Morning light streamed in as I slowly woke up. With my eyes still sealed shut, I turned my head to block out the light, causing an instant sharp pain to shoot through my throbbing head. My hands flew up, grabbing at my temples. I groaned, forcing my lips to part and hating the way my throat felt like a desert. 

Mother of Hades, what happened last night?

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting briefly to adjust to the light that was shining all too bright. Looking around the room, I froze. I wasn't in my dorm. I quickly lifted the blanket, glancing underneath to see my clothes were still on me. I breathed a sigh of relief before surveying my surroundings once more.

Neatly tucked navy bedspread on the bed across from me. Led Zepplin poster. A framed record....

My anxiety eased as I realized I was in Aaron and Liam's dorm.

Wait...Liam! Oh. My. God.

I groaned as flashbacks from the night started replaying in my mind as I briefly remembered stripping out of Liam's shirt to being thrown over his shoulder. I remembered getting in his car and then...

Oh god, I called him a sex god, didn't I?

I covered my face with my hands and cursed. The night had so many holes I wasn't sure if I wanted to piece it all together or not. Considering the pieces I did remember, it was probably best I didn't.

I slowly sat up, noticing a glass of water and a Tylenol on the nightstand. I looked over to Liam's side and inspected it, examining every piece of his belongings as if they would suddenly reveal those pieces of himself that he was so determined on hiding.

I couldn't seem to connect the two Liam's-- the one who was cold and aloof, and the one who would leave me medicine and water after making sure I got home safe. I found myself wondering where this new side of him came from, and if just how he had forgotten me, he had also forgotten himself.

Sighing, I grabbed the pill, popping it in my mouth before gulping down the water. I stood up and looked around for my boots, spotting them at the end of the bed. I slipped them on before pulling my foot back out when I stepped on something hard. I reached inside the boot, fishing out my phone. I had completely forgotten I had placed it there for safe keeping. I hit the button only to see it was dead.

Great. Looks like I'll be getting my exercise this morning.

Luckily, the girl's dorms wasn't a far walk, but my attire didn't exactly scream innocent night out thanks to the wonderful world of themed college parties. Which reminded me...

I'm still wearing Liam's shirt.

"Way to go Maddie! Wonderful situation you have found yourself in." Looking down at the shirt, I groaned. "Savannah, your fricken cheesecake better be better than life itself after this!" Unable to do anything else at that point and in a hurry to leave before Liam or Aaron showed up, I made my way to the door and stepped out.

Closing the door, I turned around to make my walk of shame, when I spotted an Amazonian looking woman very quietly closing a door behind her. She turned to tiptoe away when her wide, dark chocolate eyes locked on mine. She gave me a quick assessment before sheepishly smiling. With a mutual head nod, she went her way as I turned to go mine, unable to stop the giggle that escaped.

*****

"Okay," I said between mouthfuls, "this is good. Like really good."

"So, am I forgiven?" Savannah asked with pleading eyes as she pressed her two hands together.

We were currently sitting in her parent's kitchen which was decked out with adorable cow decor. Savannah had invited me over to make my cheesecake, letting me know her parents were on a trip and wouldn't mind.

"I don't know. I mean, I did trip on my walk and unintentionally moon two idiots who've apparently never seen a butt before."

Savannah's hands flew to her mouth as she covered a giggle. "Oh, come on Maddie! I said I'm sorry! Please forgive me. Pleasseee!"

I took another bite of her cheesecake, tapping the fork on my mouth as I pretended to mull it over.

"Hmm...okay, I forgive you."

"Eek! Great! Because I am dying to tell you all about my night!"

"You better have gotten laid Savannah. Please tell me my drunken escapades weren't for nothing."

Her Cheshire grin and reddened cheeks were its' very own answer.

"Oh my gosh, you did, didn't you!?" I reached out and playfully pushed her arm. She shook her head before resting her cheek on the palm of her hand that was propped up on the counter.

"He's so sweet, Maddie. We actually just talked the whole night. Well...mostly just talked." She grinned. "I really like him, and I really think he likes me too, even when I ramble."

"That's so great, Savannah. See, I told you he'd adore you. You're a catch!"

"What about you and Aaron? How's that going? Has he asked you officially out yet?"

I pushed the now empty plate away from me and leaned forward. "No, he hasn't, but I kind of feel like he's about to. He's more affectionate here lately. Although I haven't seen him much, he texts me all the time."

"That's really great! He seems like a good guy."

"Yeah, he is..." I trailed off in thought.

"But...?" Savannah asked, noticing my confliction.

"But I don't know. Something is holding me back. I thought being here in Georgia with him would jump start our relationship, but now that I am here, it's almost as if I want to take a step backward instead of forward."

Savannah stared at me for a moment, her blue eyes assessing me as though the answer I needed would materialize for her. "Do you think your apprehension comes from a certain six-foot, muscular, green-eyed guy?"

"Who, Liam? No. I mean, I don't know? Yes? Maybe?"

Savannah laughed, shaking her head, her blonde curls falling around her face as she did. "I thought I was the rambling one."

I tucked a stray hair behind my ear giving her a playful glare. "Honestly, you're right. He does have something to do with it. At least, I think. It's just weirder than I thought seeing him again and even more so, having him act the way he does toward me. He goes from super cold to warm, never quite touching hot, but getting close enough, I can still feel the heat. It has me so confused." I sighed, running my hand through my hair, flipping it to one side. "I just wish there was some type of closure. He was the last guy who I was really close to, and if I'm being honest with myself, I think I'm scared to get close to anyone anymore."

I let my words sink in; it was something I had yet to allow myself to feel. But the more I thought about it, the more truth there seemed to be in it. Growing up, Liam had always been my rock, even when I didn't realize it. He was the one person I was closest to.

I didn't have my dad, and my mom, well, she was exactly how she is now--too caught up in her own world to notice what's going on in mine. And when she does notice, there's always room for improvement in her eyes. The few good years her and I had, were when John was in the picture. Afterwards...well, things were never quite the same again.

I can't deny how I grew up affected my relationships and their stability.

"What even happened between you two?" Savannah asked, now standing up to put both of our plates in the sink. She pointed to the coffee maker, and I nodded, then pulled out two mugs with matching cow faces and tail handles. Eyeing Savannah's pink and sparkly attire, I would never have guessed this was where she grew up.

"It's simple really. We made several promises to each other when I found out I was moving, one of which was to always write to the other. I wrote and he stopped." I shrugged, taking my mug from Savannah and focusing on the cow's face to avoid looking at hers.

"He stopped? Just like that? Don't you want to know why?"

I thought back to the last letter I wrote Liam, the letter that took me months to write, and unconsciously shook my head. Liam's lack of response ultimately told me everything I needed to know, and simultaneously broke my heart. Up until that point in my life, I had been holding on to hope that I would be rescued. But when my best friend, my supposed savior, never came wielding his sword for me, I learnt magic like in fairy tales, in fireflies, and in Liam, were only make believe.

"Honestly, what good would it do now? I need to move on." The frustrating part was that I thought I had, but seeing Liam caused that wound to bleed again. I needed to move forward for both my sanity and health, and it wasn't fair to Aaron, or myself, to hold back because of an unresolved past. 

I just really hope there's a band-aid big enough.

"Well, how about you and Aaron come with me and Josh next Thursday night. We're going to The Mixing House for some drinks and to watch whatever live bands are playing."

"The Mixing House? That's actually where Aaron took me recently. I know he likes to go there, so...sure, why not?"

"Awesome! It'll be fun having you there."

"As long as no one sees my underwear this time, I'm game." I joked, taking a sip of my coffee.

Savannah blushed, sheepishly smiling. "You got yourself a deal."

I'm not thrilled with this chapter, but I wanted to get it out for Ya'll. I'll definitely be revisiting it in the future, but until then, hope you enjoy! ❤

Thanks for reading!