I Can't Help Falling In Love With You (Tamara)

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Liam hurried back to the hospital wing as soon as he got out of class. His best friend was in the hospital wing, injured after yet another attack. Honestly, Liam didn't want to be going to classes right now. He just wanted to be with Ethan, to make sure no one came to try and finish him off and to make sure that he knew he wasn't alone, but there was another reason he was hurrying. He wasn't the only one spending lots of time at Ethan's bedside. Tamara was there too, more often than not. He knew the girl was dating Ethan, which meant she had a very good reason to be there, but Liam liked to think she was there to see him too.

Yes, he knew that was insane. He'd hardly ever spoken to the girl, despite the fact that he started crushing on her years ago. That was his problem. Liam got so tongue-tied around her that she hardly knew he existed. Sure, she knew he was Ethan's friend, since she did a lot with Ethan, but she didn't know much else about him. She probably wouldn't ever learn much about him either. He couldn't seem to talk with her, ever, but for some outrageous reason he liked spending time with her. Even if that time was just spent sitting at Ethan's bedside. 

He opened the door to the hospital wing, nodding to Dom, who was leaving as he entered. She was another part of their close friendship and Liam felt reasonably comfortable around her. At least, he could talk with Dom a bit, even though she was a year younger than him and Ethan. He walked to Ethan's bed, a little disappointed when Tamara wasn't there already. Maybe she had to do homework today or something.

He sat down, looking at his friend and frowning. "Hey Ethan," he muttered, even though Ethan wasn't awake. He hated seeing him like this.

@tamara

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The moment Tamara had found out about Ethan being attacked and escorted straight to the hospital wing, she was no longer interested in learning about potions or what not to mix with specific ingredients, she just wanted to make sure that her boyfriend was all right. She was so distracted by her worry that she almost mixed something that shouldn’t and could have hurt the entire classroom, luckily her partner stopped her before anything was dropped into the boiling cauldron. After class was over, she didn’t even apologize to the girl she had been working with and instead ran straight for the hospital wing, bumping into people as she went.

By the time, she made it to the hospital wing, she had already passed by Dom on the stairwell who tried to say something to her, and she ultimately ignored her. She’d have to apologize for that later, but right now she needed to make sure that Ethan was okay. And by the time she got there, pushing open the big doors to the wing, she noticed that Ethan was not alone. And then she heard him; it was Liam, one of Ethan’s friends.

For other people, they may have been horribly out of breath, but Tamara was anything but. She was running on adrenaline as she grew closer to both boys, one lying in bed and the other sitting next to him. It was then that she noticed Ethan wasn’t awake, and she feared the worse. “Is he okay?” she questioned softly, but loud enough for Liam to here.

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@liam

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He heard someone opening the door behind him, but didn't turn around. It was probably one of Ethan's friends, so he should probably turn to greet them, but he didn't. Anyone that knew Ethan also knew that Liam didn't talk much. He was more like his friend's almost-silent friend. He only spoke when he felt like he needed to. 

However, as the person approached, the hairs on the back of his neck rose and Liam was certain he knew who it was. Tamara. He took a few deep breaths, trying to force himself to relax before she came closer. This was it. There was almost no way they would get through this without talking to one another. Then he heard her beautiful voice, whispering a question. Liam shrugged and nodded, though he didn't turn to look at her. Instead, he stared at his friend's face, wishing he would open his eyes. He knew that wasn't a good enough answer for her, but it was almost like he forgot how to talk! He coughed, then forced himself to speak. "They think he'll make it," he whispered. He could explain more, but that would mean talking to Tamara about Ethan, his best friend who was lying on the bed unconscious in front of him and he just couldn't do it. His heart was already pounding from speaking to her at all, he wasn't sure if he could say more.

@tamara

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The only response she got from Liam was a shrug and a nod; it was like he was at a loss for words. And she didn’t blame him; his friend was lying unconscious before him, attacked by some unknown person that was slowly going after muggleborns it seemed like. Then he coughed, almost causing Tamara to jump because she had been so lost in thought as she looked at Ethan, her mind lost on if he would wake up or not. But Liam was quick to diminish any bad thoughts as he confirmed that the nurses and staff believed he would make it, though he said that was what they thought not what they know. And she swallowed, “Well that’s good,” she breathed out. “Do—do they know who attacked him?” she questioned as she grew closer to Ethan’s side, coming up beside Liam as well. She took Ethan’s hand gently in hers, but they were cold and almost lifeless, they didn’t tighten around her own like they usually did. While the spark between them had slowly been dying, as if they were a summer fling, she still loved him. Maybe not in the way he wanted, or the way she wished she did, but she did love him. Maybe it was the time together that had been driving them apart, who knows. But now that he laid before her, his eyes shut and his hair messy against the pillow, she prayed that he would wake up.

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@liam

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Tamara was asking more questions as she sat beside Liam and took Ethan's hand. He didn't want to look at her. Liam already knew how beautiful, already had her face memorized in his mind. He cared about her and wanted to be there for her, but how in the world was he supposed to do that? She was dating his best friend and he knew how much Ethan cared about her. He was not going to mess that up, not that he really thought there was any way that he could. He shook his head at her question, then decided he should answer her out loud as well. "No, they don't. He hasn't really woken up yet." Sure, here and there he'd woken up, but not really. From what Liam understood, Ethan wasn't really speaking coherently. He wondered how Tamara felt about this and whether or not he'd be able to tell just from looking at her. Steeling himself, he turned to look at her. "How are you doing?" he asked lowly, kind of in explanation of his turning to talk to her.

@tamara

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After asking if they knew who had attacked Ethan, Liam shot it down with the truth. They didn’t…why? Because he had yet to wake up to do so. She frowned deeply, that meant that he had been knocked out since he was attacked, she frowned even more. “I hope he wakes up soon,” she breathed out in a low voice, but probably loud enough for Liam to pick up on it. Not only would him waking up mean that they could learn who attacked him, but it also meant that he was truly going to survive. And then, she felt Liam move slightly and ask the four little words that she had been asking herself, how was she. She shrugged her shoulders, “I’m worried—a little scared that they’ll come back and finish what they started and move onto the next muggleborn…but other than that…I think I’m doing fine,” she breathed out, her voice shaking a bit. “What—what about you?”

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@liam

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Liam nodded when Tamara said she hoped Ethan woke up soon. So did he. He needed his best friend back. He wanted Ethan here, so he could be the one to talk with Tamara instead of Liam. He wanted his friend to tease and joke around with and he needed the reminder of why Ethan was better for Tamara than Liam was. He could actually talk with her, she cared about him. Without Ethan awake, Liam struggled to keep his mind in check, struggled to not wish for things he knew he shouldn't. He frowned when she expressed her worries for Ethan. "They won't," he said, his voice low. "I won't let them." He knew that whoever attacked Ethan wasn't weak, but neither was he! He may not be the friendliest student, but Liam was very good with spells and fighting. He wouldn't let someone take his best friend away from him. He paused, taken by surprise when she returned the question to him. How was he? What was he supposed to say to that? He obviously wasn't fine, his best friend was in the hospital, but he wasn't a wreck either. Actually, he was doing pretty well, since she was here. "All right, now that you're here," was what ended up popping out of his mouth. Liam froze again, his eyes going wide. Wait a second. Did he actually just say that to her. He stared at her for a second and then looked back down to his best friend, berating himself mentally. What did he think he was doing?

@tamara

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‘They won’t, I won’t let them.’

Tamara smiled weakly, a part of her feared that happening, she didn’t want to lose anyone that she had become close to, and with Liam wanting to protect his friend, she was a bit scared that he would end up with the same fate. Though the group might spare a pureblood, or maybe hurt him a little less – but she didn’t want to think about that. “I know you won’t,” she finally breathed out as the silence became unbearable. She swallowed deeply, her heart fluttering in her chest. The tone that had come from Liam’s words, though low in his throat, sent shivers down her spine. Tamara felt terrible for it, seeing as she was dating his best friend, but she couldn’t help it.

She was taken aback slightly at his next words, his eyes going wide after the words came fluttering out. She felt awkward, and quickly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she let out a soft – but awkward – laugh leave her throat. “I—I’m glad you’re alright,” she said completely ignoring the comment he had made. It would be better for the both of them, at least, in her mind it was.

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@liam

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Liam wasn't entirely sure what her smile was supposed to mean, since it wasn't a real smile. Was she just smiling to console him, to make him think that he would be able to protect Ethan from his attackers? Or was she smiling to try and hide the fact that she didn't think he could do it. Liam frowned a little, though he didn't say anything and just looked away from her again. Everything felt just a bit easier when he didn't have to look at her. Then she said that she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to Ethan and he looked at her again, surprised. It seemed like she actually meant that. He nodded, not really sure what he could say to that. He never knew what to say to her and normally that was fine. Ethan was good at filling the silence, but right now he couldn't and the atmosphere between them felt strained. "Do you want to be alone with him?" Liam asked for a moment, glancing down to his best friend. "I don't mind." He didn't want her to be alone- what if the attackers came back- but he also didn't want to bother her.

It was a relief when she didn't say anything about his idiocy. How did he let that slip out? He nodded, still feeling embarrassed and definitely not able to look at her, even when she gave an awkward laugh and said she was glad he was alright. His brain was scattered and he literally couldn't think of anything else to say to her, which he felt bad about. Liam wanted to be near Tamara, he always did, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. The problem was, he didn't know how to make things normal, how not to be awkward.

@tamara

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The young witch was lost in thought as she gazed down at her boyfriend, but she felt no emotions but worry and guilt. Why did she feel guilty? Because she was dating him but didn’t love him as much as she used to. They had grown apart over these last view months, with his duties as a Prefect and her constantly at Quidditch practice. Some say time helps the heart grow fonder, but it just made her realize that she wasn’t all there in the relationship. Now here he was, injured by some unknown force that was hurting muggleborns, and what she worried about most was…would she or her sister be next? She swallowed, pulled from her thoughts abruptly as Liam asked if she wanted to be alone with him, that he didn’t mind. Quickly she shook her head, her hand suddenly snapping out to grab onto his own as if to keep him in place and to draw comfort from him.

She shook her head once more, “No, stay…please?” she breathed out.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be alone with Ethan, it’s just that she didn’t want to be alone at all. The fear of someone coming back to finish Ethan played dramatically in her mind, and her being there meant that she would stand in the way of it all. But if she had someone else here, someone to comfort her and protect the both of them, it seemed like the right thing to do. Plus, he had just gotten here moments before she did, he was Ethan’s best friend, she wasn’t about to kick him out. He had as much of a right to be here as she did, maybe more so.

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@liam

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He was waiting for her answer, to know what she wanted him to do. Leave or stay? He would do either, though he didn't really want to leave. Then she grabbed his hand and Liam froze. Entirely. He couldn't think, couldn't move. He wasn't sure if he wanted to, but then he heard her speak. She was asking him to stay. He had to say something. Without realizing it, Liam started to smile at her. Her touch felt better than he ever could have imagined, and she had no idea. She wasn't even trying to be romantic, probably had no idea the effect she was having on him. 

He coughed, trying to pull himself out of his frozen state. Liam nodded, "Of course. I just ... didn't want to be in your way." He looked up and met her eyes, something he normally tried to avoid. It was too easy for him to get distracted when he looked in her eyes, to think of how much he cared about her. Oh, he was so lame. 

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, coughing again. He couldn't stand the silence. He wanted to hear Tamara talk. 

@tamara

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The smile that graced the lips of William Flint was different this time, at least, to her that was. It felt different as if there was something more underneath of it. Or maybe, she wanted there to be. When she had first met Liam, it had been before she started dating Ethan, and now she knew him later as she was with Ethan. But something about him seemed to make her feel something – different. Her touch lingered long that it should have, it seemed to have caused him freeze, the smile still perfectly planted upon his lips. Then he coughed, the spell broken, and she pulled her hand back as he spoke. “You could never be in my way, he’s as much your friend as he is mine,” she breathed out, their eyes meeting.

It seemed like they were connected, differently than usual, and it made her guilty. She was with Ethan after all, was she allowed to crush on his best friend? At least, she thought it felt like a crush. Or maybe she was just in a broken state; she didn’t know what she was feeling after all. Brought from her thoughts of the unknown, her fingers playing with one another as he spoke. She swallowed, once then thrice, before she spoke in a foreign voice, or it sounded foreign to her. “Um—are—are you excited to graduate this year?” she questioned, rather stupidly, but he did ask what she wanted to talk about.

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@liam

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Her fingers lingered on his hand and all that Liam wanted to do was twist his hand over and entwine his fingers in hers. But he couldn't. That would be wrong. She was dating his best friend in the whole world and he had no right to ruin that, no matter how much he cared for her. In fact, his feelings for her should stop him. He cared for both Tamara and Ethan too much to want to hurt either. She pulled back when he coughed and he fought to keep the disappointment from showing on his face, nodding slowly when she said he wasn't in the way.

Then her eyes were looking into his and Liam was staring. He couldn't help it. Her eyes were beautiful and even though he knew he needed to pull away, maybe even leave, he couldn't. He couldn't stop watching her. She started playing with her fingers suddenly and when she spoke her tone was different than normal. Yeah he noticed, not that he would say anything. He shrugged at her question, finally glancing away from her as he glanced down to Ethan and back up. "Yes and no. I'm ready to work, but I'll miss it here." There he'd answered her question. Wait. "What about you?" There. That was better. Ugh, he just wanted to take her hand again. Why was he such a bad friend?

@tamara

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To say that Tamara didn’t notice the peering eyes of Liam was an understatement, she could practically feel his gaze drilling into her. That was why she felt her cheeks light up and had to look away; she was the first one to do so, their eyes no longer meeting. She was glad for her complexion being somewhat tan, that meant her blush was barely visible, or at least, she hoped that was the case. But her eyes did meet his again a few seconds later, but this time, he was the one to look away, his gaze drawn down to Ethan before he began to speak once more. She shrugged her shoulders as he pushed the same question on her, “I guess I’m a yes and no as well. I practically grew up here, made a lot of friends and had memories here. But at the same time, I’m ready for a new adventure, new relationships to form and all that…and I’m kind of tired of living in fear that I might be the next muggleborn that is found hurt or dead,” she breathed out, her voice trailing off close to the end.

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@liam

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When she looked away, blushing the tiniest bit, Liam realized that he was probably being creepy and Tamara was probably wishing he actually would leave now. Why couldn't he just sit with her like a normal person? He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him, but he also didn't know how to interact with her without making that happen. Ugh, it was all pointless.

He offered a small smile when she answered the question the same way he had. At least they had something in common now. His heart jumped when she mentioned new relationships, his hands fisting for the smallest moment. Was she not planning on staying with Ethan? No, he couldn't allow himself to think like that. He didn't want to hope for something that wasn't going to happen. His jaw clenched when she mentioned living in fear and he instinctively shook his head. "No," he growled, unable to help his immediate reaction. "I won't let anything happen to you." Then he realized what he said and his eyes widened, darting to look up to hers for a fraction of a second before looking back down to his best friend. "I mean, I won't see another friend like this," he nodded towards Ethan, hoping that was a good enough excuse. Did he just give everything away? After a moment, he chanced a glance back up at her, unable to quench his curiosity. What was she thinking?

@tamara