Boy Window Chapter 15: Quick! Liam time.

Last time in Boy Window...even more pointless flirting, ice skating, I love yous and maybe some plot in there.

Chapter 15

“~Liam~”

...Please tell me that does not mean what I think it means.

“I had been with Amber for a week now...”

No. I refuse to believe that this is happening.

“I'd wanted her for so long that I was a little worried that if I ever did get her that she would never be able to live up to what I had imagined […] But being with her was better than I'd even imagined it could be.”

Do you just want to see me cry? Is that it? Why are we suddenly changing perspectives? Will Liam be the point-of-view character from now on? Why can't this chapter be from Amber's perspective? Or why couldn't you have written this in third person?

There is nothing saying that an author can't do whatever they want but there are reasons why you wouldn't want to do this. For the past 14 chapters we have had one voice. It has been slow and tensionless but that hegemony has set a pace. A consistent pace is important because it allows the reader to slip into the narrative. Switching the point-of-view character would change the pace and make it harder for the reader to get lost in the story. The author can do this without breaking narrative flow in one of two ways. The first is using a third person narrator, that way when the point-of-view character changes the way the narrator talks doesn't (an example is the Song of Ice and Fire Series). The second way is by setting up a pattern early on with a set number of chapters per point-of-view (this would be like Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles). Since neither of these things happen, it will make the shift jarring.

Enough ranting, onward with the story!

“I couldn't wait for tonight. As usual, there was a party at Jake's.”

Liam gets dressed and it's about as interesting as Amber getting dressed.

“I was so excited to see her that I could burst into song any moment.”

"No! No singing!"

“I still couldn't believe that someone like me would be lucky enough to have someone like her fall in love with them. She could have any guy she wanted; she was beautiful, smart, funny, and kind.”

I have seen no evidence of this female paragon.

“Practically every guy in school lusted after her”

Does Moseley think that sexual assault is a compliment? Cause that would explain a lot.

“I struggled to watch her at her dance practice every Saturday, it was such a freaking turn-on seeing her jumping around, shaking her behind.”

The more he talks the more I think he needs to learn how to masturbate.

He talks about how amazingly wonderful Amber is some more.

“If I thought she would say yes, I would ask her to marry me right now, but I just didn't want to rush her or pressure her into anything.”

“Jake had been great so far too. He actually seemed to like the fact that Amber was happy...”

Let's take a moment to recognize that Liam is surprised that Jake is ok with Amber being happy.

“We did have a few words the day after he found out about us, but I'd never tell Amber about that.”

Cause secrecy is key to any relationship.

“It was primarily just threats of decapitation and castration – which I knew he meant.”

Why are they friends again? Cause he seems to just like people that abuse him.

The party starts and Liam complains about the girls and the bet.

“I didn't even want to think about what Jessica had offered me in case I got any mental images of it. My subconscious mind wandered to the couple of times we'd been out and had sex; I shuddered a little at the thought.”

Shuddered in disgust? In fear? In horror? Cause each would have a different connotation.

“'...the only one I'll be with is my girlfriend. I'm not interested in any of these skanks.'”

Yeah all those women you had sex with sure are skanks, but your not because you've found true love.

“My breath caught in my throat, Amber was standing there in a little black dress that clung to her shapely body and came to her mid-thigh.”

Liam berates himself for not talking.

“'Um...Hi, Angel,'” I mumbled, my voice sounding tight. Wow, that was real smooth Liam! God, I'm such a dick.”

Not for that you aren't. For other reasons, sure, but not for that.

“'Hi,' she greeted in her sexy voice.”

Why was it sexy? How was it sexy? Is it sexy because you want to have sex or is it the timbre? These things are important.

Flirting happens.

“'Don't tease me tonight, Angel. Seriously, you look too hot, I can't take it'”

Will you expire from lack of blood flow to your brain?

Casey (random idiot) says he is going to try to tap dat ass. Liam says she is taken and naturally, Casey guesses that they are together. Casey says Jake will kick Liam's ass when he finds out. Liam says he knows.

“'No way! Did he beat the crap out of you?'”

Casey, you see Liam every day, have you noticed an ass kicking?

“I didn't bother telling him not to say anything; I wanted this out in the open.”

I don't agree with Amber's reasons for not telling everyone but to out her like that without her knowledge when you could easily just ask him to stay silent, is mean.

And what's with all the “;” there are 288, and I know it is a perfectly legitimate form of punctuation but I'm with my first love (Kurt Vonnegut) on this.

Not that there is anything wrong with transvestites or hermaphrodites.

“I couldn't care less about the money. In a couple of years, when I was playing hockey professionally, that would seem like peanuts and I could give her anything she wanted.”

Cause we all know that every good high school player goes professional. That was the point of that movie Coach Carter right? I'm sure that was.

Liam tells Amber that Casey knows. And true to form, she says

“'Well then, Liam, if people are going to find out, we might as well give them a show'”

Both me and Liam want to know what that will mean.

“She giggled and pulled my face down to hers, kissing me, hard.”

And dance floor make outs happen. She says “I love you”

“The gasping started again from the watching crowd.”

How sad is it that all I can think about is what happened to Kate? She was dancing with Amber before Liam cut in and now she gets to watch her favorite fantasy play out. Knowing her, she is...busy.

“I knew people were talking about us, and literally the whole room was staring”

Well you were getting a little porny there, so I don't blame them for watching.

“Tonight was the best party ever, just because I got to hold her hand and kiss her.”

Sweet, but those are some low standards.

“Even the girls didn't hit on me, which made a pleasant change.”

“'I'm tired, Liam. Want to take me to bed?' She asked, raising her eyebrows teasingly.”

No...

“'Sure, Angel'”

Don't do this to me Moseley.

“She locked the door and stepped up close to me”

You can't be serious.

“When she got to my jeans she immediately started unbuttoning them too.”

They have only been together a week. She can't have gotten over 8 years of violence and violation in 6 days.

“'You OK?' I asked curiously […] She nodded in response and took hold of the bottom of her dress, pulling it up over her head in one smooth movements.”

“She smiled making my heart beat faster. 'Make love to me,' she whispered”

Both Liam and I call shenanigans on her being over her PTSD and he says he is willing to wait.

“She laughed. 'Well I'm sorry, Liam, but I just can't wait for you any longer. I need you to be ready now.'”

Aside from being insane, that sounds a little rapey to me. If Liam does not feel right having sex you shouldn't pressure him Amber.

Amber gets handsy. Liam is somehow surprised by this brazen act because

“I gaped, my mouth popped open in shock. Was she not actually joking?”

Why would you think she is joking Liam? That would be the lamest joke ever. “Hey honey I got over those years of abuse in the 6 days we've been together. We can bone now if you want...j/k I'm so hilarious”?

“'Liam, stop talking' she instructed.”

Yeah, Liam, how dare you be concerned at this sudden and mind boggling emotional break through. Don't be considerate about the 8 years of sexual abuse your girlfriend suffered at the hands of her father. No, just have sex with her.

They get into fore-play and Liam is all

“Shit, she is serious!”

Gee, ya think.

“The desire to screw her was overwhelming”

Quoth the poet.

They talk about making it special because this is fiction so naturally everyone's first time is like watching Avatar in IMAX (ie sensory stimulating but narratively unfulfilling).

“My whole body was rejoicing at the thought of being with her...”

We are going on five pages of foreplay. Given his usual state of arousal, I'm surprised he has lasted this long without needing new pants.

“...I had to be sure she wasn't doing this for the wrong reasons; I'd never forgive myself if she regretted this in the morning. 'This isn't about the bet is it?'”

Of course she is going to deny it, but I wouldn't believe her Liam. The bet has always been on the forefront of her mind.

More foreplay, then they have sex during a page break. The chapter resumes with post-coital snuggling.

Liam: “I'm sorry I hurt you”

Amber: “Liam, that was so totally worth it”

If this were real life, she would say the same thing but it would be an awkward lie.

“I'd never had any complaints before, but I'd never actually cared if the girl enjoyed herself before.”

Ever the gentleman Liam is. I want a story from one of his cast offs. It's harder to like Liam as a person when you think about all the Jessicas he banged because he couldn't have sex with his best friend's traumatized sister. All those poor girls with hopes and feelings or who just wanted to satisfy an itch, and to him they were no better than a flesh light with a pulse.

They both say how amazing they are in bed. They should really lay off on the ego stroking for at least 20 minutes. Refractory period is a thing you know.

Of course, since this is fictional, Liam is already up and ready to go for round 2.

“She raised her eyebrows, and a slow smile spread across her face as she rolled me onto my back, straddling me, looking like a freaking sex goddess sitting on top of me.”

I'm sure Ishtar is offended by that remark.

Amber then says

“'This time I want to have a try. Tell me if I do something wrong.'”

...I get the second sentence, but the first confuses me. Have a try at what exactly? Where you not participating before? Did you just lay there like a pile of pillows he was humping? What is more confusing is that she supposedly enjoyed laying like a pile of pillows he was humping. I've heard of doggy style, but that sounds like they took it a little too far.

And they have more sex during another page break. The morning after is all rainbows and butterflies and possibly more sex as the chapter fades to black.

There is so much about this chapter that frustrates me. The fact that we change point-of-view characters, that our main character gets over her PTSD in 6 days, and the point that those two meet. The chapter were Amber finally is able to face her demons and have a sexual experience, we don't even get to be a part of it. This could have been powerful and there was no reason for this to be from Liam's perspective. The whole chapter just baffles me.