I trailed kisses over Liam's shoulder and smiled when he pressed me flush to his body.
"I want to be your bad girl. Wake up," I whispered, biting him just barely.
"Five minutes, sweetheart. You wore me out last night."
I knew Liam was kidding from the way he was smiling. His eyes opened and met mine. He caressed my jaw with his thumb and inched forward to kiss me. "Good morning, baby. So, you wanna be my bad girl?"
Giggling, I made Liam lie on his back and climbed on top of him. "Very bad. And someone is ready."
"Someone is always ready when you are near. Come here."
Liam's hands started to explore my skin while he kissed my lips. We arrived in Paris yesterday. It was difficult not to feel overwhelmed with so many events — our engagement and meeting Liam's grandmother and telling our friends we decided to get married once they were back. Ellie and Aiden would be in Paris close to lunchtime. We agreed to have lunch in our apartment. What they didn't know was that it wasn't only to talk about their honeymoon. Excitement filled me at the prospect of sharing the news with Ellie.
Liam kissed me harder, groaning softly when I caressed his warm skin. His mouth was on my chest when we heard a knock on our bedroom door.
"Are you awake, Liam?"
Although Tim got home from his soccer camp late last night, it was apparent he didn't need as much rest as we did.
"God, why," Liam whispered, pressing one last kiss to my skin.
To Tim, he said, "Wait a minute, buddy. We're going to have breakfast together."
"I'll be in the kitchen," Tim chirped.
His footsteps resounded in the hallway, and Liam sighed, hugging me. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We would have to continue at night."
"Looking forward to it," I said, pressing my lips to Liam's.
We got dressed and went to have breakfast. Tim had already got his cereal and was chewing when we entered the kitchen.
The boy stopped eating when he saw me. Grinning, Tim took an orange from the fruit bowl and handed it to me. "The biggest for you, Sky. I know you love them."
Liam snorted, getting our coffee ready. I pinched his butt, earning myself a kiss on the lips.
"Sky already ate some oranges last night, Tim. Maybe she doesn't want any," Liam said to his brother.
"I want one," I said, taking the fruit from Tim's hand. "And I wanted one earlier today, but your brother was too lazy to give it to me."
Liam gasped. "Lazy? That's a lie. I'm going to give you all the oranges you want at night. So, you'd better skip dinner."
"How many oranges?"
Liam kissed my cheek and nuzzled into my neck. "Five?"
Tim giggled. "The two of you are weird, but whatever. When will Aiden and Ellie come?"
"They land in two hours, right, Sky?"
"Right. And we will have lunch together."
Tim grinned. "Cool. I'll help you make it."
***
The three of us got to work right after breakfast. Liam and Tim got the snacks ready, and I busied myself with some roast meat. I wanted the meal to be special. My engagement still felt like a dream, but it was as real as the beautiful ring on my finger. I admired the round stone surrounded by smaller gems, marveling at how it shone in the sunlight streaming from the kitchen window.
"Do you like it?" Liam whispered in my ear, curling an arm around my waist and pulling me to him.
"I love it. You must have spent a fortune."
"I'm only getting married once, and you deserve this and more. Do you need help with anything?"
Smiling, I rested my head against Liam's shoulder and kissed his lips. "The wine and setting the table."
"Got it."
Liam's frame disappeared in the kitchen doorway after he kissed me once again.
Everything was ready soon, and I rushed to open the front door when five familiar knocks broke the quiet.
"Elizabeth, married life suits you," I said to my very tanned and glowing friend as soon as she and her husband stepped into the apartment.
Ellie squeezed me in a hug and kissed my cheek soundly, while Aiden and Liam exchanged a guy half-hug and a fist bump.
"I missed you," Ellie said into my hair.
I laughed. "Liar. I'm sure you didn't have time to think about anything other than your husband. Any godchildren for me yet?"
Ellie burst out laughing. "God, no. We're still on the practice stage."
"Lots of practice, huh?"
I smiled at the way Ellie grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Then, I noticed what she was holding.
"See? I told you!"
Ellie extended the cactus to me so that I could inspect the bright pink flower on top. "Toughie decided to bloom now. I think I'm going to give one to you, too."
"Girls, some people are hungry, just saying," Liam said, leaning against the door leading to the living room.
Ellie giggled. "Some people are always hungry, but let's go."
Sat at the table, Aiden and Tim laughed as they talked about something when we joined them.
"Tim was telling me all about his new team and the training. Isn't it cool?" Aiden said, looking at Liam, who lowered himself onto a chair by my side and drew an arm around my shoulders.
"It's more than cool. I'm happy we accepted the club's offer."
"Me too," said Tim. "I'm going to play a lot next season, Liam."
Liam smiled. "That's right, but you remember what I told you."
Tim nodded, grinning. "School first because I need to have a plan B."
Our friends laughed. Then, Liam glanced at me, and I gave him a barely perceptible nod.
"We have something we'd like to tell you," Liam said to Ellie and Aiden. "I asked Sky to marry me, and-"
"And I said yes!" I added.
Ellie covered her mouth with her palms. Then, she jumped off her chair and rushed to me, hugging me tightly and kissing my cheek when she was by my side.
"Oh my God, I'm so happy for the two of you," she said.
"Wait..." Aiden said, chuckling. "Is it the same guy who once told me that I was too young, and..."
"Oh, shut up." Liam laughed. "The guy who told you that didn't know how amazing it was to be loved by this girl here, so don't hold it against him."
"Congratulations to both of you," said Aiden, hugging Liam and then me. "And to Tim, whose brother won't be grumpy anymore."
"My brother is happy now," Tim said. "Sky makes me happy too because she's fun and loves Legos. And Barbies," he added, making us laugh.
I turned to look at Ellie, who sat next to Aiden. "Would you be my maid of honor?"
She nodded, clapping her hands.
"And you, my best man," Liam said to Aiden.
Aiden nodded. "Count on it."
***
Full after eating everything we'd cooked, Ellie and I left the guys in the living room and went to our bedroom.
"I can barely breathe," Ellie complained, collapsing onto my bed and lying there like a starfish. "It was so tasty but so much food."
"You were both hungry." I laughed. "How was your honeymoon?"
A dreamy smile appeared on Ellie's face. "Amazing. We did fun stuff, like sightseeing and visiting some places, but on some days, we just lazied on the beach and did nothing. We needed to relax because this year will be intense for both of us."
"Same here. Liam is starting his online degree, and I need to pay attention to my studies now that I finished the second year with good grades. I wouldn't want to spoil that."
"And the wedding planning," said Ellie. "Do you know when you're going to do it?"
"We decided to get married in September next year, on the same day Liam moved in with me. We need to save some money first. There's no rush, and we'd rather plan everything well."
Ellie sat up and nodded. "I think it's a good idea. It'll give us more time to find the dress of your dreams and prepare everything."
I was about to reply, but I caught Ellie staring at my nightstand.
"Is that for me?" she asked, reaching for the white envelope. "Duh, of course, it is. It says Ellie."
I didn't have time to reply. Ellie grabbed the letter— the goodbye letter to her I had to throw away but forgot to do it.
I saw her read, and then, she looked at me with tears filling her eyes, and I felt like the worst person ever.
"You were going to leave just like that, without even calling to tell me what was going on."
"Ellie, you were on your honeymoon."
Ellie sniffled. "And I thought I was your best friend."
"And you are."
"You were going to move away and leave everything behind without even saying goodbye. Is that what best friends do?"
I hated how upset she was. My impulsive decision didn't only hurt Liam.
"Ellie-"
A knock on the door broke the heavy silence. Liam stepped inside and looked at me. "Brigitte called and asked us to see her at the studio. She said it was urgent."
Ellie looked at me and then Liam. "Who's Brigitte?"
"The owner of the dance school we'd been dancing at," Liam replied, forgetting that our friends knew nothing.
"I see. Well, I'd better be going. Thanks for lunch, guys, and congratulations."
Ellie left the letter on the bed and walked out of the room.
***
Nothing went according to plan. I told Liam what happened on the way to the studio, unable to cope with the guilt.
Ellie never pried and never insisted. She was patient and knew how to listen. Ellie was my best friend, and I hurt her not only with that letter but also with all the secrets and lies when she never hid things from me. To her, it meant I didn't trust her. I needed to fix my mistake.
"You need to talk tonight, sweetheart," Liam said, opening the door to the studio. "Once she knows the whole story, she will understand."
I nodded, and then both of us halted, seeing our four dancers and Brigitte gathered at the reception, waiting for us.
After a round of hugs and greetings, Brigitte spoke.
"I called you because something amazing happened. I've got lots of calls and visits from people who want to have dance lessons with the two of you."
Liam's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me? How is that possible?"
Clara and Fleur giggled. Gaspar cleared his throat and said, "Um, well, my sister studies audiovisual science, and she filmed the two of you dancing at the showcase. Us, too, but the video with you has a couple of millions of views on YouTube."
Liam gaped at the guy. "YouTube."
Gaspar shrugged. "Yeah. You two are humble, and we kinda get that, but you danced really well, and I wanted more people to see it. My sister did a great job with the video. Do you wanna watch it?"
We didn't have much of a choice because the guy already had it playing on his phone.
We did look good together, and the emotions we poured into every move were raw and real. We thought it was our last dance because I was leaving. Heartbreak and love weren't something you could fake.
"It was extraordinary," Brigitte said. "And I would be honored if you agreed to teach here. I will pay you, of course."
"And you already have four students," said Raphael.
Liam smiled, looking at the kids, and then at me. "Why not? Right, sweetheart?"
I nodded and then laughed when our four students rushed to hug the two of us with bright smiles on their faces.
***
As soon as we were back from the dance studio, I texted Ellie, asking her to come over. I was scared she would say no, but of course, the familiar knocks proved me wrong.
"Come here."
I took Ellie's hand in mine and led her to the balcony, where I'd put a bottle of wine on the table.
"Sit." I pointed to a chair. Then, I poured some wine in two glasses and gave Ellie hers.
"I'm going to come clean about everything. I only ask you to listen. Then, if you're still mad at me, I'll accept it."
After Ellie nodded, I gulped down half of my glass, and the words rushed out of my mouth — Paul, the rape, the trial, Sophia, Liam, the showcase, and the mess my parents got themselves into.
The emotions on Ellie's face were changing at a breakneck speed— surprise, sadness, anger.
When I was done talking, she hugged me tightly, and we both cried.
"You went through this hell all alone," Ellie said, sniffling.
"Not alone. I had Liam."
"And you could have Liam and me. I would be there for you to give you support and comfort. I care about you, Skylar, and I swear to God, you can be silly sometimes. I am mad at your ex, but my heart is breaking for you because you suffered so much, and I had no idea."
"I was afraid to tell you. I was so pathetic and weak with my self-loathing and ruined self-esteem."
Ellie smiled a sad smile. "Weak or strong, I love you anyway. That's what friendship is like, Sky. I don't need you to be perfect. I need you to be yourself and be happy for once. Promise me you won't hide important things from me again."
I nodded, wiping the tears off my cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt. "I promise. Now, can we please look at the wedding stuff? Because holy shit, Elizabeth, I'm getting married."
Ellie laughed, wiggling her eyebrows. "Whatever for the most beautiful and stubborn bride."