She sat at the kitchen table clutching her morning coffee. The house was dead silent as all its residents were enjoying a nice lie in. She gazed up at the clock and saw that it had only just turned 7am.
A small cough pulled her gaze towards the door. Liam was making his way into the room wearing his grey t-shirt and boxer shorts. He was rubbing his neck and yawning until he spotted her sat there.
She didn't like to admit it but she was feeling slightly apprehensive around him now. Though she was glad to have shared her secret, and it honestly did feel as if a huge weight had been lifted from her, she was now scared about what he may do with this new knowledge she had given him. She understood that, to her, revealing this secret would always be a huge deal and she had every reason for wanting to keep quiet about it. But to him? There was nothing at all stopping him from telling every single person they knew, and putting that kind of trust in someone is what scared her half to death.
"Mornin', gorgeous." He smiled. He walked to the kitchen counter and flicked the kettle switch on. "Did you sleep alright?" He turned around to look at her, leaning back against the counter and resting his hands on there too.
She gave a small smile before glancing down. The contents of her mug seemingly more interesting than usual. "Like a baby." she replied.
"Liar." Liam retorted. Carla looked up at him, shocked at his abruptness. He pulled the chair out from under the table and sat opposite her. Offering a warm smile as he carried on talking.
"Come on," he said. "I know it took a lot for you t' open up t' me last night, an' I am grateful that ya did. But please, Carla, please don't start closing up on me again. I only wanna 'elp."
She stared into his eyes in an effort to psych-out his intentions. Nobody could be this kind and loving without having an ulterior motive, she thought suspiciously. Before she had a chance to say anything, the sound of the kettle clicked and Liam begrudgingly pulled away from her to make himself a brew.
"Look," Carla started. "Don't think I'm not grateful for you being there for me an' all-"
Liam sighed as he poured the water into the mug. He could already see where this was heading.
"-I just, I think it would be best if you just forgot I ever said anythin', ya know?"
Liam spun around to face her again. Carla flinched back slightly, she could see she was already starting to annoy him with this burden she had selfishly placed on him.
"That way no one gets 'urt." she concluded.
He frowned at her curiously, "Is that what you really think?"
She started squirming in her seat, clearly uncomfortable under his gaze when they were openly discussing something she had never spoken about before. She felt exposed. Just like all those times her step-father had raped her.
"Yeah," she replied.
"So, what," Liam again sat himself down as he tried to talk some sense into her. "Do you think if you keep this a secret, Frank's just gonna stop doing it?"
He watched as she swallowed back tears before her face turned stern. "Yep."
"Except you don't really believe that at all, do you?" Liam told her straight. "Me and yous both know that he's gonna keep doing it again, and again, and again, until you stand up and say enough is enough."
He watched again as this time her face screwed up and tears rolled down her cheeks. She bit her lip in an attempt to stop anymore from falling, but the truth of what Liam was saying to her was like having her guts torn out and ripped to pieces.
"What am I supposed to do then, Liam?" She cried despairingly. "I can't have people knowing, and gossiping about the dirty little slut I am."
"Oi," Liam stood up and walked around to her. He kneeled down to her level and placed a finger under her chin to gently pull her head up to look at him. The look in her eyes broke his heart as he could see the amount of shame and self-hatred she felt. He told her softly, but sternly: "None of this is your fault, do you understand?" He swallowed back his own tears as she closed her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly. "No, don't you shake your head at me Carla. I'm tellin' you the truth sweetheart. How old were you, 'ey? When it first started, how old were you?"
She choked on a sob as she pulled away from him. She stood up from the chair and started pacing the room. She ran both her hands through her hair in order to stop the flashbacks from emerging.
"No," she spoke. "We're not doing this, okay? I can't-" she was stopped mid-sentence as Liam placed his hands on hers, to stop her from pacing.
"It's alright, just calm down. I'm not gonna force you to do anythin' you don't want, alright?" He soothed. She breathed a sigh of relief before falling into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her; one hand caressing the back of her head as he gently rocked her out of her frantic state.
"Well, well, well, what's going on 'ere then?!" Rob questioned accusingly as he waltzed his way into the room.
Carla quickly wiped the tears from her eyes as she turned to face her baby brother.
"Alright, mate?" Liam replied, dismissing the accusative tone of his friend's voice.
Carla wrapped her sleeping gown around her a little tighter, "I'm just gonna go wake 'Chelle."
Rob watched on suspiciously as his sister shared a look with his friend before walking out of the room. Liam smiled and offered him a brew.
"No, thanks. I can make one meself." Rob responded.
Blimey, if looks could kill, Liam thought to himself. He half-heartedly considered asking Rob what the matter was, but his main concern was Carla at the moment. He couldn't really care less if his sister and her boyfriend had embroiled in yet another one of their tiffs.
It was now one o'clock in the afternoon and the gang were still hanging out in Carla and Rob's home. They'd been sat around in the living room for the past few hours watching television, listening to some music and just talking about anything and everything there was to talk about.
Carla sat with her back pressed into the corner of the sofa that was nearest to the wall. Her legs were crossed and she was clutching a pillow to her stomach. Michelle and Rob were curled up on the other sofa next to her, while Liam was the furthest away, he was sat in the armchair that was placed right next to the door.
Ready to make a run for it, Carla thought insecurely.
Even though there was a decent amount of distance between them, Carla still couldn't help but feel slightly suffocated in his presence. She could see and feel his eyes on her at all times, and her mind was doing overtime wondering what he was thinking about.
He knows what you are, Carla.. the voice in her head taunted. You dirty slut.
She jumped up and flung her pillow away as Michelle was half way through a sentence. They all turned to look at her.
She looked from one face to the other, all eyes were on her and she hated it. "Just gonna make meself a drink." she softly said. "Anyone else want one?" she offered.
"Oh, can ya get me a diet coke please love?" Michelle requested.
Carla gave a timid nod of her head, and made way to leave. Liam stood up as she walked past him, "I'll 'elp." he stated, and started to follow her out. Carla stopped in her tracks, rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, you're alright." she turned around to face him. "I think I can manage to get two flamin' drinks, Liam." she said with annoyance.
Liam held his hands out to placate her, "Alright." He said, and sat himself back down. Michelle and Rob were oblivious to the tension between them as they were still lying on the sofa, chattering away.
As Carla walked into the kitchen, she shut the door behind her and took a few deep breaths. Why did you 'ave to tell 'im, Carla? she mentally berated herself. Stupid, stupid girl.
She walked to the sink and grabbed two glasses from the draining board. She then removed the diet coke from the fridge and started to pour it into the glass. Just as she was about to pour the drink into the other glass, she stopped. She could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest as she thought about the vodka that was hidden in the cupboard. She turned to make sure no one had followed her into the kitchen before quickly pulling the cupboard door open and fishing around for the bottle. A rush of adrenaline raced through her as she unscrewed the cap and poured a more than generous amount of the liquid into her glass. She then quickly screwed the lid back on and shoved the half empty bottle back into its hiding place. She picked the coke bottle back up, but nearly dropped it to the floor when the kitchen door slammed open behind her. She jumped and turned to see who had startled her. Liam. It's always flamin' Liam.
"Don't you ever give up?" she spat.
"Nope." he smiled. He closed the door behind him to make sure they had some privacy before turning serious. "I want to know what's wrong?" he told her.
Carla frowned at him. "I'm sorry?"
"You're being off with me, an' I wanna know why." Liam explained. "Are you scared I'm gonna tell someone about what you told me?" He quizzed her. "Because if that's the case then, you really don't 'ave anythin' t' worry about." He assured her.
"I'm sorry." Carla mumbled, putting her glass to her lips and taking a big swig. She was secretly hoping that the vodka would give her the strength to make it through this conversation - not to mention, the rest of the day. Liam just looked at her sympathetically, none-the-wiser to what she was currently throwing into her system. "Me 'ead's just all over the place at the minute, I'm sure you understand." She finished. He smiled sadly at her, and nothing more was said. She picked up Michelle's glass from the counter and carried it into the living room for her.
"Ooh, ta babe!" Michelle sat up properly as she took the glass from her friend's hands and carried on talking. "'Ere, I were just tellin' Rob about our Paul." she spoke to the others.
"Yeah?" Carla enquired as she sat back down in the corner of the room, and cuddled the pillow into her lap again.
Michelle took a little sip of her drink before speaking again. "Yeah, well ya know he's settled into 'is new flat?"
"Yeah.."
"Well it turns out, the rent of that place and 'ow much 'e's earning doesn't quite match up..."
Liam sat back in his chair and zoned out of the conversation. He was fed up of hearing about this already. His older brother, Paul, had been working in a clothing factory for the past four years and had saved enough money to leave home and rent out a new flat. The flat itself was a gorgeous place but Liam had thought from the off that it had been way too flashy to fit within what Paul was earning, but Paul had reassured his family that it was well within budget and so they were all happy to see him growing up and standing on his own two feet.
However, it had only taken a matter of weeks before he came crawling back asking his father Barry for help. It turned out, he couldn't actually afford the place after all and so Barry had stepped in to save the day by offering him a job at the family company. This infuriated Liam because he could see that Paul had planned this from the start.
Barry Connor owned a women's underwear factory, and Liam had asked on more than one occasion if he could work for him there. Barry kept refusing to take him on due to his age and "lack of experience", though Liam argued against his excuses. He even offered to work for nothing in order to gain the experience he needed, but his father still wouldn't allow it. So to then see his father be so willing to take Paul on at his company riled Liam up beyond belief. He'd argued with his brother, though Paul had laughed in his face. If you really want something that bad, brother, you 'ave to play dirty.. his words echoed through his mind. Liam decided to let it drop, but warned his brother that he'd better make it up to him. Paul could be the epitome of selfish most times, but deep down, he did really care for his siblings. And as much as he loved to wind them up, he wouldn't let anyone else harm them in anyway. It was because of this that Liam couldn't stay mad at him, no matter what the inconsiderate idiot got up to.
"...so our Liam weren't too 'appy," He heard Michelle's voice again. "Were you, Leebugs?" She threw a glance his way but turned back around when she could see he was being unresponsive.
Carla's eyes flickered between the two. Her elbow was pressed into the pillow in her lap as she rested her chin on her hand. Liam stole a quick look her way when an idea hit him. His lips curved up into a small smile as he pulled his phone out from his pocket.
I'm still pissed with you for taking that job at dad's factory, but I think I know how you can make it up to me...
He scrolled through his contacts and stopped when he came across Paul's name. He clicked send and waited for his response.
"...move abroad-" Michelle was still talking when Liam sat up and got involved with the conversation.
"Who's moving abroad?" He questioned in confusion.
"No one," Michelle replied.
Doesn't she ever stop talking, Carla thought to herself.
"I were just sayin'," Michelle continued. "If it weren't for our dad, Paul would 'ave been better off moving abroad."
Liam frowned at his younger sister.
"And 'ow exactly did you work that one out, sis?" He questioned her mockingly.
"No, she's right." Rob defended her. "Me auntie Babs moved to LA a while back, she's only got a little job out there, but she's livin' it up in a right nice villa. I'n't she, Car?" He threw his head back to acknowledge his sister.
"Yeah," Carla said despondently as she thought of her auntie Barbara and how much she missed her. If only she were 'ere now, Carla thought. Things would be so different. She sighed heavily before standing up again. "I'm getting another drink." She stated, though no one but Liam was paying any attention to her.
Liam crept out of the room too, wanting to get her alone.
"'Ey," he tapped her on the back of the shoulder but immediately regretted it as she jumped out of her skin, her hand flew up to rest on her chest as she calmed her erratic heartbeat.
"For god's sake Liam, will you stop sneakin' up on me!" She gritted out.
"Sorry," He quickly apologised. Carla softened as she saw the look of guilt on his face.
"It's alright," she said. "What do you want?" She asked.
Liam's eyes lit up at the question. A big smile spread across his face as he started to explain...
"Right, you know you said you didn't want me to say out to anybody about, well, ya know?"
Carla started to panic, thinking he was going to go back on his word. "Liam, plea-"
"No, just 'ear me out a minute." He interrupted her. "I promise you I won't tell anybody about what you told me-"
She breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank y-"
"But only on one condition," he interrupted her again.
She could feel the breath hitch in her throat as she waited for him to deliver his negotiating deal.
"What?" she asked apprehensively.
"You pack ya bags, and you move out of 'ere."
She was speechless. For a split-second there, she actually feared he would try and use the information of what Frank was doing, to blackmail her into sleeping with him. And she hated herself for immediately thinking the worst of him, when all he had ever done was try to help her.
"Wait- what?" She asked, a look of light amusement on her face. "And where exactly am I gonna go 'ey, Liam? Sleep on't streets, or?" she chuckled. "I know you're only tryna help an' all, but, do you think I've not already thought about packin' up and running away already?" She looked sad again.
"But this time, you can." Liam told her. "I know a place where you can stay."
She knew he was probably talking nonsense, but she decided to entertain his idea of playing hero anyway. "Oh really," she smiled. "Don't tell me!" She held her finger up to quieten him. "You got me a nice little villa in LA, right next to me auntie Babs, ant ya?" She mocked. Liam bit his lip as she continued to tease. It was nice to see her smiling and joking for the first time today.
"No..." He replied.
"No? Okay then," Carla continued. Her hand pressed against his chest playfully as she bit her lip and tried to conjure up something else to mock him with.
"You can stay at Paul's." Liam revealed. Her eyes connected with his and her heart melted at how badly he was trying to help her. She smiled and her cheeks flustered a rosy pink as she started to play with his shirt collar. "I don't know.." she trailed off. She barely knew Paul, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't want her staying at his new flat, cramping his style. Also, she didn't know if she'd even feel comfortable living around another man.
"I can stay there an' all, if you'd prefer." Liam said, almost as if he could read her thoughts.
She smiled up at him again. "Would you really do all this for me?" She questioned disbelievingly. He pulled her in closer to him, their mouths were so close they were practically touching. "I would do anythin' for you." He whispered lovingly.
Her heart fluttered in her chest. "Okay," she said. "if it's okay with Paul, then yeah."
They both grinned at each other. She raised herself up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his cheek as a thank you. Her finger lightly traced over his bottom lip as she walked around him and out of the room, leaving him stood there with a big smile on his face.
It felt so good that he could finally help her out in some way, though he knew he'd be an idiot to think that Frank would let her go without a fight. They'd have to move fast. If they packed most of her stuff tonight, they could leave before her parents returned home from their long weekend away. Then there would be nothing Frank could do to stop her. He smiled at the thought. There was no way he was gonna let that pervert anywhere near Carla again.
