Valerie's POV
Valerie felt her heart hammering as she walked beside Julien, his arm draped casually over her shoulders. Every step felt heavy, her mind still spinning from what had almost happened with Liam. She could feel the weight of his gaze on her as she and Julien walked away, and part of her wanted to turn back, to tell Julien she couldn't do this—couldn't keep pretending like everything was normal.
But she didn't.
Instead, she kept walking, her mind replaying the look on Liam's face when Julien interrupted. He had been so serious, so different from the usual sarcastic, teasing Liam she was used to. She could tell he wanted to say something important. And she wanted to hear it, to talk about what had happened between them. But then Julien had shown up, and just like that, the moment was gone.
As they made their way to Julien's car, she felt a tightness in her chest. What am I doing? She glanced at Julien, who was busy talking about the dinner with his parents, completely unaware of the turmoil inside her. His voice was calm, smooth—like always—but it felt distant, like white noise in the background of her thoughts.
Her mind kept drifting back to the kiss. Liam had kissed her, and she had kissed him back. There was no denying it, no way to pretend it hadn't happened. But what did it mean? Was it just an impulsive mistake? Or was it something more—something she couldn't ignore?
She tried to focus on what Julien was saying, nodding absentmindedly when he asked if she remembered the details of the dinner. But her thoughts kept pulling her back to Liam. The kiss had been so unexpected, yet it felt real in a way that nothing with Julien ever had. With Julien, everything was perfectly planned, like their lives were already mapped out in advance. But with Liam, things were messy, unpredictable, and... alive.
They reached Julien's car, and he opened the door for her with that same polished smile. She slid into the passenger seat, her stomach twisting. She didn't love Julien, not the way she should if she was going to marry him. But breaking off the engagement felt impossible. Her mom would be devastated, and Julien had been nothing but good to her, even if their relationship felt more like a contract than a romance.
As Julien started driving, Valerie stared out the window, the city blurring past. She thought about how Liam had looked at her earlier, how he had said her name—"Val"—with an intensity that had made her heart race. He had wanted to talk, but she had let Julien pull her away before Liam could say anything.
What if I had stayed? she wondered. Would Liam have told her how he felt? Did he regret the kiss, or did he feel the same confusion she did? She hated that she didn't know. But now, she was stuck in the car with Julien, heading toward another night of pretending.
"Hey," Julien said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You okay? You've been quiet."
Valerie forced a smile, though it felt like a mask. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind with school."
Julien nodded, glancing at her briefly before focusing back on the road. "I get it. But tonight will be fun. My mom's really excited to see you again."
Fun. The word echoed hollowly in her mind. Dinner with his parents was anything but fun. It was another reminder of the life she was supposed to want but didn't.
She leaned her head against the window, staring out at the city lights. The farther they drove, the more distant everything felt—Liam, the kiss, the tension between them. But no matter how far she went, she knew she couldn't escape it. Sooner or later, she would have to face the truth.
I can't keep doing this. The realization settled heavily in her chest. She couldn't keep pretending, couldn't keep living the life everyone expected of her. She had to make a choice, but the thought of what that would mean terrified her.
For now, though, she had dinner to get through, and as much as she wanted to turn back and talk to Liam, she knew that conversation would have to wait. But it wouldn't wait forever.
