Valerie's POV
Valerie stood there, frozen for a moment. What just happened? she thought, her heart racing. She quickly picked up the paper that had fallen to the floor, her mind spinning with questions. Liam had kissed her—Liam, the guy who seemed to always be annoyed with her, who constantly teased her. And why had she kissed him back?
Her phone buzzed again. It was a missed call from Julien. Oh right... Julien. The guilt hit her like a wave. She was engaged to Julien. He might not be the guy of her dreams, but she was supposed to marry him. She had responsibilities, expectations to fulfill, and now this—this kiss with Liam—was complicating everything.
Valerie sat on her bed, staring blankly at her phone. What does this even mean? She didn't even like Liam, did she? He was arrogant, sarcastic, and always got on her nerves. But when they kissed... it felt different. Real. It wasn't forced like everything with Julien felt. It was as if for that brief moment, something made sense. Something clicked.
But it couldn't mean anything, right?
Her phone buzzed again—this time, a text from Julien:
"Hey, I hope your day's going well. I miss you. Can we talk later?"
She sighed and flopped back onto her bed. How did my life become so complicated?
Just then, her door opened. "Valerie? You okay?" It was her mom.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Valerie lied, sitting up quickly. "Just... tired from school."
Marie eyed her daughter suspiciously. "You sure? You seem... off."
"I'm fine, Mom. Really."
Marie hesitated but finally nodded. "Alright. Just remember, everything's going to be fine. You're meeting with Julien again tomorrow, so try to get some rest. He seems like a good guy. You'll grow to love him."
Valerie forced a smile. "Yeah... sure, Mom. I'll try."
As her mom closed the door behind her, Valerie flopped back onto her bed, her mind still racing. She didn't know what to do about Julien, about Liam, or about her own feelings. All she knew was that nothing felt certain anymore.
What am I going to do?
