I told myself a thousand times I wasn't going to get in the car.
I'd even picked out a book to "casually" read in bed, just in case anyone asked. But when Liam's headlights appeared outside my window right on the dot at 7:30, my stomach twisted, and my legs moved before my brain could stop them.
The air was sharp, cool against my skin as I stepped outside. Liam stood leaning against his car, arms crossed, eyes already on me like he'd been waiting for hours.
"Wow," he said, grinning. "I thought I'd have to text your dad to come drag you out."
"You don't have my dad's number," I muttered, trying not to smile.
"You don't know that."
I rolled my eyes, but my pulse was already racing.
We drove in silence at first. Not the awkward kind—something more… expectant. The windows were slightly down, letting in just enough of the breeze to carry the scent of pine and autumn. His playlist hummed in the background—low-fi, soft, and nothing like what I imagined Liam Hunter would listen to.
He glanced over. "You okay?"
"I'm in a car with you," I deadpanned.
He smirked. "So that's a yes."
After about twenty minutes, he pulled off the road onto a gravel path I didn't recognize. Trees framed either side, and up ahead, a clearing opened up to a stretch of quiet sky. He killed the engine.
We stepped out into the dark.
Above us, stars glittered like confetti flung across black velvet. The air was still, almost sacred. For a second, I forgot to be guarded.
"This is… actually beautiful," I said, more to myself than him.
"I thought you'd like it." He walked around and hopped onto the hood of his car, patting the space beside him. "Come on."
I hesitated. Then I joined him, sitting stiffly at first, arms tucked close.
"I used to come here when I needed to breathe," he said. "The world's quieter out here. Doesn't expect anything."
I risked a glance at him. "And what exactly does the world expect from you, Liam?"
He looked up, a hint of something unreadable in his eyes. "To be the guy I pretend to be."
His words hung between us like mist.
For a while, we just sat there—watching the sky, listening to the wind in the trees, pretending the rest of the world didn't exist.
Then he said, "You make it hard, you know."
I frowned. "Make what hard?"
"Not liking you."
I blinked, caught off guard. "You've never said anything like that before."
"Yeah. Because before, I thought keeping things light was safer." He looked at me now, all that usual smugness stripped away. "But I don't want light with you, Zara. I want real."
My chest tightened.
"I know I'm not exactly your favorite person," he continued. "But something about you makes me want to show up differently. Like maybe I don't have to be the version of myself that everyone else expects."
It was the first time Liam Hunter had sounded uncertain. Vulnerable, even.
And it did something to me.
"I didn't expect this," I said quietly.
"Me either," he replied. "But I can't stop thinking about you. And not in that 'I want to mess around' kind of way. I mean really thinking. Like… how your eyes narrow when you're annoyed. Or how you always tap your foot when you're pretending to be calm."
I scoffed. "You stalk me now?"
"No," he said with a small smile. "I pay attention."
I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting a grin.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" he took a deep breath, like it physically pained him to be this open, "I want to be with you, Zara. Officially. No games. No pretending. Just… us."
There it was.
The question I didn't know I wanted to hear until now.
I should've hesitated. Should've questioned his sincerity. Should've asked about why now, and what exactly this meant for tomorrow, next week, next month.
But I didn't.
Because in that moment, under a sky full of stars, with the boy I used to hate looking at me like I was the only thing in the universe that made sense—I wanted to believe him.
And maybe I did.
I nodded slowly, letting a quiet smile slip through.
"Okay," I said.
His shoulders relaxed like he'd been holding his breath. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
His grin was ridiculous. "So… I can say it?"
"Say what?"
"That I have a girlfriend now."
I groaned and shoved him lightly. "You're the worst."
He laughed, bumping his shoulder against mine. "You love it."
I looked back up at the stars, letting the silence settle around us again. Except this time, it felt warmer.
Different.
I still didn't trust him completely. I didn't know if I ever would.
But I wanted to try.
And maybe, just maybe… so did he.