Arvid returned to Strasbourg and Thomas disappeared out of Liv's life again. In comparison to the feeling Arvid left behind when he had gone, the one Thomas left was much more unnerving and vexing. Still, weeks later, she could start to think about how he had kissed her and touched her and feel heat rising to her cheeks and something drop inside her chest and stomach.
It's just a crush, it'll go away, she made herself think. Even so, she knew she didn't want it to go away. Sure, it was torture but it was an exhilarating kind of torture.
He was on her mind next to all the time and for some, very much annoying reason, Wilma had started to talk about him a lot, making Liv suspect that she had developed a crush on him. Over and over again Wilma would pry Melvin for details about the evening the previous autumn, when Thomas had been at Liv's place at the same time as Melvin. When he retold the story of how Thomas had come across as cold and rather murderous, she looked delighted and smiled at Liv.
"I know it's old and probably sexist but being overprotective still sells, man...", she sighed.
Wilma had had a couple of boyfriends before - all of them the difficult, ruthless type. Older guys with whom she always seemed to develop more of a motherly relationship with. In the end they always started to use her in one way or another and Liv had to do everything in her might to convince Wilma to break it off. It was a pity, really, seeing as Liv thought Wilma the closest thing to an angel she had ever come near, both in behavior and looks.
Wilma's hair was lighter, almost platinum, and curlier than Liv's, coming down just to her shoulders, and her skin was always naturally tan and glowing somehow. Paired with her inability to ever be even the slightest bit mean or cynical, she was what Liv would define as a catch.
"Know what? You'd actually be great together", Liv said, ignoring the physical pain it caused her to utter those words, "You two are honestly the sweetest people I know."
"Trying not to hear that..."
Melvin had walked up to them and looked crossly at Liv who just smiled and squinted at him.
"Can we get out some night soon? I need...", she stopped herself before saying "to get my mind of my brother's best friend" and opted instead for "to forget about school for a while".
"Totally. There's actually this thing tomorrow night at the Alvik-cliffs", Melvin said, "Only the thing is..."
"Yeah what?"
"Alice is the one organizing it and you guys are sort of... not very close I guess."
"Got that right...", Liv muttered and looked down at her feet.
No one, except for Wilma, knew about why Liv didn't hang out with Alice anymore and Liv intended to keep it that way. It had been weird, when the semester started and Wilma had gone back and fourth between Alice and Liv for a couple of weeks. Then Alice started to spend time with some girls from the year ahead instead, and Liv had gotten closer with Melvin and so everything had kind of resolved itself as best as it could.
"We'll come!", Wilma cheered, "I'll ask her if it's okay."
"Honestly I don't kn...", Liv begun but Wilma had already run off towards Alice.
The night turned out to be the opposite of what she had needed. When they arrived most of the people present were already severely wasted, Alice perhaps taking the cake. Apparently she was so drunk she even talked to Liv, which was saying a lot.
"Hi there old besties", she garbled upon seeing Wilma and Liv and tottered up to them, stumbling over the uneven, cliff terrain.
Wilma put her arms around her and supported her, raising her eyebrows at Liv.
"Didn't miss this part of our friendship", Liv mumbled and rolled her eyes.
"Be nice", Wilma mumbled and patted Alice's messy brown hair.
Then Alice threw up all over Wilma just as Melvin walked up to them.
"Shit. Now that's a welcome if anything", he laughed but stopped when he saw that Alice's head fell down to her chest and that Wilma and Liv practically had to hold her upright.
"Hey, Alice! Stand up straight for us, won't you?", he added, looking mildly concerned, "She was with some guys when I came, never seen them before."
A bit further down the cliffs a group of boys, clearly older than they were, leered up at them and yelled some inaudible things.
"Give it back here", Liv thought she perceived and unconsciously tightened her grip around Alice.
"We should call someone", Wilma stated, cringing away from her vomit-drenched clothes, "It's either we leave or I'm skinny dipping in front of those guys to get this off me. And I can't get on the bus like this either."
"Maybe her mom", suggested Liv and got a startled look from Wilma.
"No way! You'd want your mom involved if you were in this state?"
Before she could answer Melvin picked up his phone and nodded at them.
"I know just who to call", he said, slurring a little and walked off a bit.
A few minutes later he came back with a wry smile.
"Help is on the way! Oh and so is Wilma's future husband."
When she realized Liv's eyes widened.
"No! Tell me you did n... You don't have his number."
"Google Thomas Nielsen 23 and you get his address and everything", Melvin smiled triumphantly, "Luckily he picked up too."
"Please tell me you're joking", she asked despite already knowing.
"Oh, relax, it's just your semi-brother or whatever kinda relationship it is you entertain. There's no need to be ashamed. I just thought Wilma could use a set-up since she's talking about him constantly and..."
"Are you kidding me! I've got vomit all over me and you think this is the time for that!", Wilma chimed in.
Alice muttered something too but Liv was too upset to hear what. For weeks she had been so determined - just like Thomas wanted, needed her to be, and now it was all for nothing. Every night she had lied awake, heart pounding, thinking about him, forcing herself to not even think about considering texting him. Melvin had shattered everything with a single phone call and something stirred in her stomach when she thought about how disappointed Thomas would be in her. How desperate she would seem - to not be able to go without him for even a month.
"Honestly fuck you", she said louder than she had meant and both Melvin and Wilma stared surprised at her.
"Tell me what you said to him, exactly what you said!", she demanded and tugged at Melvin's shirt.
"Jesus, okay, calm down. I just said there were some drunk damsels in distress here in need of a sober knight with a shining drivers license."
"It's not totally off, Liv", Wilma said softly, "We do need help. Help from someone who's not our parents."
"I'm just not on the best of terms with him at the moment", she wearily attempted to explain and made a conscious effort to not start swearing out loud.
Then she hopefully called him again to try and cancel it off but he did not pick up and she figured he must already be driving. Some other kids from their year had walked up to Melvin and it seemed like they were consolidating.
"We're out of here", he then informed them, "Those weird dudes down there are picking fights. Reckon you'll be okay 'til he shows up?"
"Yeah sure", Liv muttered, still too upset to look straight at him.
"Ok? Tell him hi from me!"
"Will do!", Wilma smiled and Liv shot an annoyed glare at her.
The closest parking lot was quiet far off, giving them at least a few minutes to clean themselves up, Liv figured.
"Hey, hello, Alice. Feeling any better?", she asked and shook her gently while Wilma tried to make her clothes less disgusting best she could.
"Got left behind girls?", a voice rose up from the group of guys.
Just as some of them started to climb up closer towards them Liv felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Thomas stood behind her looking worried and tired and gorgeous. Quickly she focused her gaze on the ground reminding herself of her promise to him. Before she could answer the guys roared with disappointment.
"Who's that?", they shouted.
"Our big brother!", Alice shouted back, alert all of a sudden.
She must have confused Thomas with Arvid.
"Brothers share! Brothers share! Brothers share!", the boys started to chant loudly.
"Lovely company you keep", Thomas said flatly and Liv winced at him.
"Oh, me and Liv just arrived. We didn't know they'd be here", Wilma hurried to explain.
"And this one?", he nodded towards Alice who had gone back to staring blankly in front of her.
"Those guys gave her something. We don't know what."
Thomas walked up to Alice, lifted her chin and examined her face.
"Sexy", Wilma mouthed and Liv had to agree, knowing Liv his expertise came from a childhood spent always trying to figure out what his father was on.
"And I'm guessing any involvement of parents is out of the question."
"Yes!", all three of them answered simultaneously and so he pointed towards the path that led away from the cliffs.
Because she suffered a severe case of good girl syndrome, Wilma apologized repeatedly in the car but Liv just said nothing, held back Alice's hair and dreaded whatever it was that awaited. A lesson? Disappointment? Sheer apathy?
"Thank you so much Tommy. This is so sweet of you, and we're truly sorry."
"Quit sucking up to him Wilms", Alice muttered and Wilma blushed while Thomas seemed to pretend he had not heard anything.
"You're not the one with daddy issues", she went on slurring.
What was funny, thought Liv, was that if everyone in the car would compete for most entitled to have daddy issues it would indefinitely be the driver who'd win.
"I am. And Liv. Her dad didn't really like her. So she-", she hiccuped, "Did you know... Did you know she tried to fuck my dad?"
As she felt her stomach turn to ice, Liv saw Thomas's knuckles turn white around the steering wheel. Wilma started to say something but Liv interrupted.
"She's drunk it's fine."
Still she drew back the arm she had wrapped around Alice.
The rest of the ride was completely quiet.