Cookie

29

When I was younger, my family used to vacation in the mountains, but only in the summer-none of us are big fans of cold, snowy days, myself included. But as I gaze out the window while Liam drives, I start to reconsider. The scenery is breathtaking. A thick blanket of snow covers everything-the ground, the trees, even the rooftops of the occasional cabin we pass. The tall, leafless trees lining the road stand like silent sentinels, their branches dusted with white, resembling Christmas trees just waiting for presents underneath.

We haven't passed many houses, but the ones we do see look like something out of a holiday movie-string lights twinkle from rooftops, cheerful snowmen stand guard in front yards, and tiny Santas perch on chimneys as if ready to slide down with gifts. I've never seen such festive homes before, and I love it.

"We're about twenty minutes away from Tina's cabin," Liam says, squeezing my hand, which has been resting on his leg for a while now. "I wanted to ask you something."

I glance at him, intrigued. His expression is soft but serious.

"Is it okay with you if we share a room?"

His words hit me like a jolt of electricity. My cheeks burn, my eyes widen, and a flutter of nerves settles in my stomach. A tiny gasp escapes my lips before I can stop it.

Sharing a room with your boyfriend-it has to mean something, right? My mind immediately jumps to one conclusion: sex. But we just talked about this earlier-I told him I wasn't ready, and he said he understood. Did he change his mind?

I love Liam, I know I do. But the thought of taking that step terrifies me. My mom once told me it's normal to be nervous your first time, but this isn't just nerves-I'm genuinely scared.

Liam seems to read my mind. "Cookie," he says gently, "I promise this isn't code for sex. I told you-we'll wait as long as we need to."

"Then why share a room?" I ask, biting my lip.

He reaches over, pulling my lip free from my teeth with his thumb. "You have no idea how sexy you look when you do that," he murmurs, making my cheeks flush even more.

I shake my head, flustered, and he chuckles before answering. "I just thought it would be nice to have time alone together, to sleep next to each other, to have some intimacy-not like that," he quickly adds when he sees my expression. "Just... being close."

"I don't know, Liam..."

He pulls me into a quick kiss, his hand warm on my waist, before resting his head against mine. "Don't worry about it. It was just an idea. You'll actually be sharing a room with Alicia and Franci, so we'll still have my room to hang out when you want some space."

The idea of sleeping next to Liam doesn't seem so bad. In fact, it sounds kind of nice. Falling asleep in his arms, having quiet moments just the two of us in a crowded house-it's tempting. And I trust him. If he says nothing will happen, I believe him.

"You know what? You're right," I say. "I'll stay with you. But on one condition."

"Anything," he says instantly, his voice eager.

"Promise me you won't wake me up at six a.m. unless there's an emergency."

Liam laughs, pressing a kiss to my forehead as he pulls into the driveway of a massive cabin straight out of a winter fairytale. Nestled among snow-covered trees, the house is decorated with twinkling Christmas lights, a glowing Santa and reindeer display, and a perfectly built snowman standing guard on the porch. The warm glow from inside spills through the large windows, making the entire scene look cozy and inviting.

"You like it, don't you?" Liam grins, already out of the car and holding our bags before I even realize he moved.

"What's not to like?" I breathe, mesmerized. "But seriously, let me help with the bags."

"I got it," he insists, though he's clearly struggling under the weight of both our luggage. I bite back a smile and let him play the gentleman.

As we walk hand in hand toward the door, Liam suddenly hesitates. His expression shifts to something almost... nervous.

"Are you ready for everyone to freak out about us?" he asks.

I roll my eyes. "Liam, no one's going to freak out. They won't even notice-unless we start making out in front of them, which obviously we won't, because I would die of embarrass-"

I stop mid-sentence when I see his guilty expression. His usual smirk is gone, replaced by an unmistakable look of regret.

"What is it?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

Liam hesitates before pulling me into a kiss that makes my knees weak. When he finally pulls back, he sighs. "Don't kill me, but... everyone already knows I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend today."

"What?!"

I try to step back, but he doesn't let me. His arms tighten around me like he's afraid I'll bolt.

"Logan found the necklace in my room last month and told Mary and Greg. And, well, you know those two-they can't keep a secret to save their lives. So when I told my brother and Mary to drive up separately today, they kind of figured out what was happening."

I groan. "They're going to tease us all night, aren't they?"

"I threatened Logan that if anyone made a comment, I'd kill them. But... you know how they are."

I sigh, but when I look into Liam's eyes, my irritation fades. He's right. Our friends have been making fun of our so-called "friendship" for ages. This was inevitable.

Before I can say anything else, the front door swings open.

"Hey, the happy couple is here!" Tina announces loud enough for the whole house to hear.

As we step inside, all eyes turn to us. Some of our friends are already tipsy, their faces glowing with amusement. Liam places our bags down and pulls me against his chest, resting his chin on my shoulder. The warmth of his embrace makes my heart stutter.

Greg saunters over, smirking. "Liam, that sweater I got you for Christmas would look perfect with your new leash."

Liam rolls his eyes but doesn't respond. That's unusual for him.

"Come on, Greg," Christina chides. "I think Liam looks adorable with his leash."

"Yeah, guys, cut it out," Logan adds. "Just because he's whipped doesn't mean he won't still kick our asses. That is, if Nat lets him."

Liam growls in frustration, burying his face in my hair, and I bite back a laugh.

"Okay, okay, let's give Liam a break..." Mary says, making me silently thank her for the rescue-until she adds, "...and talk about how Twinkle over here is rocking a hickey."

The room erupts with laughter as I instinctively slap a hand to my neck. My face burns.

"She's joking, Cookie," Liam whispers reassuringly in my ear.

I am going to kill Mary.

The teasing escalates, with Chris throwing in an inappropriate comment that makes me want to crawl into a hole. Before I can react, Liam's arms tighten, and his voice drops into a dangerous tone.

"That's enough," he says firmly. "Now, where's our room? We need to change and eat before we starve."

Tina gestures upstairs. "Attic's all yours."

"Thanks," I say quickly, eager to escape before Liam loses his temper. But before I can pull him away, he turns back to Jeremy, grabbing his shirt and yanking him close.

"If you don't watch what you say about Nat, I swear I'll fucking kill you."

Jeremy immediately stammers an apology, and Liam lets him go, grabbing our bags before taking my hand. As we head upstairs, I glance at him, my heart racing.

Liam may be sweet and gentle with me, but right now? Right now, he looks like he would burn the whole world down for me. And I think that might be the most dangerous thing of all.