Liam's POV
Liam walked away from Valerie's house, his heart pounding in his chest. What the hell did I just do? He replayed the kiss over and over in his head. That wasn't supposed to happen. He didn't plan for it. But when he saw Valerie drop the paper and they both reached for it, something just... changed. And in that moment, he couldn't stop himself.
He cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. I kissed her. He didn't even care if she had a fiancé—hell, he hated Julien. Julien didn't deserve her. Not the way Liam saw it. Valerie was smart, tough, and yeah, a little hard to read sometimes, but that's what he liked about her. She didn't take his crap, unlike everyone else.
But now? Now things were complicated.
As he walked further down the street, he pulled out his phone and debated texting her. No, bad idea, he thought, shoving the phone back into his pocket. He needed to get his head straight before he did anything stupid. The last thing he wanted was to ruin whatever this was. He didn't even know what it was yet.
And she kissed me back, he realized. That had to mean something, right? She could have pulled away, could have slapped him or told him to leave, but she didn't. She looked at him the same way he'd been looking at her.
But she was engaged to Julien.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. Liam never thought he'd be the guy to get involved with someone who was taken, let alone engaged. But with Valerie, it was different. He couldn't help it. He'd tried ignoring his feelings for months, pretending to be annoyed with her just to keep himself in check. But seeing her with Julien every time grated on him. And now that they'd kissed, he knew he couldn't just let it go.
Liam got home, only to be greeted by his sister Ariana sitting on the couch. "Back already?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "How was your little project session?"
Liam groaned. "Don't start."
Ariana's smirk grew. "Oh, I won't. But you're acting weird. Did something happen? Or are you just still mad about our house being a disaster?"
"Nothing happened," Liam snapped, a little too quickly.
Ariana's eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh. Sure, bro. Whatever you say." She turned back to her phone, clearly not believing him.
Liam stormed off to his room and shut the door behind him. He lay down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss, about Valerie, and about what came next. He knew one thing for sure—things between them weren't going to be the same after this. But how far could they really go?
And then there was Julien.
Liam gritted his teeth. I'm not gonna let some rich, entitled asshole like Julien keep her trapped in a relationship she doesn't want.
He knew he had to see Valerie again. Soon. Maybe she felt the same way, maybe she didn't, but either way, he wasn't going to let her get married to a guy she didn't love. Not without a fight.
I've got to find a way to talk to her... before it's too late.
