Liam stared at his ceiling for what felt like hours, his phone clutched in his hand, but the screen was black. The room around him was silent, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen and the occasional groan of the wooden walls settling in. His thoughts were loud—crashing into each other like waves in a storm.
The kiss. The goddamn kiss.
It wasn't supposed to happen. He didn't plan it, didn't even know he was leaning in until their lips met and electricity bolted through his spine. He'd kissed Mia—his best friend's girl. He ran a hand over his face and sighed.
"I'm such a bastard," he muttered under his breath.
He couldn't get her out of his head, and that scared him. It wasn't just about lust anymore—or maybe it still was, but it was tangled in something deeper. Something he couldn't afford to feel.
Austin had always been there for him. Through college, through the worst breakups, through late nights and lost jobs. And now here he was, falling in love with the one woman Austin truly loved.
He sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. He needed to breathe. He needed to choose. And if he couldn't stop his feelings for Mia, he had to distract himself—bury the obsession. Zara.
She deserved better than to be a rebound, but in that moment, Liam was desperate for control.
He grabbed his keys and headed out.
LIAM ARRIVES AT ZARA'S PLACE
Zara wasn't expecting him that evening. She had just gotten out of the shower and was in the middle of towel-drying her curls when the doorbell rang. She threw on a robe and walked over, peeking through the peephole.
Liam.
She inhaled slowly, a flutter rising in her chest.
When she opened the door, he looked like hell. Dark circles under his eyes, jaw clenched, and his hand tightly fisted at his side.
"Liam? Are you okay?"
"Can I come in?"
She nodded and stepped aside. He walked past her into the living room, not saying a word until she sat across from him on the couch.
"You want something to drink?"
He shook his head.
She tilted her head. "Talk to me. What's going on?"
Liam looked up at her, eyes softer now, tired. "Zara... I need you."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. "I mean, I need you to help me forget. I need someone real. Someone who can pull me out of this mess in my head."
Zara stayed quiet. She knew. She had seen the way he looked at Mia. She wasn't stupid. But even then, her heart raced just from hearing those words.
"So what are you saying?"
He looked at her, eyes searching hers. "Be my girlfriend."
The room stilled.
Zara stared at him, her heart screaming and her mind battling the echo of common sense.
"Liam... are you sure? I don't want to be a rebound."
"You're not. I swear. Maybe you started that way in my head. But you're not that anymore. I need to move on, and I think I could actually fall for you if I just give myself the chance."
Zara looked down at her hands. Her skin tingled. A strange warmth crept up her chest.
"I know what this is," she said softly.
Liam sat back. "No, you don't. Not unless you give us a chance."
She stood up and paced for a moment, then turned back to him. "Liam, I like you. I do. More than I should. But if you're going to come to me just because your heart is somewhere else—that isn't fair to either of us."
He stood too. "I don't want to feel this way for her anymore. I can't betray Austin. I'm trying to do the right thing."
Zara walked up to him and placed a hand on his chest. "Then let me help you. But promise me one thing."
"Anything."
She took a deep breath. "Promise me that if I fall in love with you, you won't leave me just because you realized you were trying to forget someone else."
Liam cupped her face gently. "I promise."
Zara pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his chest.
And then, softly, like a whisper between confessions, she said:
"Sometimes what we want belongs to someone else... but sometimes, what we need is standing right in front of us, begging to be seen."
Liam closed his eyes. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't simple. But maybe it was the beginning of something honest.
Zara looked up at him. "So... boyfriend, huh? You better not be a terrible texter."
He chuckled. "I can be pretty clingy, too. Hope you can handle that."
"I'll take my chances."
They spent the rest of the evening on the couch. Not tangled in sheets. Not moaning and sweating and clawing like the last time. Just talking.
Zara told him about her dreams of opening a fashion brand. Liam shared stories about the small business he ran with Austin and how he had once wanted to be a filmmaker.
Hours passed.
She laughed at his corny jokes. He smiled every time she scrunched her nose when she was thinking hard.
Something shifted. Something deeper than sex.
By midnight, Zara walked him to the door.
"You want me to come over tomorrow?" she asked.
"Let me take you out. Real date. Dinner. Movies. The whole deal."
Zara smiled. "Deal."
Liam stepped out, but not before kissing her forehead. It was gentle. Intimate.
As he walked back to his car, he didn't feel the crushing guilt anymore. Not entirely. He still thought of Mia. But for once, it didn't hurt like fire. It just lingered like a bruise.
Maybe, just maybe, Zara could be the cure.
Inside, Zara sat on her couch, eyes wet, but smiling.
She whispered to herself, repeating her quote like a mantra.
"Sometimes what we want belongs to someone else... but sometimes, what we need is standing right in front of us, begging to be seen."
She hoped, with everything in her, that Liam would see her fully—before it was too late.