The Camgirl Pt. 26

XXVI: Steak and the Truth

Blake

A week passed before Blake saw Liam again after her talk with Chloe. Really saw him, at least. She saw him in classes but neither of them talked much during lectures, and Liam actually seemed busy for once to the point where he rushed off after class rather than walking with her to wherever they would split off for the next things on their respective schedules. Though most of his midterms were around the same time as hers due to their shared classes, it seemed his music classes scheduled theirs over a separate week. Blake was sure that all that got her through the week without being a total mess whenever she thought of him, however, were the smiles Liam always greeted and left her with. His face would light up when she sat down next to him and take on a regretful cast when he had to run off. She had caught him before he could go on Monday, squeezing him in a tight hug, and he hadn't questioned it, just hugging her back and smiling before he left for his next class.

Though she missed Liam, Blake found herself feeling strangely grateful for the period of conversational absence. She'd had no indication of whether or not Marie had told Liam what they had done, so she hadn't wanted to spend any time alone with him. It also gave her the excuse to be a shut-in and keep herself from interacting with Marie too much. She went to the gym every day and even did a few extra shows just to fill her spare time.

Liam surprised Blake on a Friday night as she was thinking about what to make herself as a compliment to her earlier protein shake. She had just gotten back from the gym and was still dressed in yoga pants and matching sports bra under a zip up hoodie--hair pulled back in a loose bun to hide in her hood while she was out in public--when she heard the door open. For a moment, Blake froze, thinking it was Marie.

Marie's out at a sorority thing, she reminded herself, must be Sophie. Still, she leaned back on her heels to look into the hallway leading to the door. Her eyes widened when she took in Liam's tall figure closing the door behind him, a few grocery bags slung over one arm.

Rather than say hi, however, Blake bit her lip and ducked back into the kitchen. She hadn't been avoiding Liam during the week, and he hadn't given her any reason to think that he was mad at her, but Blake was still unsure how to act. Had Marie not told him yet, or was he simply that understanding? If anyone could be, it would be him.

Blake's thoughts stopped cold as Liam rounded the corner, a smile spreading onto his face as he saw her, eyes blinking in surprise.

"Hey."

Blake couldn't help but smile back, "Hey." For a moment, that was all she said. Until she realized how stupid it made her sound, "Um, what are you doing over? Marie's out."

As soon as Blake said the words, she remembered why he had stayed over last time, and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She didn't know if she could handle joking about that with him right now. He would know something was off.

Liam held up the grocery bags, "I get tired of having dining hall food all the time--figured I would take advantage of the fact that my girlfriend has a kitchen. Marie gave me her key earlier and said I could use it as long as I made enough for there to be leftovers." He grinned at her, "And I figured you wouldn't mind having a home-cooked meal."

Blake grinned back at him, both in relief at the topic, and at the prospect of Liam's cooking, "Yessss. I was struggling to choose between quick, easy and yummy, and healthy. What did you get?"

"Hopefully I'll be able to help you out with that," Liam laughed, "I was thinking of making a kind of Asian dish that I made over the summer. Well, Asian spices and stuff, at least. You like steak, right?"

Blake realized her mouth was open and very close to letting some drool fall out.

"Steak?" She breathed.

He laughed, setting the grocery bags down on the counter and starting to go through them, "I'll take that as a yes, then."

Blake didn't know why, but the fact that cooking a steak was just something Liam had decided to do, much less think to include her in, pushed Blake's mind much closer to following Chloe's urgings of just taking Liam for herself and damn whatever else happened. She ate beef every now and then, but steak...?

Blake realized then that Liam had stopped taking things out of the bags and was studying her. She looked down at herself, then back to him, raising an eyebrow, "You okay, dude?"

Liam shook himself, then smiled, scrubbing a hand through his hair, "Sorry," he said, "I just don't remember ever seeing you in workout clothes before."

Blake remembered then that she had unzipped her hoodie, revealing the push-up sports bra that matched her yoga pants as well as her bare tummy. She also remembered that she was sweaty and didn't have any make-up on. Blake hadn't missed the look in Liam's eyes either. Liam didn't leer, but Blake had caught his gaze in time to see that Liam had definitely enjoyed looking at her, even in her current state of post-gym grossness.

"I think I'm going to go take a shower," Blake said, cheeks turning red. Liam just laughed in response, gesturing for her to go do as she said.

Blake made it a quick shower, resisting the urge to just lean against the wall and let the warm water rain down on her back. Or touch herself. Blake had developed a habit of rubbing one out in the shower since coming to college. She didn't have to pay for the water bill, and her freshman year, it had really been the only definite period of alone time she could regularly count on since she'd been in a double like most freshmen. It also just felt so damn good touching herself while the water cascaded down her body, making her feel so warm and comfortable. It didn't hurt that she had always felt sexier when wet.

From water. That was good. Sweat was not.

When Blake finally turned off the water however, reaching through the curtain to take her towel off the hanger on the back of the bathroom door, her fingers could not find the fluffy fabric.

Blake's eyes widened as she remembered where she had left her towel: folded nicely on the corner of her bed with the few other clothes she had yet to put away after doing laundry the previous night. Poking her head out of the curtain to try and conserve the hot hair still remaining in the shower, Blake searched the bathroom for one of her roommates' towels. Neither was to be found.

Closing herself back into the shower with what warm, steamy air remained, Blake considered her two options, trying to decide which one was more embarrassing. After a few minutes, Blake sighed and wrung out her hair so she wouldn't drip too much, then braced herself and stepped out of the shower into the room temperature, yet frigid-seeming environment beyond the shower curtain, dripping all over the floor. She cracked the door, making sure her body was hidden entirely behind it, then raised her voice, "Hey, Liam?"

There was no response, though a wonderful mix of spices, ginger and soy sauce wafted into her nostrils as she waited for one, making her mouth begin to water.

"Liam?" Blake tried again, a bit louder. Still no response.

Blake huffed. He must still have headphones on. She'd walked by him on her way to class a few times and had ended up feeling like an idiot smiling and waving when he didn't even notice, off in his own little world created by whatever played through his headphones at the time. Blake had been tempted to just run up and tackle him once or twice, but she didn't like drawing attention to herself in public.

Blake chewed her lip for a moment, looking across the hall to her room. The door was unlocked--she should be able to make it...

Fuck it!

Blake swung the bathroom door open and sprinted the short distance to her room, barely leaving more than damp footprints on the carpet before she was safely in her room, the door closed behind her, heart pounding. She hoped she hadn't slammed the door shut too loudly.

She crossed the room to her bed and wrapped the towel around her, moaning softly at the fabric's fluffy embrace. As Blake dried herself off, she knew her face was bright red, though she wouldn't admit why. She tried to rationalize that there was no reason for her to feel embarrassed about running butt-naked to her room when Liam couldn't see her from the kitchen. Even if the bathroom had been across the apartment from her room, Blake probably could have snuck past Liam without him noticing, and even if she hadn't why should she care? He'd seen her naked and more plenty of times before.

Because back then there was a screen and the anonymity of the internet between the two of you. Because now both of you know each other, and you want to fuck him. But he's still with Marie, even if she was shitty to both of you.

Blake couldn't dispute her stupid voice of reason. If Liam had been over here with Marie completely out of the picture, cooking for just the two of them--cooking steak...a string of naughty scenarios ran through Blake's mind. Walking out to hug him completely naked, or in just a towel or an apron. Or a long T-shirt and knee-highs with no panties--Blake knew he liked that. She could just walk out and start sucking his dick, though depending on how he was cooking that might not be the best idea. Or she could just go up to him dressed in cute PJ's and tease him mercilessly until his stupid air of logical self-control broke and he just grabbed her and pulled her to him.

Blake swallowed, realizing that train of thought had made her wet, and started dressing hurriedly. She was about to just throw on baggy sweats and a nerd-shirt like she normally wore to class under her jacket, but as she went through her clothes, Blake acted on impulse and went with an entirely different outfit.

Fifteen minutes of hurried dressing and make-up and blow-drying later, Blake sauntered out of her room wearing knee-highs, a big, but flattering nerd-shirt, and a pair of spandex shorts that would only be visible if she sat down on the couch or stretched up to reach something, which she very much hoped Liam would need her to do. Blake also wore one of her smaller plugs, lubricated with her own sweet juices, snug in her ass, delighting in the feeling of fullness and the pulses of pleasure that shot from her ass to her pussy and throughout her body as she walked into the kitchen. Her blue mane tumbled down in thick waves, and she'd put on a bit more makeup than usual. Nothing super fancy, but something she hoped would surprise Liam and make him look twice. She wasn't going to jump him, but Blake had played nice long enough. She wanted to make sure Liam knew exactly what he was missing out on.

Sure enough, as Blake rounded the corner into the kitchen, Liam remained completely oblivious to her. He bobbed slightly to the music that played from his earbuds, attention focused entirely on the stove. For a moment, Blake allowed herself to lean against the wall and drink him in.

He had taken off his jacket and was just wearing jeans and a T-shirt similar to her own in its nerdiness, but the simple clothes fit him. The T-shirt wasn't tight, but comfortable, and showed off his broad shoulders and lean build without looking like he had bought it for that purpose. The legs of his jeans were a bit loose, but they hugged his ass tightly. Blake had had serious issues trying not to stare since she'd first noticed Liam's ass, and more than once had fantasized about biting it or just spreading those plump cheeks and diving in. His hair wasn't as bad as Blake had often seen it in the morning--he definitely hadn't put much effort into it, but it was just him. As she studied him, Blake's thoughts began to wander again. Maybe she could hang out with him near his dorm one day and "accidentally" ruin her shirt. She didn't think he would balk at loaning her a new one, but she would just have to make sure he gave her one he wouldn't miss terribly--or one she could buy a duplicate of to return to him, so he was none the wiser.

Bringing herself back to the present, Blake walked over to stand next to Liam and see how far along he'd gotten. She found him pan-frying thin pieces of steak in a dark sauce along with some chopped scallions. Blake's nose wasn't good enough to pick out exactly what he was cooking with, but it smelled amazing.

Blake almost reached up to pull one of the earbuds out when Liam still didn't notice her but thought better of it. Instead she took a step back and leaned against the kitchen island, watching as he worked.

Eventually he pulled the steaks out and put them on some plates he had waiting, then took a paper towel off a plate Blake hadn't noticed, and dumped a plate-full of green veggies into the pan, stirring them around for a few minutes and adding some extra sauces and spices before he added those to the plates he'd set the meat on. He had already wrapped up one of them for Marie before he turned around, pan and tongs in hand, and noticed Blake.

When his eyes fell on her, Blake had to hold back a satisfied smile at Liam's reaction. And a shiver. The way his eyes drank her in, she knew she'd had the desired effect on him. Blake hadn't been prepared for the effect it would have on her, however. If she had had any doubt before, Blake now knew that Liam wanted her. The effect that had on Blake was...intoxicating.

Somehow, Blake managed to collect herself before Liam could. She had to clear her throat before she could speak, but took the cooking utensils from his hands, "Let me take care of those. You made the food--go set it out on the table and stuff."

Blake spun toward the sink, hiding her red face from Liam. She would enjoy the effect he had on her a lot more if her body didn't make it so evident to him. Turning on the faucet, Blake began to rinse the pot, and jumped when Liam's hands closed around her waist, moving her firmly, yet gently to the side.

"I'm not letting you clean my dirty dishes," he said when she looked up at him questioningly, "Go get us something to drink and sit down--I'll be quick."

Blake almost protested, but then her gaze met Liam's again, and whirled around to look through the fridge for something to drink.

Of course, he would offer to do the dishes, she thought angrily as she heard the sounds of Liam cleaning behind her. Blake got out two glasses and poured some iced tea she had made earlier. He doesn't even know how much I hate washing dishes, and yet he--

Blake's thoughts lost their coherence as she brought the drinks to the small table in the main room and tried not to look after Liam.

Just because I want him and finally decided I'm going to do something about it doesn't mean he has to be even more fucking perfect.

The faucet shutting off snapped Blake out of her train of thought, and she smiled at Liam as he brought their plates and utensils over. When he set hers down in front of her, the wonderful smells traveling up her nostrils, Blake's eyes went wide as saucers, and her mouth immediately filled with saliva. The steak was still steaming and dripping juices and sauce, and the veggies were tossed and crisped. He had even made them look nice rather than just throwing everything on the plate. She stared up at Liam as he sat down.

"It's not going to be as good as if I had gotten some steaks to grill or cook in the oven," he said, "But I hope you like it."

Blake cut off a bite of the steak and shoved it in her mouth.

Oh fuck, that's good.

"Liam," Blake said, already cutting another piece, "Shut your face. I'm pretty sure this is the best meal I've had since coming to college. And I hope you don't expect me to act like a lady just because I look all pretty." She speared a few veggies with her fork in addition to the steak before shoveling it into her mouth. A large gulp of water was required to wash that down.

"I was going to," she added, "but under the circumstances--fuck manners, I need this in my belly."

Blake thought that might have gotten a laugh out of Liam as she continued to shovel the food into her face, but she didn't care. This food was too damn good.

They ate in relative silence--mostly because there was too much delicious steak going into Blake's mouth to allow words to come out. When she finally did finish, Blake slumped back in her chair, feeling satisfied yet still wanting.

"Liam," she said.

He looked up from his plate, almost finished with his veggies, "Yeah."

"That was amazing. You can cook here whenever you want."

He grinned, "I'll definitely take you up on that."

Blake eyed the covered plate of steak still sitting on the counter, "How mad would Marie be--"

"Don't even think about it," he said, wagging a finger at her.

"Ugh," Blake said, collapsing back in her chair with exasperation, "Fineeee."

Liam chuckled.

Blake slumped like she was for a moment, then looked up curiously when Liam said nothing. She met his gaze, then raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"You look...different tonight," he said.

"Different than earlier, or than usual?" She asked coolly, hoping she wasn't blushing. Even with the way Liam had looked at her earlier, hearing him say something about the way she looked made her want to smile, "I better look different than when you came in. It's not polite to sneak up on a girl when she's all sweaty and gross."

He laughed, "Sweaty, I'll give you. I think 'gross' is a bit of a stretch, though."

Blake shrugged, "It's more of a feeling than a look, but thank you."

When he said nothing, just smiled at her, then picked up his own dishes and hers, stacking them on top of each other before he took them over to the sink, Blake realized how much she had missed just hanging out with Liam. Just being around him made her feel all warm and comfortable. Unfortunately, that made her remember part of why she hadn't tried to do that recently.

He does not seem like he knows.

A spike of anger at Marie grew within Blake, but she suppressed it. This was Liam, after all. Maybe he had sorted things out with Marie, and they had just agreed to act like nothing had happened.

"So how have things been with Marie lately?" She fished, "I got to see you between classes during the last week or two, at least, but I don't think you've been over at all until now, have you?"

"You are correct," He said, turning on the faucet and putting one of the plates under the water. Blake was slightly saddened by that. A decent amount of sauce and juices had remained on both their plates when Liam collected them. If she'd had any good bread, Blake would have fetched some for them to clean up with. If she'd been alone, she probably would have just licked the plate. Any other time, she probably would have felt comfortable enough with Liam to do that in front of him. He'd probably just laugh and thank me for the complement, the dork. But she was trying to entice him, and she hadn't put on a cute outfit and all this make-up to get sauce all over it.

"And things are good," Liam continued, "Marie seemed a little anxious last week for some reason, but even after I had to cancel on her this weekend, she seemed much more relaxed. She was mad about having to go to her sorority thing tonight, but she said she'd already cancelled once this year to just have a night in with me and couldn't do it again until at least next semester."

Blake tried to hold back a frown, that spike of anger returning. Marie definitely hadn't told him. Liam wasn't deceptive enough to have spoken so casually while hiding something from her. She knew him well enough to catch something like that. Don't I?

"Want to know something kind of crazy?" He said, turning off the faucet and starting on drying the dishes, "Before I met you this year, I was actually a bit worried that things with Marie were going to fizzle out. Since we met just a few months before summer started and she told me she was a bit on the rebound, I was a little nervous over the summer, and she had seemed kind of physically distant and uninterested. Whatever you said to her back then--something changed after that. Maybe she was just a little jealous or scared or something after you and I finally met, but it's had a pretty lasting effect."