Capture

A Real Love

Liam had fallen asleep again, and I curled up beside him, resting my head on his chest. The steady rise and fall of his breathing soothed me, and soon I drifted off with him, wrapped in the warmth of his presence.

Hours later, I stirred awake to the soft, rumbling sound of Liam's voice. It vibrated through his chest and echoed gently inside my body, like the hum of a lullaby only I could hear. I kept my eyes closed, unwilling to break the spell. I just wanted to listen.

"You look comfy," Zayn mused from somewhere in the room.

"Very," Liam answered, his voice raspy but calm.

"I'm happy for you, mate. But don't mess with her heart, brother."

I felt my chest tighten. A part of me still feared that this would all crumble.

Liam's tone shifted, serious and steady. "Everything I've ever loved has either ruined me or watched me ruin it. But with Emma... It's different." And somehow, I knew he meant it. I felt it in the way he held me, even in sleep. Liam didn't just make me happy — he made me whole.

Zayn left us alone, and Liam's fingers lazily twirled a strand of my hair. "You're going to make me go bald," I murmured, cracking an eye open.

He looked down at me with a boyish smile. "Sorry. But even bald, you'd be gorgeous."

I smirked and shoved him lightly. "I'll remember that when I'm eighty and sporting a cue ball."

"Can't wait, babe." He leaned down and kissed me sweetly. As I stared up at him, I felt something I hadn't realized I'd been missing until now — peace.

What I had with Harry had felt good. Safe, warm, like a soft place to land. But this... this was different. This was deeper. Richer. It felt like I'd been looking at love through fogged glass, and now I was finally seeing it clearly. The cracks I'd learned to live with — the quiet ache, the doubt I'd ignored — they were gone. Liam filled in all the missing pieces, the ones I didn't even know were missing.

And yet, underneath the happiness, something still twisted in my chest. Fear. I was still scared. Every time I looked at his bruised face, every time he winced from moving the wrong way, my stomach flipped.

Whoever had done this to him was still out there—still breathing, still dangerous.

What if they came back? What if they finished what they started?

The thought of losing him — really losing him — made it hard to breathe, but I couldn't let that fear drive me away. I stayed because I loved him. After all, I needed him, and because I wanted to take care of him, even if it scared me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, brushing my fingers gently across his arm.

"Sore. Everything hurts," he admitted, voice low.

"What can I do?"

"Kiss me. Makes the pain go away." He grinned with a cheeky tilt of his lips.

"You're ridiculous," I smiled, leaning in to kiss him again, softer this time.

"I saw it in a movie once. Guess it works in real life too."

The door slid open, and a nurse entered. "All ready?" she asked brightly.

"Ready for what?" I blinked.

"To go home," she said with a kind smile.

Liam turned to me. "The doctor came while you were sleeping, babe. Said I'm good to go."

"Are you sure?" I asked, lowering my voice, concern tugging at every word. "He's still sore," I told the nurse, unable to stop myself from worrying out loud.