This chapter is dedicated to SpectralWolf776. Thank you for all the love and support. Love you!

I wake up because I am too hot. For a split second, I feel disoriented because I don't know where I am, but then I remember. I feel his soft breath tickling the back of my neck, and every part of me is tangled with every part of him. A soft ray of sunlight is coming through the window, casting a shadow on the carpet indicating that morning has arrived.

I slowly turn around and face Liam. He looks peaceful in his sleep. He looks young and untroubled like the little boy I saw on the Polaroid I found yesterday. I was looking for a smaller towel to dry my hair in one of his drawers, and I found the photo tucked in there. Liam must have been six or seven in the picture. He was sitting under a Christmas tree in the arms of a beautiful woman that I recognized as his mother. She was smiling at the camera, and he was smiling at her with such open love that it made my chest hurt.

Liam never talks about his mother. The only thing I know about her is that she passed away. I remember everyone at school speculating about it at the time. The rumor was that it was a sudden death, and the family was so devastated they had to get away for a while to grieve. They went to Armenia to be with her family and held a funeral for her there. No one knows if that is what actually happened because Liam never told anyone anything. And no one ever asked him right out. He kind of let people believe whatever they wanted to believe, I guess. I asked Elliot about it once, but all I got was a frown and a shrug.

As I stare at him now, I can't help but mentally laugh at myself. I used to think Elliot was the peak of male perfection. I honestly believed that he was the most attractive guy I'll ever meet. But there was no depth to his appeal. Liam is the kind of beautiful that allures you the more you look at him, different from every angle like an optical illusion.

I bring my hand up to trace his face. I slowly run my fingers from his eyebrows all the way to his jaw. And because I can't resist him and I know that I'm allowed, I softly press my lips onto his. He sighs but shows no sign of waking up. I hesitantly pull away and drag myself out of bed. As much as I want to stay here cuddled with him, I have to get going. It's too early for me to wake him up, but I have to get back to my house to change and grab my things before school. So, I make sure to not make too much noise as I get dressed and leave.

Liam

I felt her kiss like I felt every single touch before it. But I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes and face her. I have done something I promised myself I would never ever do again. Something even worse than all the lies. I gave her hope. The hope of there being a chance for us. I felt it in her touch, tasted it in her kiss. But there'll never be hope for us because I made sure if it. I destroyed any hope before there was even one to begin with. And I was okay with that. She was supposed to come into my life like a gentle breeze so that when she left, like everyone and everything, I wouldn't even feel it. But she came in like a thunderstorm full of twisting hurricanes and wrecked everything.

"Hello!" Ellyn waves her hand in my face. "Earth to Liam."

"You alright, man?" Ryan has his hands all over Stefani.

I actually can't believe he kept her around this long. This must be some sort of a record for him.

"I'm fine. Why?" I sound less agitated than I feel, and I'm thankful for that. I can't take an interrogation right now.

"Louis is coming back from London next week. Did you not hear a thing I said?" Ellyn is on edge.

"He ditched us with no explanations, and now he is suddenly coming back?" Ryan scoffs. "And why is he calling you and not us?"

"You sound like a jealous boyfriend, babe. Who is this Louis guy anyway?" Stefani asks, leaning into him.

We are standing around Ellyn's Jeep in the parking lot. Ryan takes Stefani's hand and tells us they're heading inside. I look around the lot for the hundredth time, but she is still not here. It is almost insane, but I miss her. I sigh and return my attention back to Ellyn to find her staring at me. It's as if I just cut myself open and spilled my guts because she is looking at me like she knows exactly what's going through my mind.

"When did Louis call you?" I ask because I can't stand the accusation in her eyes.

"Yesterday." She swings her long legs from the hood of her car, where she's seated. "Do you think he'll bring it up?" She asks, and I know what she is referring to.

I shrug.

"I don't think he wants to go back there any more than we do," I tell her, and she sighs heavily.

Sometimes I think what happened haunts her just as much as it haunts me. She reaches out and pulls me to her, so I'm in between her legs facing away. She wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my middle. She rests her chin on my shoulder, holding onto to me.

It's always been like this with us. Whenever she is single, she is in my bed. And I don't mind it. I have never been committed to anyone, so I never had to explain myself. But sometimes the lines tend to blur because when we are not screwing, we're hanging out as friends. And she's always had a thing for PDA, which I didn't really mind. But right now, it feels all kinds of wrong.

I suddenly feel a strong urge to get as far away from her touch as possible. I grab her hands and begin to remove it, but it's too late. Because Jess is already making her way towards us.

Jessica

When I see them in such an intimate embrace, my first instinct is to run as far away from them as possible. Or to jump back into my car and cry hysterically. But instead, something possesses me to walk towards them. It's like my legs have a mind of their own as they carry me towards the last people on earth I want to be next to right now.

"Hey, Jessica." Red greets me with a smile as soon as I reach them.

I try and fail to rip my eyes away from her skinny arms and skinny legs, wrapped around him like vines. I look into his eyes because I want him to see the hurt he has caused. Or maybe it's the hurt I have caused. Because I should have known that girls like me didn't end up with guys like him. What did I expect exactly? That one night together, and he would suddenly realize that I was the one? God! I feel so foolish. Of course, he would end up in her arms morning come. It's hurtful but not entirely surprising.

Liam looks back at me, and there is absolutely no emotion behind his eyes. His vacant expression makes me take a step back. It's almost like last night never happened. I actually question if it was just a figment of my imagination.

"We should find time to talk about who we're casting for the play. Time is ticking." My voice comes out small and weak, and it pisses me the hell off. It's all good, though. I'd rather be pissed off than sad right now.

"Sure. Maybe we can talk at lunch?" She offers running her perfectly manicured fingers down his chest like she is marking her territory. So he is only okay with my touch in the dark of night but welcomes hers in broad daylight where everyone can see. If I don't get the hell away from them, I'm afraid I'll burst into tears. But luckily, I have more self-respect than that, so I keep it together. I tell her talking after school would be much better and walk away with a smile on my face. It somehow feels like I saw this coming. Like the moment I left that bed in the morning, I knew every good thing that came with the night would end with it.

Time passes by like a blur. I make the decision to ditch English because why not. No doubt Mrs. Ronin will throw a fit tomorrow, but I'll worry about that when the time comes. I just need a day to process everything. Jeremy is absent at lunch, but Steff has decided to grace us with her presence.

"I'm sorry, but I want to laugh, not cry. Life is shit as it is." She says and takes a bite of her apple. I have been begging her to watch Modern Romance with me, and her reason for not wanting to is because she doesn't want to cry.

I roll my eyes.

"I think that show sounds cool." Jayden looks at me as if saying I've got your back, and I smile at him. "Speaking of, my grandma is off to some church retreat. You guys wanna come and have a movie night?"

"I can't tonight. I'm helping my mom get ready for a hot date." Steff says, so Jayden turns to me.

I was planning to lay in a cocoon of pillows with a jar of Ice Cream and throw myself a lavish pity party. But a movie with Jayden sounds a lot less pathetic.

"I'm in. But only if I get to pick the movie."

"Hmm! Such a hard bargain you are driving there." He pretends to contemplate.

"None of the sappy stuff, I promise. And if you don't like my pick, we can always improvise." I say, and that seems to satisfy him.

"Well, I'll text you my address then. And bring your own Ice Cream. I don't like to buy that shit." He says, getting up. "You're missing out." He tells Steff as he's walking away.

"Nah. I'm not much for a threesome." She yells after him, and my eyes go wide.

"Calm down, baby girl. We're all adults here. Almost." She winks.

I shake my head. Steff has absolutely no filter.

"So you and Ryan. What's up with that? You actually like like him?"

She shrugs. "It's mostly just fun for now, but I can see myself liking him."

This worries me.

"What if he is not interested in you like that? What if he ends up hurting you?"

"Then he hurts me." She shrugs. "Heartbreak is inevitable, Jess. They say the first time hurts the most, so might as well get it over with." She wiggles her eyebrows to let me know what she is insinuating.

I chuckle, shaking my head. She makes it sound like a simple, easy fact. It is a simple fact, but by no means easy. I wish I could be like her sometimes. Make light of every situation.

"What is with the red head and Liam anyway?" She asks, and my heart sinks. I went for like five minutes without thinking about them before she ruined it.

"Don't know. Don't care." I say.

She gives me a pointed look.

"She is his ex. Or so Emily said. Whatever! They are obviously not over each other." I try to brush it off even though she already knows how much it is bothering me.

"If it makes you feel any better, when Ryan and I were with them this morning, he was looking around for you like every other second. He seemed absent the entire time."

As pathetic as it is, that makes me a little happy. But then again, Steff didn't see what I saw.

"I doubt that," I say and shove my plate away. "He was so different last night. I just don't get what happened."

"Men!" She scoffs. "They say we are complicated, but they are the ones with the problem."

Cheers to that.

The bell goes off, and we each make our way towards our locker. I grab my Physics book with a heavy heart. Physics is my least favorite subject, but I had to take it to avoid having Brittany in my class.

I almost jump with alarm when I close my locker and come face to face with Liam. I clutch my chest and let out a breath. He scared the hell out of me.

"We need to talk." He says, and I shake my head.

"There is nothing to talk about." I try to walk past him, but he blocks the way. "I have a class to get to, Liam."

"Why did you miss English?"

Seriously?

"Why do you care?"

He looks at me with warning, and I stare stubbornly back at him. I'll be damned if I start explaining myself to him now.

He sighs with frustration when he realizes I'm not having it.

"Well, are you going to let me pass?" I ask.

"Can you come over again tonight? Please." He asks, and I am dumbfounded. I didn't see that one coming.

"I can't. I'm watching a movie with Jayden."

His expression visibly darkens, and despite everything, it makes me squirm.

"You're going to the movies with him?" The accusation is clear in his eyes.

"No. I'm going over to his house."

His eyes widen, and I look away because he looks hurt. I'm not about to console him right now.

"So you're basically going to do with him what you did with me?" He says, and it is as if he slapped me right across the face.

"Excuse me? You are the one who ran to Red the first chance you got. You didn't even take into consideration how that would make me feel. One moment you want me and the next you don't, and then you want me again but only when no one is around. I am not..."

His lips crash against mine, swallowing the words. I am so caught off guard I audibly gasp. His soft, plumped lips and the familiar taste of him instantly melt my anger. My books slide out of my hand and find a spot on the floor. I encircle my arms around him, and I kiss him back with the same hunger. I don't even care that people might be watching.

"I missed you." He whispers, pulling away a little. "Come home with me tonight." He plants a soft kiss on my lips and waits for a reply.

Just like that, I find myself nodding. I hate the fact that I'm letting him see the power he holds over me, but there is no way I can say no to him when his lips are inches away from mine. He kisses me again, and I feel him smile against my lips. He may not be holding anything over me anymore, but he has me wrapped around his fingers. And I can't help but feel like he knows it.

***
Hey, guys! How is everyone doing? I kind of struggled with this chapter. I know it goes back and forth a lot but I wanted to get both of their point of views in. I hope it wasn't too all over the place. If you enjoyed it,

Go

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Star :)

Much Love,

Becca