinking. Now he was worried that he actually offended him or said something he shouldn’t have said. They were quiet for another moment, until Liam finally said something.

“I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“I don’t want to tell her.”

“Why? You love her, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So why don’t you want to tell her?”

Liam looked in a different direction. “Because I don’t want to lose her too…”

Ricky needed a moment to say something. “Why…why would you think you lose her? I think telling a girl you love her is just one more reason she really wants to stay with you and-“

“I lost the only two people I’ve ever said those words to. First my mum, and when I told Lorelai I loved her she freaked and walked away. I obviously loved my mum differently than Mina, and I love Jo differently than those two, but the only times I said those words to someone I lost that person. And I know I told Jo that I love her and she’s still around, but sooner or later I’ll lose her too…and that…that scares me.”

Ricky didn’t know what to say. It was the first time he had seen Liam being so personal- partly due to his drunk state, otherwise he would have never told him those things.

“Liam, I don’t think you will lose-“

“Anyway, I’ll be right back.” He got up and walked away from Ricky. Ricky didn’t follow him at first because Liam had said he would be back, but after a couple of minutes he started to worry. This property was way too big, and on top of that it was dark and he could barely see anything. He went inside to look for Jo, she needed to help him find Liam.

Jo was sitting in the library starring into nothingness.

“Hey Jo, I, um I lost Liam in the garden.” Ricky mumbled.

Jo looked up. “Great a drunk Liam on the loose. Come on lets find him before he drowns in puddle.” Jo got up and went with Ricky outside. They didn’t need long and found him sleeping in the grass, drooling. Teddy was jumping around and sniffing excited at Liam, who for some reason was only wearing his boxer-shorts. Jo giggled she saw him breath so she knew he was at least still alive.

“Liam?” Jo said loudly.

While Ricky kept a certain distance and tried not to blush because Liam wore nothing but his boxershorts, Jo bent down and grabbed his arm. “Hey, if you’re not going to wake up I’ll call a priest to wake you.”

Liam opened his eyes and looked confused at her. “Priest…what…no…”

“How are you feeling?”

“Yes.”

“Yes is not an answer.”

“I don’t want the priest to…I don’t want a priest at all!”

Jo shook her head. “There won’t be a priest, don’t worry. Can you stand up?”

He nodded and she helped him up, putting his arm around her shoulder, but he was staggering, so Ricky quickly put his other arm around his shoulder and they slowly walked inside.

“I can manage it from here”, Jo said to Ricky when they got upstairs. “Thanks.”

“If you need any help, let me know. I’ll be in the guest room at the end of the stairs.”

“Okay.” Jo just opened the door, when Liam turned around to Ricky.

“Don’t tell her, okay? What I told you…She doesn’t need to know that.”

She looked from Liam to Ricky. “I’ll see you tomorrow”, Ricky said, turned around and walked away.

“Tell me what?”, she asked Liam.

“Nothing.”

“What did you tell Ricky?”

“It’s not important.”

Jo sighed. She was tired of arguing with Liam. While he sat down on the bed she looked for a shirt of his and pulled it over his head.

“I don’t need a shirt, I’m hot.”

“You’re hot now, but you’ll be cold later”, she said. “And now lay down.”

He did what she told him, and she covered him with a thin blanket, although he was about to argue with her again that he didn’t need a blanket.
“Are you feeling okay?”, she asked.

He nodded quietly. Jo got up and turned away when he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go away…”

“I’m just getting some water for you.” She turned to him and was surprised how sad he looked at her, like a little boy whose mother just told him that she wouldn’t come back.

“Don’t leave me, Jo…”

“Liam, I’m not going anywhere, don’t worry.” She stroked his hair softly, she knew he liked that. “I’ll just get you some water, okay? I’ll be back in a minute, I promise.” She almost felt bad leaving him for that short moment, but when she came back he was already asleep.

The sun was already up when Liam opened his eyes. Jo lay next to him, still sleeping. He sat up slowly and looked around the room. He couldn’t remember much of what happened yesterday, and he definitely had a hangover.
“Oh man…”, he mumbled, and Jo woke up the same moment. She looked sleepy at him.

“You okay?”

“No. I had the worst dream ever. It was worse than the one I had when I had a fever…the one with Ricky and Alfie…God, no, this one was worse.”

“Why, what was it about?”

He hesitated for a moment before he told her. “I dreamed that I…I kissed Ricky.” He looked really uncomfortable. “I really don’t want to know what Freud would say about that. I mean, I’m so not gay, and yet I dream…stuff like that! It’s just…it’s…”

Jo couldn’t stop it, she burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing? I don’t think my dream is particularly funny…”

“Your dream? Yeah, right…”

Liam looked confused at her. Then shocked. “Oh.My.God.”
She continued laughing while he slowly regained his memory back.

“Oh my God!” He jumped up and almost stumbled over a chair. “Oh no, no, no, no!”

Jo grinned. “You remember, hm?”

“I was not…no…no way!”

“Yes way.”

“Oh gross! What did I do?!”

“Relax, Liam, it was just a kiss”, she said, still giggling. “That’s what you get from drinking too much. I specifically told you not to, but did you listen? No.”

“Just? Just?!” He looked completely freaked out. “What if he thinks I’m gay? What if I am gay? Oh God, no! I don’t want to like guys…”

“You are not gay, and he knows that.”

“I’ll become a monk! And hide in a monastery, and lock myself up there for the rest of my life and…wait, no, there are too many guys in a monastery! I’ll become a nun. I could pretend to be a girl. Yes, that’s a good plan. They wear so much, you can hardly tell if there’s a man or a woman underneath. Yeah…nun…good plan.”

Jo giggled but it still hurt that Liam had kissed someone else right in front of her and apparently he even shared a secret with Ricky.
Jo sighed and snuggled closer to Liam. “I won’t let you go in a monastery. I would miss you too much. And just so you know, it wasn’t pretty for me either. Just imagine you see me kissing someone else.”

Liam grinned by the thought of Jo kissing a girl, but Jo punched him in the shoulder and stopped his dream.

“Hey. Just think about how you kissed Ricky, pretty much like you kiss me and then you told me that kissing Ricky is just like kissing me.”

Jo tried not to let him feel how crazy jealous she was. A part of her wanted to kick Ricky out of their live, but he was their friend and it was nothing than an accident. Liam kissed his girlfriend and let her doze off a little, it was still early and Jo was tired he knew that.

“God my head hurts.” Liam mumbled into her hair. He was playing with it. It was funny he liked her short hair, but the nice thing was he could play with her longer hair.

“Liam? Promise me never again to compare me to anyone else. It was bad enough to see you kiss someone else, but you telling me that it feels the same to kiss him as if you would kiss me that broke my heart.” Jo mumbled not looking at him, her eyes weren’t even open but she had grasped his shirt
And knew she wouldn’t let go of him. She loved Liam more then she could love anyone ever in her live.
Liam looked down at his girlfriend, he felt like a piece of shit but he also felt his girlfriend trembling in his arm and that made him feel even more awful.

“Okay.” His voice was trembling, how could he hurt Jo so much? He held her close and suffered a little while longer under his hangover to torture himself.
A shy knock at the door made him look up.

“Guys are you awake and decent?” Ricky asked through the slightly opened door.

Jo mumbled she actually had fallen asleep again. Liam grinned she was such a grumpy morning sleepy head.

“Yeah we are awake.” Liam said shy considering to wake up Jo. Ricky came in with a breakfast tray, he smiled shy at Liam.

“I’m on way to work…” Ricky grinned weirdly. “… but I figured you guys need some breakfast. Lots of vitamins help with the hangover and also coffee.” He put the tray on the table and giggled when he saw Jo snuggling closer to Liam. “Don’t worry about it, I let myself out. You and Jo enjoy your togetherness. I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah have a good day.” Liam felt weird and was glad Jo was clingy and made it impossible for him to get up. Ricky smiled and left their bedroom.

“I smell pancakes.” Jo mumbled into his chest. Liam chuckled. “Yeah I can get the tray and we have breakfast in bed. How does this sound?”

“Like a perfect start for the day after the day you discovered you are partly gay.” Jo giggled a little.

((okay, I know it's totally cheesy, and I feel bad for even considering it, but this song actually fits))


“Excuse me?” Liam raised his eyebrows. “Partly gay?”

Jo chuckled. “Well, I don’t know any straight guy who would kiss another guy, so…”

“Oh, I’ll show you how straight I am”, he mumbled with a grin, bent over and kissed her rather impulsively. He wanted to go further, but he felt the headache kicking in, and was still dizzy, so he decided to gain some strength back first, since he didn’t want to pass out on her, that would look anything but manly.
When he stopped kissing her, he scrutinized her face intensely, as if he tried to study every tiny freckle around her nose.

“I can’t really remember why I said kissing Ricky is like kissing you”, he said. “But I’m pretty sure I didn’t mean it that way. I meant that kissing him didn’t feel differently to kissing a girl in general, but I never meant that it felt exactly like kissing you. Nothing feels like kissing you…” He lowered his gaze, his eyes wandered over her shirt- actually one of his shirts, but she was wearing it again, and he couldn’t stop thinking how much he liked her in his shirts. “I’m sorry I hurt you, I really didn’t mean what I said.”

Jo looked almost shyly at him. “Did you really mean it…that nothing feels like kissing me? What about…”

“Not even her”, he said, still not looking up. “Kissing someone you love for all the wrong reasons feels completely different than kissing someone you love for all the right reasons.”
He looked up slowly, his eyes meeting hers, and her heart started to race.

“Liam-”

“Anyway!” He cleared his throat, got up and turned his back on her. “I’m starving.”

Jo sighed quietly. There were only few moments when he expressed his feelings openly to her, but as soon as he did, he quickly changed the subject. But even when those moments were really short, Jo couldn’t be happier. She knew how hard it was for him to be like that, and she highly appreciated those rare moments. She knew he wasn’t as emotionally cold as he sometimes acted. He was certainly not the most sensitive person on this planet, he was far from that, but it was nice to see him now and then showing at least some feelings, especially feelings towards her.
Liam came back with the tray, and when he saw the way she looked at him he raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

She shook her head, smiling. “Nothing.”

He placed the tray on the bed, sat down and smiled back at her. “We should ask Ricky if he wants to move with us to London, that guy can cook!”

“Hey, I’m not sharing you with anyone, got it?”

“Got it.” He kissed her cheek.

Jo smiled at Liam, her eyes were sparkling and full of love. In moments like this she wondered if she deserved a boyfriend like Liam. He might not write poetry and talk a lot about his feeling but he most of the time knew how to make her feel better.

The summer went by and end of August was suddenly there. Jo and Liam were packing like crazy, not surprisingly most of Jo’s boxes were filled with books. Elizabeth had left a list of things Jo should take along, a lot of her fancy dresses and high society girl things. Jo just packed half of them. And then the big moving day was there. A big truck picked up all of the boxes, furniture and some personal memories like pictures and stuff. Jo was so excited, for the first time Jo would not be living of her parent’s money. It was a little bit scary, but she knew that they would be fine. Jo got into the passenger seat with Teddy on her lap, Liam got into the driver seat of his Jaguar.

“Ready to go?” Liam looked at Jo, to make sure she was okay. She was moving out, Jo was all grown up she was leaving home. He might wasn’t as emotional as Jo was but he knew his girlfriend and this day was a big day for her.
Jo looked through the window back at Waterfall Downs, she sighed. “Yes, it’s not like we are moving to the moon, it is just London. And I have you making sure I am safe in the big city.”

Liam leaned over kissed Jo on the cheek and started the car. “You will like London. And don’t worry you will be perfectly safe, I made sure you are.”

Their new flat was still small but at least it had now real rooms. It had a lovely bedroom, a living room with a fireplace and enough space for Jo’s desk and a small kitchen. Jo loved the flat, Teddy had his basket in the living room, right next to the small book shelf. Actually the flat looked very similar to a library and she loved it. After two days of unpacking Jo was standing in the living room hugging Liam from behind.

“Hey what do you think about the flat and us and everything?” Jo was exhausted, she must have organized thousand book in the past two days. Their new flat was close to Dick’s flat in which Liam still had his room but it was more now a laboratory. Most of Liam’s personal things were in the new flat.

Liam took a deep breath. It’s been a very hectic and exhausting week, but at least they got everything done, and that felt really good.
He liked the flat, especially the fireplace. Flats could get so cold in winter, so a fireplace was great. He didn’t tell Jo how happy he was about the fact that he was so close to his old flat and Dick again, because he worried that she wouldn’t want him to constantly go over there. But he just couldn’t help it, he felt like coming home. Of course he would spend most of his time in this new flat with Jo, but he was still glad to have more opportunities to visit Dick and do some experiments in his old room, which he wasn’t allowed to do in Jo’s flat in Oxford. He also liked the fact that Graham lived in the same city, though in the more posh area on the opposite side, but still, it was good to know that he was there. Not that Liam had planned on spending much time with him, but it was nice knowing that he wasn't that far away.
While he looked around he felt Jo’s arms around his waist.
“Hey, what do you think about the flat and us and everything?”, she asked.

“I like it a lot”, he said, answering only the first part of her question.

“I’m glad to hear that, I want you to feel comfortable.”

“Don’t worry, it’s really nice.”

“And us?”

“What about us?”

“It’s kind of a big step, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“This is the first time we moved in together”, Jo said.

“But we lived together for the past year.”

“Yes, but that was different. I already had a flat, and you moved in later. But this…” She looked around. “We did this together...”

Liam didn’t say anything for a while. Until last year he never even imagined to move in with a girlfriend, he couldn’t even imagine to ever be in a relationship like the one he had with Jo. And it was getting more serious with every day, he was aware of that. They’ve been together for over a year, they just moved into their first flat together, and he already started saving for a ring. Not that he would ever say anything to Jo about that, because he really wanted to surprise her. He actually planned to propose to her next year. The thought of proposing and marriage freaked him out a bit, after all, they were still young, but everytime he thought of the future he thought of Jo, and her only. Of course he couldn’t resist looking at beautiful women now and then, but there was nobody who meant as much to him as Jo, and he didn’t want to think about spending the rest of his life without her. He didn’t want to lose her, never.

“Liam?”

“What?” He startled, he had been completely lost in his thoughts.

“You’re so quiet. What are you thinking of?”

“Nothing”, Liam replied. As always, he was unable to tell her what he just thought, about them and their future, and especially about his feelings towards her. “Just...stuff.”

“Stuff?”

He turned around and looked at her. “I’m very glad we live so close to Dick, I haven’t seen him a while.”

Jo looked a bit disappointed. “Oh…”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to spend every day over there.” He bent down and grabbed Teddy. “But you’re okay with me spending some time there now and then, aren’t you?”

Jo looked guilty. “Oh um yes sure I don’t mind.”

She tiptoed and kissed Liam passionately.

“Teddy needs to be walked.” Liam mumbled between kisses.

“Could you do it?” Jo looked pleading at her boyfriend.

“Seriously? You promised I never…”

“Just kidding.” Jo kissed him quickly. “But do you come with me? I don’t wanna go alone.” Jo looked with doe eyes at Liam.

“Oh man when you look like this at me it is hard to say no. Come on let’s go.” Liam handed Jo her jacket and together they went to walk their dog through the night streets of London.
Jo moved closer to Liam, they were holding hands but Jo was a little nervous.

“Everything is fine.” Liam whispered.

Jo looked up at her boyfriend, she smiled. She wasn’t really scared just nervous because of the big city.

“I know.” Jo smiled shy. “In a little bit more than two weeks I’m eighteen. Liam, will you still think that I’m pretty when I’m old and wrinkly?”

Jo had worked for about two weeks in the library now, and she loved it. The good thing was, the library wasn’t that fay away from their flat, she only needed to get into the bus for fifteen minutes and was already there. She could even walk, which would take longer of course, but she decided not to, because she didn’t know London that well yet, and would certainly get lost.
On the morning of Jo’s birthday, Liam got up quietly and prepared breakfast- real breakfast, not just some lousy toast. Luckily it was a Saturday, so she didn’t have to work. In the afternoon they had to go to Waterfall Downs because her parents had prepared not only an expensive birthday party, but a ball. Liam looked so much forward to a fancy ball with filthy-rich kids and annoying old people who would ask them about his work, his parents, and his intentions for Jo. But he did it for her, and he knew that the eighteenth birthday was a special day anyway. Gee, after he turned eighteen he got one hell of a special present…Anyway. Today was Jo’s special day, and he hoped it wouldn’t end up like last year, where they almost broke up.
He came back into the bedroom with the tray and put it next to the bed. He was glad they had at least a couple of hours to themselves before they had to go to Waterfall Downs. He lay down next to her and put his arms around her.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“Hm…?” Jo blinked and slowly turned her head towards him.

“Happy birthday, princess.” He kissed her gently on the forehead. He had never called anyone princess before, but he had also never cared for a girl as much as he did for Jo, so in a way, she was his princess.

A shy smiled appeared on her face. She was still tired, but not grumpy. There was no way she could be grumpy when Liam greeted her like that, and besides, it wasn’t that early anymore, the sun was shining, and she smelled breakfast.

“You know how great it is that you’re eighteen?” Liam grinned. “Now you’re allowed to do all sort of stuff that was illegal for you just a couple of hours ago, but now it’s not anymore.”

“I’m not planning on doing anything illegal.”

“Oh, but I’m planning on doing all sorts of illegal stuff with you.” He kissed her. “Just joking.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, as if!”

He sat up and got something out of his pocket. When Jo saw the little box her heart almost stopped beating, but she quickly told herself that there was no way it was that, so she calmed down when he handed her the box. She opened it and looked at something that seemed to be a stone of some sort.
“What is it?”, she asked, hoping her question wasn’t too stupid, but since she wasn’t sure what she was looking at, she thought she would better ask.

“When I was eight and lived in Australia with my mother, I found this near the coast. It’s the piece of an old stone meteorite. So you can imagine how excited I was to find something so special. I was pretty sure it was not a stone but a real meteorite when I found it, but I went to an old man I knew very well, the only person I actually spent my time with, who was an astronomer, and hoped I would get his confirmation. He was just as excited as me to see the meteorite, and he told me that due to its value I should usually give it to an academic institution, since they do important researches and if I find something as important as a meteorite it should be available for scientists to make further studies.” Liam looked at the meteorite in the box. “However, then he said that I should keep it and tell nobody about it, because it’s something very special, and as such I should always look at it in the future until…” He slowly looked up to Jo who was listening with great interest. “Until I meet someone even more special than that meteorite, and then I should give that very special person this very special gift.”

Jo just looked at him, unable to say something.

“Well, back then I was only eight, and I didn’t really think of a ‘special person’ I would meet in the future, and since I loved nothing more than stars, I was determined to always keep it. I had no idea that one day, sometime in the future, there would actually be something, or someone, who means more to me than the stars. So, Yvaine…”, he said, smiling. “You’re the special one to whom I give the meteorite. The eight year old boy would have killed me for that…” He hoped she liked the present, she seemed literally speechless. “And don’t you dare give this to a special person you meet sometime in the future, it’s yours, and yours only.”

Jo starred at the stone… meteorite thing. Liam looked at her expecting to hear what she thought about his present. Suddenly she felt tears on her cheeks.

“Whoa. I thought you like the stone. I’m sorry I get you a better present.” Liam was about to take the little box out of her hand when Jo pressed it hard against her chest. “No!”

Liam looked surprised at her.

“Don’t you dare to take my sky stone away. It is special… I… okay I didn’t understand it really is expect that it is a stone that fell from the sky and that I love my sky stone.” Jo looked offended at Liam. Her boyfriend chuckled. She couldn't explain it, but this stone was the most valuable present she ever got from anyone.

“I can explain it again, if you want.” Liam tried, but Jo shook her head and kissed him. She turned around put her sky stone on her nightstand before she pulled of his shirt over his head.

“Do you realise that from now on it is allowed to do this.” Jo kissed first Liam and then checked if he still tasted the same as he did last night.

“Mh Jo, the breakfast is getting cold.” He moaned. “You know what I can make new breakfast.”

Jo grinned and nodded. “Good idea.” Jo crawled back up. “This birthday is perfect, as long you are around.”

“Then let make sure you remember that I am.” Jo giggled.

“Mmh sex before breakfast, and a sky rock on my nightstand.”

Later that day Liam and Jo got in the car and for the first time Jo was driving, well okay she drove the Jaguar for the first time legally. Elizabeth hugged her daughter and to his surprise Liam as well, just before she dragged Jo up to her room to get her daughter ready for the big ball. Jo wasn’t as excited as she always thought she would be, at least not for the entire ball she was looking forward to see Liam’s look on his face when she walked down the stairs in her fancy dress. Elizabeth decorated her daughter with the family heirloom diamonds and had fake hair braid into her hair.

“Mother is this really necessary?”

“Josephine, there are hundreds of guest expecting you to look a certain way. There all set. You can go downstairs.” Elizabeth was calm, and she looked happy.

“Thank you, mother. Do you know where Liam is?”

“He is staying in the blue guest room. But I think he saw him already downstairs waiting for you. He seems to be nervous without you.”

“Yeah all the money makes him nervous.”

“There is no need to worry.” Elizabeth looked friendly, she is not a smiling person.

Jo smiled hugged her mother and went downstairs. She ran into one of the maids. “Hey can you do me a favour? Go and find my boyfriend and make sure he is standing at the bottom of the stairs and is the first one seeing me.”

“Yes Miss!” The maid dropped a curtsey and went to find Liam. It didn’t take her long, he was with John and Lorelai in the garden. “Mister O’Doherty, Miss Josephine is ready and she hopes to see you at the bottom at the stair when she comes downstairs. I think she is nervous.”

“That wouldn’t be the first time my dear cousin is nervous about being the centre of attention”, Lorelai said, turning to Liam. “You make sure she feels comfortable, got it?”

Liam nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He followed the maid inside and waited at the bottom of the stairs. He started to tug his suit because it was kind of uncomfortable, but he got used to the fact that he had to wear those ridiculous suit almost everytime they went to Waterfall Downs. He remembered how nice it was to be at Waterfall Downs and wear casual clothes or no clothes at all for that matter… He really missed those relaxing summer weeks.
Liam sighed and looked up the stairs. The same moment Jo appeared and smiled shyly at him. He just stared at her as if she was a creature from a different planet, or a new star constellation that he had never seen before.

“I’m sorry you had to wait for me, but I really don’t want to go to all those people by myself.” She walked down slowly and tried not to trip over her dress. She had to wear high heels, which she wasn’t used to, and even though the heels weren’t enormously high, it was still difficult for her to walk in those shoes with trying to look elegant at the same time. She wondered how Lorelai managed it to walk so confident in her high heels, there was no way Jo would ever be able to do that. Liam still stared at her without saying anything, not even when she arrived at the bottom of the stairs and took his hand.
“You look very nice”, she said and kissed him on the cheek. “So, what do you think? Do I look stupid? With the hair and the jewellery and…well, I know my mum overdid it a little.”

“You…um…you look…eh…like a woman…”

Jo frowned.

“Um, which is a good thing. I mean…um…I like women, so…ehm…”

“I don’t look stupid?”

“No, not at all!” He shook his head. “You look…um…intimidating…”

“Intimidating?”

“Intimidatingly beautiful.” He smiled and took her hand. “Princess Josephine.”

Jo made a face. “Ah, never call me that!” She giggled and followed him to the grand salon where all the guests were waiting. Dinner would be served soon, and the ball would start afterwards.
Before they entered the salon Liam stopped and looked at Jo.

“I hope you know that you don’t have to look like that in order to get my attention. Don’t get me wrong, you look very beautiful, but all that make-up, that hair, the fancy dress…you don’t need that. I know that you think I like it when women look like that, but when it comes to you, I think you are most beautiful in just a plain shirt and jeans, or a simple dress, like the old times before we were a couple, remember? The picnics, our endlessly long conversations about literature…” Liam smiled. “Back then I didn’t realize how beautiful you were because I was still fixed on your cousin, but there was this one time when we went out for a picnic, and the entire day I kept thinking: ‘Wow, how can a smart girl be that pretty?’ And you were completely casually dressed, no make-up, you had that cute short hair and looked so different than all the other girls…and absolutely perfect.”

Jo started to blush. “Really?”

“I wouldn’t say that it if I didn’t mean it. And you know that I’m not particularly gifted when it comes to giving compliments.” He kissed her forehead. “Now let’s go to those high society snobs and get it over with.”

Jo pulled Liam back when he wanted to open the door. “Wait.”

“What is it?” He looked at her a little worried.

Jo didn’t need to tiptoe, because of her wearing high heels which was nice for a change. “Everything is fine. I just need this…” Jo leaned forward and kissed him passionately. “Now we can go in, and just remember what we did in the Grand Salon a couple of weeks ago.”

Jo giggled, held Liam’s hand tight and opened the door. Jo wasn’t sure but it felt as if there were hundreds of people in the room. They all came to her, gave her hugs, shook her hand, gave her presents, and gave her the expected and appropriated attention; after all a girl only turns once a lifetime eighteen.
Jo was polite and thanked everyone but she made sure that Liam never was far away from her. And then there was this moment just shortly before dinner. Liam was talking with John, while Jo talked to friends of her father. She saw through the window the moon rising while the sun was setting. Liam didn’t fit in, well he did but Jo saw that he would love to be anywhere else but here. The young girl looked around at all the other guests, a world she knew so well, a world she didn’t like at all, and there not far from her was her Liam, the boy she loved more than anyone she ever had loved. And suddenly everyone in this room didn’t matter anymore, she didn’t mind all the attention and she didn’t even mind that Victor surprised her and hugged her tight. She looked over the older boys shoulder and saw Liam, he looked angry. Jo knew it was Victor he was angry at not her. Jo smiled at her boyfriend while Victor’s hand moved further down her back.

“I think you shouldn’t better let me go now. Liam doesn’t like it when you touch me.” Jo mumbled.

Victor grinned and let go of her. “So you are his little doll now?”

“No I’m not his doll, but…”

“But it is easier for to say that I don’t want you to touch her, and then if she would have to admit that you actually scare her. So if you don’t mind hand over your gift and step away from my girlfriend.” Liam said between his teeth, John was standing behind the young boy just in case Liam would start fighting again.
Victor looked from Liam to John. “And I thought you are a nice boy, but I guess I was wrong. Mister Williams should really consider if you are the right man for his daughter.”

Before Liam couldn’t do anything stupid Jo pulled him away from Victor. She hadn’t told him, but in her pocket of her dress she had the meteoroid.

“Liam! It doesn’t matter what Victor is saying. Listen, you said this stone is special.” Jo opened her hand and showed him the meteoroid. “But if you think about it, it is ugly. But that doesn’t matter. Not for me at least, it is beautiful and so special.” Jo kissed Liam, in front of all the guests. “I love you and it doesn’t matter what Victor is saying you are not bossy, and you are exactly the one I want.”

Jo smiled shy at him, looked once more at her sky stone and put it back safe into her pocket. “Thank you so much for this stone, it means so much to me. You know sometimes I’m really sad that you don’t tell me that you love me, but this stone… I can touch your love now. It is not just a word anymore. It is more, it is everything.”

The two teenagers looked into each other’s eyes, not noticing that the other guest went into the dining room. They only saw each other.

While Liam looked at Jo, it was like he was seeing her at her summer concert again, that night when he realized he had fallen for her. That night when he actually really saw her for the first time, although they had met a couple of weeks before, but he never really saw her until that night. And that night truly changed everything. When he was younger he was never interested in love. Sure, he was interested in girls, but not in love. Love was something that couldn’t be explained by science, and therefore he didn’t really care about it. He remembered that one embarrassing conversation he had with his mother when he was about twelve, and she had found a certain magazine between his books. She was very calm about it and tried to have ‘the talk’, and for him it was incredibly awkward because he really didn’t want to talk with a woman about that, even if he got along well with his mother. She then asked him if there was a particular girl he liked, and he said no, and when she asked him if he had ever been in love, he said he never will be, because it’s a ridiculous emotion that he thought was most unnecessary and overrated. His mother was quiet for a moment and just looked at him, until she said: ‘One day you’ll find out that love is more important than science.’
Liam thought she was wrong. He told her that nothing in this world would ever convince him that there is something that is more important than science. She just smiled, kissed him on the forehead and wished him a good night.
Looking at Jo now, at this very moment, he remembered that particular conversation, and as always, his mum was right.

“What?”, Jo asked when he started to smile.

“Nothing. I just had to think of something…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt…” Colin appeared next to them with a friendly smile. “But would you mind terribly if you join us?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, father, we were distracted.”

“I can see that.” Colin laughed. “Anyway, the dinner starts any moment, and I think the guests would like to see the reason why they came…” He looked at his daughter and went into the dining room. Jo and Liam followed him and sat down next to each other. Jo slowly got used to all the people staring at her, not that she would like it, but being next to Liam made her more comfortable.
Colin made a toast and Jo smiled shyly as he said how proud he was of his daughter. Liam squeezed her hand gently under the table and ignored the other people, especially Victor. He had only eyes for the girl next to him, whose hand he was holding.
After Colin was done with the speech, the first course was served.

“I’m glad you like the meteorite”, he whispered while the maids placed the plates in front of them.

“It’s going to be my lucky charm from now on.”

“I don’t believe in luck, but if-“

“Excuse me? How can you not believe in luck, Mr Patriotic-Irish-Man? Your people basically invented that word.”

Liam grinned. “Yeah, and if you check the dictionary for the word ‘drunkard’, you’ll find a picture of my people as well.”

“You still have to take me there.”

“Where? To Ireland?”

“Yes! It’s so close to England and I’ve never been there.”

“Aren’t you scared that fairies will abduct you? I mean, your Aunt Millicent knows of their existence and if I were you I’d be very scared…”

Jo kicked him under the table. “Idiot”, she said and was about to kiss him, when she noticed the strict look of her mother who observed her carefully, so she quickly looked at her plate.

“And you sure I have to participate in that dreadful ball dancing after dinner?”, Liam asked.

“Yes, unless you want to watch me dance with other guys because you backed out.”

“No way!”

Jo chuckled. “You’re very cute when you get jealous.”

“Cute?” Liam frowned. “Guys don’t want to be cute.”

“What do you want me to say?” She grinned. “That you’re strong and manly?”

He sighed. “Guess that description doesn’t really fit…”

“Which is good”, she said. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”