shifting_gears (shifting_gears) wrote in supernextdoor, @ 2012-07-23 11:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | 10.17.11, liam, liam and sam, sam |
A picture's worth a thousand words
Who: Liam and Sam
What: Picture taking
When: 10.17.11 - Monday, just before lunchtime
Where: Mercy
Warnings: A bit of language and flirting
Liam usually came in early because there was always something to be done around the club. Today though, at least he had more of a purpose than just doing paperwork or something else monotonous. He'd spoken with a man named Sam a while back about the architecture of the building and the guy had wanted to take pictures of the exterior. He promised to take pictures of the interior as well in a sort of trade so Liam had agreed. Unfortunately trying to find some time where they could schedule the guy to come in had been fairly difficult until that morning. He knew there wouldn't be anyone there and things were nice and tidy so that made taking pictures a lot less of a pain. He didn't want the pictures to show more crap than good, after all. They were going to come in handy for putting up on the website, which reminded him that he needed to hire someone to help with dealing with that crap. He was awful at webhosting and it looked like a teenager had done it.
He sighed as he glanced up at the clock, realizing he was late to meet the guy out front. "Fuck," he muttered, getting up, snatching his coat from the back of his chair and heading out of the office and towards the entrance. He opened up the door hoping the guy was still there and hadn't run off because of his tardiness. Thankfully he was standing near the entrance still. "Sorry," he said. "Got a little sidetracked," he told the man as he offered out a hand to him. "Thanks for coming."
Sam had been thinking about this ever since he’d walked into Mercy and seen the owner. The building was gorgeous, and he’d been keen to spend more time there - but he had to admit, getting to talk to Liam Rivers was definitely a bonus. The exterior of the building was forming part of his project for that semester - and he’d gotten access round the back during the day and night, thanks to Liam. In return, he was more than happy to take some club interior shots for PR use, as well as for himself. After all, his name would be on the website somewhere.
He took the chance to take a few more shots of the outside front entrance, while he was waiting. Which meant, usefully, he got one of Liam pushing the glass door open. “Hey,” he smiled, lowering the camera. “Don’t worry about it.” He waggled the camera, one handed. “Kept myself busy.” He shook Liam’s hand firmly, fighting the urge to look anywhere but into his eyes. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he’d dressed up a little more than he did normally for photoshoots - dress trousers rather than jeans, a dress shirt and waistcoat, with the sleeves rolled up under his jacket. He was still wearing converse though - he’d been in nightclubs enough to know that dress shoes just ended up covered in shit, sticking to the floors.
Liam smiled at the other man, dropping his hand once he'd shook Sam's and shifting out of the way of the door to invite him in. "Come on, it's cold out here," he said, nodding his head towards the interior of the nightclub. "Can't have you freezing on me," he told him. Once Sam had entered the building, he shut the door and latched it back again. "Thanks again for coming by," he told him. "I appreciate all of this. And I'll get it added up to the website as soon as I can weasel someone into running it for me that knows what they're doing," he laughed.
Sam unwound his scarf from round his neck, draping it round the strap of his messenger bag. “It’s not too bad,” he said. “Just wait until January. Then it gets stupidly cold.” He’d come from New York, so he was pretty much used to the weather. And he didn’t mind the snow and rain - it just gave him more water to play with. “And hey, if you’re struggling, let me know.” He smiled. “I mean, I’m not brilliant at html or anything, but I can make what you’ve got look better.” Because yeah, he’d taken a look at the website, and it was a typical small business site. Nothing spectacular by any means.
He looked round as they walked into the main bar, arching an eyebrow. “Looks bigger when there’s no one here,” he pointed out, slipping his messenger bag off his shoulder and dropping it onto the floor. His coat followed, camera in hand as he looked around, already selecting particular shots.
"It sucks right now," he told the guy. "I don't know jack about websites and honestly it's just one of those 'here, click this and drop a picture here' sort of things. If you, or anyone you know for that matter, might be able to help it look a little less like a fifth grader designed it, I could pay you for your time," he said. Liam made decent money, especially with the club doing so well now, and a little investing in a good website wouldn't put him in the poor house by any means.
He watched the other man as he started looking around the main bar and smirked a little. "Yeah," he agreed. "It's kind of haunting," he admitted. "I mean, that's how it feels to me. When it's empty. Early in the morning, after everyone's gone. It's creepier on the full moon when we shut it down and it's empty at night. Probably would make for some awesome shots though. With the different light and whatever. Not a photographer so I could just be talking out of my ass." He was surprised he could talk at all because he noticed that Sam was cute. Which aggravated the fuck out of him. Especially since he was alone with the guy and didn't really have any excuse to avert his eyes.
Sam nodded, almost a little distractedly. “Yeah, it uh...yeah.” He blinked, looking back at Liam. “Sorry, I get...” he waved a hand vaguely. “I sort of go into photographer-mode.” He laughed, ducking his head a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “But if you were happy letting me in on a full moon, that would be awesome.” His smile widened. “You’re right, the lighting in here would be...yeah.” There was some daylight coming in, enough to give a golden cast to the room. “Is there anything you’re looking for in particular? Parts of the club you wanna highlight, or vice versa?” He might as well know now, before he started taking the photos.
He shook his head a little. "No, don't apologize. It's cool. I can leave you alone to do your thing," he offered. "No, I wouldn't mind letting you in on the full moon. The weres are always safely contained downstairs so if you're willing to come by for one of the full moons, that's great," he nodded. "Then we could have some more pictures and whatever." As for what he wanted to highlight, Liam looked around and shrugged a little. "I'm kind of terrible at thinking about what people want to see," he admitted. "I mean I guess the main dance floor and the DJ booth are important and the bars because everyone likes to drink so that should be in there. You might get a better view of the dancefloor from up those stairs there," he said, pointing. "Pretty much whatever you think looks good. I trust you." He moved his hands, motioning to Sam's clothes. "I mean you've got style so you know what people like looking at, right?"
Sam looked down at himself, hands out beside his hips. “Thanks,” he said, looking pleased and embarrassed at the same time. “I uh, I like thinking I have an eye for beauty, yeah.” And he couldn’t help but look at Liam as he said that. He wasn’t brave enough to flirt properly - he’d complimented the wrong guy too many times to risk that. But he could notice that the guy was hot, surely. He had eyes, after all. He smiled a little, grabbing a lens out of his bag and switching it out for the one currently on his camera.
Liam wasn't sure how to flirt with guys, period. He doubted he ever would. It was too dangerous. There were too many things to lose. It was easier just keeping his thoughts and opinions to himself. "Right," he said, nodding a little. "Alright, well I um... I guess I'll leave you to it then. My office is that way, pretty easy to find so just lemme know if you need anything, okay?"
That solved that question, then. Not that he’d thought that Liam was gay, but he wasn’t going to risk being any more obvious than that. Not when Liam was a) letting him take photos of his club, and b) looked like he could kick the crap out of him. “Yeah, I will do,” he nodded, glancing from Liam to his camera. Fixing the lens on, he looked round, already planning the shots he wanted to take. Closeups of the architectural features for himself - the bits that tied in to the exterior - and wider shots for Liam for the club’s webpage.
He should be walking back to his office at this point, but Liam just sort of stood there awkwardly, watching Sam as he fiddled with his lens. He had no clue what difference lenses made on cameras or what changing them helped with, but it was sort of fascinating. "So um...," he said, letting his eyes pan upwards to Sam's face. "You've been taking pictures for long time then?" he asked, realizing he likely looked pretty stupid when he just said he was going to be leaving. "Sorry, I'm just kind of...," what was the damn word? "Curious?" In more than one way, he supposed.
Looking up, Sam quirked an eyebrow in surprise. But hell, he wasn’t going to complain, if Liam wanted to keep talking to him. Wasn’t every day he had a gorgeous guy interested in what he was doing. Even if it was nothing more than polite curiosity, Sam wasn’t looking a gifthorse in the mouth.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. He raised the camera, using the viewfinder rather than the display on the back. “My dad bought me my first camera when I was about eight,” he murmured, taking a few shots of the bar, liking the way it was lit. He walked a little closer, changing the angle, snapping another couple of shots. “It’s always been a hobby. I uh, I started off studying architecture in New York,” he continued, eyes still on the bar rather than on Liam. “Decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do, and switched courses. I’m in my final year now.” It skimmed over the reasons why he’d moved towns, why he’d moved courses. But hell, he wasn’t going to give Liam his entire life story. He crouched down beside the bar, getting down on one knee to take a photo looking along the front of the bar, catching the reflection of the lights from the dancefloor.
Liam didn't think it was any of his business why Sam moved towns or changed courses. I was his life and he could do whatever the hell that he wanted. That didn't mean that he wasn't curious about the other man, but if he was in his final year now, that meant he was young. At least younger than Liam, which he'd expected. Not that he supposed it really mattered all that much. "What are you planning to do when you're finished?" he asked. "With school, I mean."
“Honestly?” Sam looked up, smiling crookedly at Liam. “I have no fucking idea.” He got to his feet, brushing imaginary dirt off his trousers as he does so. “Work in a gallery, I guess. I mean, I’d love to do this professionally, but there’s hardly any jobs.” Photojournalism didn’t interest him - he took photos because he wanted to, he didn't catalogue the world around him - just impressions of it, almost abstract images. He glanced over at Liam, considering a moment before raising the camera, snapping a picture of him leaning against the DJ booth.
“What about you?” He asked, jogging down the steps towards Liam. “Was this what you thought you were gonna end up doing?” Liam didn’t look that much older, but he’d gotten himself a career, his own business.
He didn't move when Sam took the picture, though he did arch a brow slightly after the picture was taken. "No," he told him. "I guess I never really thought about what I wanted to do much. I sort of fell into this. Went to school for business, then got a wild thought that I should open a club. Back then it was more like a bar with a crappy dance floor. Now look at it." It felt like forever and yet like mere seconds all at the same time. "I guess I didn't do too badly for myself," he told the guy, glancing back at him and flashing a smile in his direction.
Christ, that smile should be illegal, Sam mused as he tried not to trip over his own feet. “No, this place is pretty amazing,” he agreed, smiling. “Especially considering the shit you must get for being supernatural-friendly.” He’d heard about the riots of course, and knew through Arabella how cruel humans could be. “There a personal reason for that?” He asked, curious. And then looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, that’s totally invasive of me to ask. I’m a dick.” But at least he did occasionally realise when he’d done something wrong. “I’m only asking because I’m an elemental,” he said, trying to explain. “I’ve got a couple of friends that are supers. No cursed weres, but yeah,” he shrugged. “I get it.”
"Thanks," he said, eyes flicking around the room and then back to Sam as he neared. "Yeah," he sighed. "We get a lot of shit for that, but thankfully the positives outweigh the negatives so I really can't complain too much." So long as he was helping more people than hurting them, Liam didn't see a problem with the club. He shook his head a little when Sam apologized. "No need to apologize," he told him. "You're not being a dick either, it's an obvious question. What kind of a guy would I be if I ran a supernatural bar and wasn't willing to admit whether or not I'm supernatural myself?" he asked, tilting his head quizzically. "I'm a shifter," he told him honestly. "What kind of elemental?" he asked.
There was a jug of water on the end of the bar. Rather than answer, Sam turned to look at it, the water flowing out of the jug and down off the bar, an amorphous blob that slid across the floor towards him. Sam put his hand out, palm down, and the water whirled, forming a mini-cyclone, rising up in a column almost to Sam’s waist. He raised his hand higher and the water followed, leaving the ground and forming a globe, the water still whirling round, surface uneven and choppy. “Does that answer your question?” Sam teased, smirking just a little as he sent the globe towards Liam, sweat beading on his brow as he brought it to a halt in front of Liam, at chest height.
Liam's eyes were on the water levitated before him. He'd never get used to people's powers, he was sure. It was always like it was brand new when he saw a new set of them. He had to draw his eyes away from the water to look up at Sam again, eyes on that smirk of his. "I've met just about every type of super there is, though I'm fairly certain you're the first water elemental, so congratulations on being my first," he winked.
The surface of the water rippled more violently as Sam’s concentration wavered, a few droplets spraying out and hitting Liam. Sam laughed apologetically, pulling the water back, turning it into vapour and letting it dissipate in the air. “Shit, sorry,” he said, blushing. “Though seriously, don’t say stuff like that when I’m trying to concentrate.” Because yeah, he really didn’t need to be letting his thoughts go down that kind of line. He’d happily be Liam’s first anything. Liam wasn’t too wet, thankfully, but it was still going to take a bit for his shirt to dry. “You want me to take care of that?” He asked, gesturing to the damp shirt, stepping a little closer.
Looking down at his shirt and then back up to Sam, he shrugged a little. "It's cool," he told him. "Just a little water is all. I mean I've got another shirt in the office I can change into. I tend to make a mess of things more often than not," he admitted. "Didn't mean to break your concentration. I had no idea how easily distractible I could be," he smirked.
“Yeah, well, it’s not often I get hot guys congratulating me on being their first,” he pointed out. Taking a chance - if Liam was relaxed and open-minded about supernaturals, chances were he wasn’t a raging homophobe - Sam smirked back. “Not that I’m complaining, of course...” His camera hung loose from one hand, almost forgotten by now. Talking to Liam was distracting, and enjoyable. And something he wouldn’t mind spending a lot more time doing.
His brows went up a little at that, being called hot by a guy that he found attractive. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and for a long moment he just looked at him with a lopsided cross between a grin and a smirk. "Hot, huh?" he managed, glancing down at his shoes briefly before flicking his eyes back to Sam's.
“Oh come on, you own a mirror,” Sam pointed out, still smirking just a little. “Though if you want, I’m happy to take photos of you and conduct a poll...” he was teasing, for the most part. Though he wouldn’t have any complaints about taking photos of Liam. None at all. He refused to believe that Liam didn’t know he was attractive. And yeah maybe he was asking for an asskicking, flirting with him. At least he’d know, one way or another.
He smirked a little. "Well I know I'm hot, it's just fun hearing someone else say it," he shrugged. He was already giving away a lot more than he probably should, a lot more than he ever really had. But the guy flirted with him first. Sort of. Right? "You just want an excuse to take more pictures of me," he teased.
Sam shrugged. “Guilty as charged,” he murmured, laughing softly as he held his hands up, still holding the camera in one hand. “Though to be honest, if I wanted an excuse to take more pictures, I could just make up a bullshit art project that involves business owners, or shifters,” he pointed out, stepping just a little closer. “I’m inventive like that.”
"Well, now you've ruined the chance of me buying that line," he told him, grinning a little bit wider. "I'm wise to your tricks now, you'll have to come up with something more inventive I guess," he told him, shrugging out of his jacket. "I'm gonna go change out of this shirt," he told him. "Let you get more pictures in. Of the club I mean," he said, actually flushing a little. "I could order a pizza or something," he offered. "For when you're done."
“I’ll think of something,” Sam promised, getting a little distracted when Liam shrugged off his jacket. The blush was oddly charming, even if Sam was disappointed that Liam had deprived him of a chance to tease with that explanation. “Um, sure,” he said at the offer of lunch, blinking a little in surprise. “If you’re not busy, then yeah.” And if he could concentrate, when he knew that Liam was taking his shirt off somewhere in the building...
Somewhere in the building? Psh. Liam tossed his jacket onto the guardrail and pulled his shirt up and over his head. What? He could flirt too without really actually flirting. And maybe he wanted to see if Sam would keep looking. "Not busy," he told him as he turned to head for his office. He stopped and glanced back at Sam again. "What do you like on your pizza?" he asked.
Sam more than looked. Sam stared, mouth hanging open a little. “Hmm?” He asked, blinking as if coming out of a daze, his cheeks a little pink. He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed to be caught staring. “Uh, anything. Pepperoni?” He didn’t even have the presence of mind to snap a picture of Liam, too busy trying not to drool on the floor.
Liam smirked. "You might want to pick that up," he told him.
Shutting his mouth with an almost audible snap, Sam arched an eyebrow. “Sorry, it’s not every day that smoking hot exhibitionists start stripping off in front of me,” he replied archly, smirking back. And fuck, he wanted to kiss that smug, self-satisfied smirk off of Liam’s face. Which really wasn’t a good thing to be thinking about. Liam was probably just flirting for the sake of flirting. He wouldn’t genuinely be interested in someone like Sam - Sam’s luck wasn’t that good.
Smirking again, Liam pondered over that sentence. "Exhibitionist," he murmured. "I like the term and likely will use it in my everyday life now. I will be sure to blame you when people start bitching," he teased. He'd gotten lovely reactions from women when he took off his clothes, but none of the women he'd been with had stared at him quite the way that Sam did. None of them had let their jaws hang open in awe of him. Being perceived so attractive was a delicious notion. "Too bad I don't have a picture of the look you gave me," he murmured. "Does wonders for a guy's ego."
Sam laughed, shaking his head. “Like you need any help in that department,” he pointed out. He was tempted to say that if the way Sam had looked at him had done wonders, that was nothing to how he’d made Sam feel. He was glad his pants were loose across the crotch, and the light was dim; the way Liam had looked at him, shirtless and unashamed, had made his cock twitch. “Are you gonna stop distracting me and let me take these pictures, or not?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow at Liam. The attitude was dredged up from somewhere - what he really wanted to do right now was go over there and kiss Liam until he stopped looking so damned tempting.
Liam chuckled. "Saying I'm egotistical?" he asked him. "I'll remember that." He shrugged a little. "Alright, fine, I'll leave you alone. But only since you asked so nicely," he teased. Turning, Liam headed off towards his office, deliberately walking slower than his normal stride just to tease Sam a little. He couldn't help it. It was a rush that he'd not felt before, flirting like that. Unashamed. If only because no one was around.
Sam’s eyes glazed over a little at that easy shrug, the way the muscles shifted under Liam’s skin, light catching the faint freckles across his shoulders. Sam wet his lips almost reflexively, watching as Liam walked away. He actually shook himself, giving himself a stern mental talking to as he turned his attention back to the club, spending the next forty minutes clambering around the place, taking shots from all angles. Publicity shots done, he started working on things for himself, hooking one foot around an upright post as he bent almost double over the balcony rail, taking pictures of the lighting rigs in the ceiling, the crossed patterns almost like a web across the roof. His shirt had ridden up, waistcoat undone about 20 minutes previously. He looked dishevelled, but his eyes were bright with excitement, with ideas on which shots he wanted to use, and how to combine them with the work he had already.
Liam had ordered the pizza, which was now in the office sitting on his desk, and when Sam hadn't come looking for him, he decided it was time to go looking for the other man. He'd changed his shirt, putting on the one he had in his office, a buttondown one that he hated because it was a little too tight across his shoulders. He reminded himself for the twentieth time to throw the damned thing away when he was done wearing it. When he reached Sam, he just stood there watching the man from a few feet away, bent backwards across the trailing. Yeah, that couldn't be safe. He didn't want to startle the guy for fear of him falling to his doom or something, so he just stood there and watched him work.
Sam eventually straightened, hopping down from his position perched on the rail, smirking at Liam in the tight button-down shirt. “You know, I’m not sure that’s any better than walking around topless,” he pointed out, carefully packing away the kit he’d been using, leaving his smaller camera out for now. He pretty much always had it hanging around his neck or in his hand, just in case. He picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder easily.
"Sorry," he told him. "I keep telling myself to throw this damn thing away but somehow I always forget, wash it and end up wearing it again. I don't think it wants to leave my wardrobe." Which likely sounded pretty stupid. "How're the pictures coming?" he asked. "Looks like you were having fun."
Sam nodded, still grinning widely. His hair was ruffled from where he’d been running his hands through it, waistcoat hanging loose from his shoulders, his shirt half-untucked. “Yeah, I was.” He grinned. “I got some great shots. I uh,” he shifted his bag on his shoulder. “I can show you ‘em now if you want.” He had his laptop in his bag, and plugging his memory card into it would be easy enough. He was eager to get a better look at his work, anyway. If he did that while he was here, he could take a second round of pictures to catch anything he’d missed.
"Yeah, sure," Liam said with a nod. "That'd be cool. I'd love to see more of your work anyway." He'd seen a bit of it, here and there, but Liam knew that he'd probably only brushed the tip of the iceberg where Sam was concerned, especially in his photography skills. "Come on, we can eat some pizza and you can show me some of your work," he smiled. And he could write out the check for the work he'd done for him because he fully intended to pay for it whether Sam wanted him to or not. Even if he had to tuck it into his bag unnoticed.
“Sounds good,” he said, smiling. He followed Liam to the office, setting up his laptop on the desk. “Do you mind if I...?” He gestured to Liam’s chair, not wanting to steal the guy’s seat without checking first. He slid his memory card into the laptop, booting it up and loading the images. “Ok, so I’ll likely play around with the editing on these before they’re done...” he grabbed a bit of pizza, chewing distractedly as he organised them into a folder, deleting the ones he could tell he didn’t like, already.
"Nah, go ahead," Liam told him, picking up his own slice of pizza and munching on it as he grabbed another chair to settle beside Sam at his laptop. He chewed while Sam focused on the pictures, paying attention to how easily he organized them. "I'm awful at shit like that," he commented. "Organizing. I don't know how I run this business without it falling apart," he laughed.
Sam smiled, glancing over at Liam, starting a little at how close they were. From here, he could so easily just lean over and kiss him...but nope. Not thinking about that. Bad Sam. Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the screen, pulling up a slide show. “Eh, I’ve always been pretty OCD about my work,” he admitted, shrugging slightly. “You should see my bedroom, it’s kind of...controlled chaos. Emphasis on the ‘chaos’.” He took another bite of pizza, starting the slide show. “Ok so like I said, I want to edit most of these, fix the lighting and stuff. But if there’s any shots you really like, let me know and I can work on those first.”
"How exactly can you have controlled chaos?" he asked, arching a brow as he watched the slideshow. There were plenty of shots he liked but the problem was that he really couldn't pick out any that he liked best. How was he supposed to decide when they were all pretty spectacular? "You've really got a gift," he commented, taking another bite of his pizza. "I can't take a picture for facebook, let alone anything that looks like that."
“Pure talent,” Sam shot back, at the controlled chaos comment. He smiled, pleased by Liam’s compliment on his work. “Yeah, well. It’s my degree. I wouldn’t get far if I couldn’t take a decent picture,” he pointed out, finishing off his slice of pizza. He licked his fingers clean of grease, closing down the slideshow. “And hey, you could always use one of these for facebook...” he pulled up the two pictures he’d taken of Liam, at the front door, and leaning against the DJ booth.
Liam hadn't realized that Sam had taken a picture of him when he came out of the door that morning and he smirked a little at it. "Well damn," he said. "I had no idea that you could improve on perfection," he laughed. He was a little full of himself, he couldn't really help it.
Sam shook his head, just a little. “And you’re complaining that I suggested you had an ego,” he drawled, eyes on the screen rather than Liam. It was a pretty good picture, all jokes aside. And yeah, Sam was likely going to be staring at those full lips when he jerked off that night. No one else needed to know that.
"I know I have an ego," he shrugged. "Sometimes it's the only thing that gets me by." Which was true. He had to at least remember that he wasn't a bad looking guy so life didn't suck quite so bad. "I try to remember that I'm still at least attractive. I likely won't be in ten years when I start going gray and look like death," he sighed. "So I might as well be happy with it while I've got it."
Sam quirked an eyebrow. “The only thing?” He asked, curious as to why Liam thought his life sucked that much. “Other than the fact that you run your own successful nightclub, you’re a good guy, and you help a lot of people every full moon?” He’d done his homework, and they’d talked about the weres earlier, after all. The more Sam talked to Liam, the more intrigued he was. There was different sides to him, sides Sam wanted to get to know better. He sat back from the computer, turning his body towards Liam a little, one foot tucked under the opposite thigh on his chair.
Liam shrugged a little. "Guess I don't pay attention to much of the other facets of myself," he told him honestly. "I kind of spend most of my time in a haze. I'm always busy with something. The nightclub takes up the majority of my free time, even when I'm not 'working' per se." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking to Sam briefly before back at the computer. "Sometimes I wonder what the fuck I'm doing," he admitted.
“You need to get a break sometime,” Sam said, tilting his head as he looked at Liam. “Relax, get some R&R, you know? Or you’ll go crazy.” It sounded like Liam wasn’t far off. “And I’m pretty sure everyone wonders that, from time to time.” He shrugged. “Hell, I know I do. I’m supposed to be planning the rest of my life right now. I don’t even know what I’m doing next week.”
"I don't even know what I'm doing next week," Liam admitted. "I'm supposed to be living the rest of my life. I don't think it gets any better the older that I get. If anything I just get more confused with what I've been doing with my life up until now," he shrugged, looking over at Sam again.
Sam was tempted to suggest having dinner with him, as being one of the things that Liam should be doing the next week. But the tone of the conversation didn’t suit it. Rather than the light flirtation of earlier, it had been businesslike, and now fairly serious. It felt like Liam was opening up to him, and he didn’t want to ruin that for the sake of making a joke that wouldn’t be taken well. “Do you think what you’re doing is right?” He asked softly, leaning forward a little. “Does it make you feel good, helping those people?” Maybe he needed to focus more on that, less on the nightclub.
"Well yeah, I don't question that," he told him, shaking his head. "I don't question the nightclub because it's giving all these people the chance to go somewhere and not worry that they're going to be judged but at the same time I kind of feel like I'm not being as honest as they are." He left his thoughts there and shook his head, pasting on a smile and reaching for another slice of pizza. "Anyways, did you get any shots you like?" he asked him.
Sam frowned. If he’d known Liam better, he might have pushed. Asked what Liam wasn’t being honest about. As it was, he just turned back to the computer, copying Liam and reaching for another slice of pizza. “Yeah, I did,” he said, nodding. “I might come back when the club’s open, get some shots with the crowd,” he said, closing down the picture program, shutting down his laptop. “But yeah, I think I’m good for now.”
"Cool," he smiled. He was thankful that Sam didn't push and also surprised at himself for getting that close to letting out secrets he wasn't really ready to let out. Sam made him too comfortable and it was strange and new to say the least. "Come back anytime," he smiled, looking over at Sam again. "I'll make sure your name's always at the door. You're practically on the payroll now."
Sam grinned. “Thanks,” he replied, taking a bite of pizza. “And hey, if you’re offering...” he teased, still grinning. “I’m happy to be like, unofficial official photographer. You’ve got a facebook page for the club, right?” He quirked an eyebrow. “I can take photos a couple of nights a month, or something.”
"Awesome," Liam said, grinning. "Then I'm totally offering." Like he'd object to having Sam around more often. "The club does have a facebook page. Oh, and we've got that concert with Ozzy Osbourne coming up," he added. "You should definitely come by and take pictures for that. I can get you backstage to get some pictures of Ozzy up close and personal too if you're willing."
“Seriously?” Sam grinned widely, nodding. “You even have to ask?” Because yeah, the chance to take photos of Ozzy Osbourne? Not one he even had to think about. And the fact that it meant he’d get to spend more time with Liam wasn’t exactly a hardship, either. He took out his wallet, digging out one of the business cards he’d made up in a hopeful moment. When he actually thought he was good enough to be a professional photographer. “Here, that’s my email and cell. You can just drop me a line, let me know what nights you want me to come in.”
"Great," Liam said, taking the card from Sam and glancing at the name once more to commit it to memory. And since there was the opportunity... He reached out and grabbed a card off of his desk, flipping it over and writing his cellphone number on the back of it. "You can reach me at all the numbers on the front," he said as he offered the card to Sam. "But my personal cell is on the back if you need to get in touch with me." Or, hopefully, if he just wanted to get to talk to him for any reason important or not. "The concert is on the twenty-eighth," he told him. "But hopefully you'll wanna see me again before then." Liam was trying very hard not to sound hopeful and not to sound too much like he wanted to see Sam again either. Damn it, this was hard.
Sam took the card, trying not to smile too widely at Liam’s personal cell on the back. Because yeah, it could just be professional courtesy. But Sam was starting to get whiplash - Liam had definitely been flirting, out in the hall when Sam had been taking photos. And then...not. He didn’t know if he’d scared Liam off, or what it was. And now here he was, giving Sam his number, and saying he hoped Sam would want to see him again. “Hey, I always like seeing exhibitionists,” he teased, tucking the card into his wallet carefully. “Gives me plenty to photograph.” He was being careful, not wanting to get his hopes up if Liam was just playing some sort of game.
It wasn't so much that he was playing games, just that he wasn't sure what the hell he was doing. Liam wanted to follow his instincts, his urges, but something seemed to be holding him back from being able to do that. Fear mostly. Worry about being judged by other people. There were a lot of things in his head, all of which he wasn't ready to yet admit. But alone with Sam in his office, it was easier to let his guard down just a little bit. "I can only imagine the photos you'd like to have of me," he teased, flashing a grin to let the guy know that he wasn't upset about that fact.
Sam quirked an eyebrow at that. “Hey, like I said,” he murmured, taking a chance. “I’m more than happy to take photos of you, any time.” His voice was soft, and it was clear from the look in his eyes that Sam was definitely in favor of the idea. And yeah, ok, the thought of having nude, or even topless pictures of Liam? Definitely a turn-on. Whether the guy was gay or not, interested or not, it didn’t stop Sam being attracted to him.
"I've never really done any modeling," he admitted. "I'd probably suck at it, even if you were serious," he said, flushing a little at the thought, though he didn't want to admit to it, so he glanced at his desk for a brief moment as if it would go away before he looked back at Sam.
“I never joke about photography,” Sam said, smirking just a little. The blush was adorable, to say the least. And seemed out of place, considering how cocky and confident he’d been, taking his shirt off. “From the way you were walking around out there,” he continued, “I’d say you’re a natural. And if you’re willing to model for me, then hell yes.” He set down the rest of his slice of pizza, not really hungry now. “I’m never gonna turn down the chance to get pictures of beautiful people.”
He'd been called a lot of things, but beautiful wasn't one of them. Sexy, hot, gorgeous. Things like that. Studly even which was interesting. But now here he was being asked to model without so many words. "If you wanna take pictures of me, you can take pictures of me," he told him with a little shrug. "Just let me know when and I'll try and schedule around it. I don't get out of work until late, obviously, so mornings are usually my own free time."
Sam nodded. “I’ll let you know.” He’d need to think of some kind of reason, beyond, ‘because you’re really hot’. Some kind of theme. He’d been toying with an idea for his final presentation, something totally different from the architecture angle he’d been working on. He wasn’t sure if it’d work out, though. If his tutors would approve. “Um,” he looked around, realising he didn’t really have any more reason to stay. “I guess I should get going,” he murmured. “Let you get on with your work.”
"Yeah," Liam said with a little nod. "Alright. I don't wanna keep you too much longer," he said, reaching into his desk drawer for his checkbook and writing out a check for Sam in a figure he thought was more than fair. Maybe a little too much more than fair, but he didn't really care. It was his money, he could do what he wanted with it. Signing it at the bottom, he handed it to the guy. "For all the work you've done," he told him. "And a signing bonus for all the work you're likely going to do," he smiled.
Sam took the cheque, eyebrows practically disappearing into his hairline when he saw the amount on it. “Oh, hey, no,” he murmured, trying to hand the cheque back. “I can’t take this. It’s way too much.” He’d feel guilty - it wasn’t like he hadn’t got anything out of the deal, after all. He had all the photos he needed for his school project, free pizza, and time with a smoking hot guy.
Liam shook his head. "No," he told him, holding his hands up. "It's already written out now, you have to take it. Besides, you earned it. I've had people wanting to take pictures planning to charge me three times as much, honestly. I'm getting a steal with you and if you think it's too much then that makes me like you even more because you're not just in it for the cash. Means you like what you're doing, not the money behind it." Which impressed Liam more than he could even tell Sam. "Take it, please?"
Sam hesitated, then put the cheque in his bag. He already knew he wouldn’t cash it - there wasn’t any harm in taking the bit of paper. “Hey, it’s not like I didn’t get anything out of the deal,” he pointed out. “You’re helping me out massively with school, by letting me crawl around the building like that.” If he hadn’t had Liam’s permission, hadn’t had Mercy to add to his project, he didn’t know what he would have done.
He smiled at him again. "You should still get paid for your time," he told him. "So cash the check," he said, narrowing his eyes at him knowingly. "Don't make me have to get my accountant to hunt down the discrepancy," he teased. "Really, though, you did earn it. Just as much as you earned me being a model for whatever it is you want me to model for," he smirked. "My body is in your hands."
Sam just smirked, arching an eyebrow as he stood, shouldering his bag. “I’m gonna remember you said that,” he murmured, teasing Liam a little. He slid his laptop into his bag, careful of the camera equipment already in it. “And I promise, I’ll cash the cheque.” And then likely end up giving the money back to Liam, somehow. Either that, or to a charity. It wasn’t like he needed it himself.
Liam grinned at him. "Remember it. Write it down even," he teased. "I'll see you later, Sam. It was fun hanging out." And a little liberating, though he kept that to himself. "Don't forget to call. If I don't answer, leave a message. I'll get back to you."
“Yeah, ok,” Sam nodded, heading for the office door. “And thanks again for lunch,” he added over his shoulder, glancing once more at Liam before closing the door behind himself. And then sighing softly. Great, just what he needed. A crush on a guy who swithered between flirting and standoffishness, who was probably straight. Because he hadn’t done that enough times in the past. Shaking his head, Sam headed for the front door, determined to put Liam out of his mind. As if it would be that easy.