ZARA IN IVY'S APARTMENT
Zara hadn't been herself lately. Since that second night with Liam, things had shifted deep inside her. She didn't know what it was exactly, but it wasn't just about the sex anymore. It wasn't just about how he made her feel—how he kissed her like she was the only woman that ever mattered, how he looked into her soul like he could see the hidden pain even she had buried.
It was becoming something else. Something dangerous.
She sat by the large glass window of Ivy's apartment, twirling a glass of red wine in her fingers. The sky outside was dusky, a blend of deep purple and bleeding orange. Ivy walked into the room in her oversized tee and sat on the couch opposite her, legs crossed, sipping on her soda.
"You've been quiet since you got here. What's on your mind?"
Zara smiled faintly. "You ever feel like you're walking straight into a fire and you don't even care?"
"What fire, babe? Talk to me."
Zara bit her lip and turned her eyes away from the glass. "Liam."
Ivy raised her brows. "The guy from the lounge again? Are you serious right now? Girl, I thought you said it was just a one-night stand. Okay, maybe two nights... but still."
"That's what it was supposed to be," Zara murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "But Ivy... he was different. Everything about him was different."
Ivy leaned forward. "Zara, you know he isn't looking for anything real. Didn't you say he practically dragged you into bed like a man on a mission?"
Zara laughed, but it was hollow. "Yeah. And God... the way he touched me, Ivy. It was like he knew every part of me before I even showed him. He didn't just fuck me, Ivy... he made love to my brokenness."
Ivy stared at her. "Zara, listen to yourself. You're falling for him. You barely know this man. For all you know, he could have ten other girls he does this with."
Zara turned her face away, blinking fast. Her voice cracked when she said, "I know he doesn't. He doesn't look at me like I'm a conquest. He looks at me like he's trying to forget something... or someone."
Silence stretched in the room.
"You think there's another woman?" Ivy asked softly.
Zara nodded. "I know who she is, "His best friend girlfriend", and she's in his heart. And I see it in the way his smile fades too quickly. In how he stares at nothing for too long after we kiss."
"What!!? His best friend girl?", is he insane?
"Then why are you doing this to yourself, Zara?"
Zara laughed, tears gathering in her eyes. "Because the heart wants what it shouldn't."
She stood up and walked to the mirror across the room, looking at her reflection like it was someone else. "Even if I know your heart belongs to someone else, I still want to be the reason it forgets her. Just for a moment. Even if it's borrowed time. I'd rather live a lie with you than face the truth without you."
Ivy stood behind her and placed her hands on Zara's shoulders. "You're better than this, Z. You deserve more than to be someone's escape."
"I know," Zara whispered, as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "But I don't want more. I want him."
Later that night, Zara lay in bed, unable to sleep. She stared at her phone screen for what felt like hours, debating whether to text him. She didn't want to seem desperate. She didn't want to chase him. But God, she missed the sound of his voice.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed. A message from Liam.
Liam: You up?
Zara's breath caught.
Zara: Yeah. Couldn't sleep.
Liam: Me neither. I've been thinking about you.
Her heart skipped.
Zara: What about me?
Liam: About the way you moaned my name. About how your nails felt against my back. About how you looked at me like I wasn't broken. Like you wanted to fix me.
Zara swallowed hard, her fingers trembling.
Zara: What if I did want to fix you?
There was a pause.
Liam: Then I'd ask you to stop. Because I'm not meant to be fixed, Zara. I'm meant to be forgotten.
Tears stung her eyes.
Zara: I can't forget you, Liam.
Liam: I'm not who you think I am.
Zara: Then show me who you really are.
No response came for minutes. Then finally:
Liam: Come to my place. Tonight.
Zara didn't hesitate.
She threw on her jeans and a hoodie and rushed out the door, not even telling Ivy she was leaving. Every part of her screamed she was making a mistake, but her feet didn't stop moving.
A FEW MOMENTS LATER....
Twenty minutes later, she stood at Liam's apartment door. He opened it before she could knock. His eyes were tired, but his expression softened the moment he saw her.
He didn't speak. He just pulled her in.
The door closed behind her, and without a word, their mouths met. This wasn't like before. This was slow, aching. Every kiss was a question, every touch a memory. He pushed her gently against the wall, his lips trailing down her neck.
"You shouldn't be here," he whispered.
"I know."
"You make me forget everything."
"Then forget. Just for tonight."
He carried her to the couch, laid her down, and kissed her again. His hands roamed her body like he was trying to memorize it. And when he finally slid into her, it was more than sex.
It was grief.
It was longing.
It was everything they couldn't say in words.
Afterward, they lay in silence. His fingers traced circles on her bare back.
"You know I can't love you right?,so why do you keep coming back?", you know I can't love you he asked softly.
Zara turned to him. "Because I see something in you that you've forgotten how to see in yourself."
He didn't respond. Just pulled her closer, like her warmth was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
Zara closed her eyes, knowing this wasn't love. Not yet. But it was something. And maybe, just maybe, that something would be enough to make him choose her. Someday.
But for now, she would take the pieces he gave. Even if they weren't hers to keep.