Why my alarm felt the need to go off at the unholy hour of 6:30, I was not sure. But then I remembered my coffee date with Aaron, and I grudgingly rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

Once I was more awake and back in my room, it hit me that it was my first day at my dream college. Nerves danced in my belly, threatening to break free and perform a solo routine in front of the whole school just to spite me. I took a calm and collective breath and told myself I could do this. I busted my ass to be where I was at now; I just needed to remind myself how far I had come.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I gave myself a small smile. I was wearing ripped skinny jeans, a white crop top, and I had my long, chestnut hair pulled halfway up into a top knot with my side bangs framing my face. I looked good. But even more so, I felt good. I was ready to tackle the day.

But first, coffee.

I grabbed my black leather bag with my supplies, and a gray cardigan and quietly headed out the door so I wouldn't wake Savannah. I had pulled up Bean Me Up on my phone's GPS last night so I knew how long it would take and where I was going. I liked to plan ahead on things like that whenever I could. Being lost or late were not my forte.

Luckily, it was just five minutes away, so I got there right before Aaron and I had decided to meet. The cafe was a bit eccentric, but I suppose most would call it trendy. The sign out front was Neon green and once you stepped inside, there were pictures of cups of coffee that looked like spaceships on the walls. There were both tall tables with chairs, and a few comfy chairs with a coffee table in the middle by the large window.

I went ahead and ordered my coffee as I waited, standing off to the side. When the barista called my name, I walked up to where my beloved cup of coffee was waiting for me. Grabbing it, I took a deep breath in, reveling in its' delicious aroma. I turned around to head toward the chairs by the window, to enjoy my wake up call, when I hit a hard wall.

Spoiler alert: It wasn't really a hard wall, but it was definitely well built.

Drops of my coffee spilled over the edge, but thank the coffee Gods, the rest stayed in the cup. My eyes were trained on the floor where another pair of shoes were planted. I slowly brought my gaze up to the offending wall to see a guy looking down at his black shirt, holding it out slightly to let the heat of the drops that landed on him cool.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you th--"

His piercing gaze cut me off, and I sharply inhaled as the most beautiful emerald eyes I had ever seen stared back at me. It wasn't just those unforgettable, striking eyes that kept me immobile. It was the fact that I would recognize those eyes anywhere--eyes that belonged to a past I had left behind; a past that left me behind.

"Liam?"

His eyebrows shot up before pulling together as his eyes searched my face. There was a mix of emotions in those mesmerizing eyes of his, and my heart stuttered as I got lost in the swirl of it. Time seemed to still as I held his stare, watching as the creases in his forehead became more pronounced, his lips tugging together. Meanwhile, I'm sure I looked like a fish out of water, my mouth gaping uncontrollably.

He finally opened his mouth to speak, when the bell to the door rang, signaling another customer walking in, one who happened to look a lot like Aaron. His sunglasses were perched on top of his sandy blonde hair as he looked around the cafe. His brown eyes landed on mine and a smile grew on his face. Walking up, he swooped down and lifted me up before planting a big kiss on my lips.

I awkwardly kissed him, quickly pulling away. If Aaron noticed, he didn't say anything, instead grinning at me from ear to ear. I felt like a rug had been pulled out from under me as I noticed Liam's jaw clench, but his eyes were now completely void of any emotion that had been swirling in them a moment ago.

Aaron, finally realizing someone else was standing there, turned his attention to Liam.

"Hey L.J. I see you two have met. Well, sort of. This is Maddie."

I quickly jerked my head back in confusion.

He knows Liam?

"Yeah, actually--"

"We actually hadn't even spoken yet. She just bumped into me. Good to meet you, Maddie." Liam cut me off with that honeyed voice of his, giving me a head nod as a greeting.

I narrowed my eyes in on him, but his face showed no hidden meaning, no agenda, no... well, anything. He kept his stare cold and hard; the only sign of politeness, for I'm assuming Aaron's benefit, was the small smile on his lips. But I knew his real smile, and that wasn't it.

My heart fell with the force of an anchor dropping on land as old feelings resurfaced.

Does he really not remember me?

"Maddie, this is L.J., my stepbrother."

My head spun so fast from Liam to Aaron, and back to Liam again. I noticed Liam's jaw tick again as he shoved his hands in his pockets, the veins in his forearms bulging a moment with the action, but he otherwise remained stoic.

"I'll give you guys some space, but I'll catch up with you later man."

"Are you sure? You can stay and get to know Maddie."

He gave a tight smile as he backed up toward the door like he could not get away fast enough. I frowned a fraction of a second before catching myself and forcing indifference.

"No, it's okay. I actually have to get to class."

"Alright, we'll all hang later then. See you in a bit." Aaron gave Liam a head nod as he walked out of the cafe, not sparing another glance in our direction. But I couldn't seem to take my eyes off his retreating figure.

"Maddie?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I struggled to turn my head back toward Aaron.

"I said, you look beautiful babe. I've missed you."

"I'm sorry. Thank you, I've missed you too." I returned his smile to the best of my ability, but I felt like I wanted to throw up. My head was spinning at the unexpected blast from my past. How could Liam not have recognized me?

I know we hadn't seen each other since I was fourteen, but I didn't look much different. Sure, we had both grown up, he especially. He had towered over me with such intensity. His dark brown hair was a bit shorter now, cut above the ear with some strands falling around his face in a perfectly disheveled way. He was lean and muscular; he definitely didn't have those biceps at fifteen, or that half-sleeved tattoo I briefly set eyes on. But despite the physical changes that come with maturity, he was still Liam. I could still see the mischief in those captivating eyes. I could still remember the feel of those full lips when he gave me my first kiss all those years ago.

Remembering him was never an issue. Forgetting me was never his either.

"So, that was your stepbrother?" I asked as we sat down by the window and took a sip of my coffee, attempting to keep my voice even.

"Yeah, his dad married my mom a few years back. We didn't necessarily get along at first, but I don't think anyone can blame me. He's not the easiest to get along with." He chuckled, squeezing my thigh. "But we've come a long way. He rooms with me actually. I'm sorry for the way he acted this morning. But give him time. He grows on you."

I simply nodded my head and gave a tight smile before sipping my coffee and changing the subject. Liam Tucker didn't deserve any more of my thoughts. He had spent the past six years consuming them.

Uh-oh! Liam doesn't seem to recognize Maddie and there definitely seems to be some unresolved history there. Let's see if Liam Tucker continues to infiltrate her thoughts, undeserving or not.

But like, if you could see what I'm imagining him to look like in my head, you'd be absolutely fine with him invading your brain... just sayin'. 😘

Thanks for reading! Drop a vote or comment if you're not feeling shy ❤