"...Babe, are you hungry again?"
He smiles playfully, and puts a quick kiss on my lips.
"Hungry for food, most of the time. For you? Always..."
I blush. Oh, this wolf... I slap his butt, a bit excited.
"Come on, let's get going before we both get arrested for indecency..."
"I'll get as indecent as you want with you anytime."
"Save it for the club tonight!"
"...You'll let me rip your tights?"
"No!" I laugh.
Well, he always ends up ripping them, anyway...
I’m so used to being behind Liam on the bike that I can just close my eyes and lean back, feeling the wind on my face. I hope I can get my own soon, but I know I will miss riding with him. We have taken countless rides together, whenever we can go somewhere without using a spell. Even if we had to spend hours on the bike, neither of us cared. Moreover, being able to mind-link is just great to let the other know when we need a break or to communicate anything.
“...Babe? Do you mind if we make a detour?” he suddenly asks while we’re already on the highway.
“Sure, but… where?”
“...Just some place.”
I feel like there’s something more going on, but I don’t ask anymore. I let Liam drive and decide, yet I can’t help but get more curious as we drift away from our usual path. Liam takes the next exit on the highway and rides through the streets, taking one turn after another in a neighborhood I don’t recognize. Perhaps we came here before, but it doesn’t look like the kind of place we would hang out in. It’s nothing but old residences and quiet streets. There’s only one little convenience store, an abandoned square, and a fast food restaurant. Liam slows down as we take a narrower street between the buildings… Where are we? After a couple more streets, he finally stops in front of a large residence.
There’s a “Sold” sign in front, and the entrance is barred, yet this is definitely the place. Liam doesn’t say anything for a while, simply staring at it. After a few seconds, I get off first, and he follows.
“...Do you know this… place?” I ask softly.
He lets out a long sigh and slowly takes my hand. His fingers are cold… He finally nods with a complex expression, his eyes still on that old residence.
“It was… our family’s.”
Does he mean his… childhood home? I turn my eyes to the property again, a bit stunned. I didn’t even think of that before, but the Black Brothers all once lived together, under their horrible father’s reign… I never thought about where they had actually lived. This looks like any other residence one would find in Silver City. A bit old, with red bricks, a tall black fence, three floors, and six windows facing the street.
I hold his hand a bit tighter, and Liam finally moves to go in, ignoring the sign. I follow him, neither of us talking while we push the doors in easily. Nothing is locked, but there is some tape on the doors, and signs to keep out. It looks large enough to have three or four families living there… Liam goes straight for the stairs, and I follow him. He goes to the top floor, and stares at the entry door on the right. He stands there for a few seconds, his hand holding mine.
“...Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s just… I’m not sure what I’m going to find inside, or what I’m… expecting.”
“I’ll stay with you,” I simply mutter, holding his hand with both of mine.
He slowly nods, and finally pushes the door.
It’s… surprisingly empty inside. There are only a couple of pieces of furniture, a large cardboard box in the corner, the kitchen sink, and… that’s it. It is so empty, our steps echo in the room, and even I feel a bit colder. Liam slowly looks around, a bit surprised. I wonder what he sees…
After a short while, he slowly moves to one of the rooms, his hand tightly holding on to mine. That place was… clearly meant to be a bedroom, but it’s completely empty now. Liam doesn’t step in. He only stands in the door frame, looking at that small space with a confused expression.
“It’s so…”
“Empty?”
“Small,” he scoffs. “I guess I haven’t seen this room since I was a kid, but…”
