The house was dark and still when they entered—silent but for the echo of their bare feet across the hardwood floor. The moonlight streamed in through the wide windows, painting silver ribbons across the living room walls. It was their first night truly home—not a hotel, not Liam's parents' house, but a space that was entirely theirs.
Maya stepped inside first, Liam's hoodie slipping off one shoulder, revealing the curve of her neck and the slope of her collarbone. She looked back at him over her shoulder, the soft shadows dancing in her eyes.
"Do you think we'll always feel like this?" she whispered.
Liam dropped the keys into the bowl on the side table, walking up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her gently against his chest. His voice was low, warm against her ear. "Like the world disappears when I touch you?"
She nodded.
"I hope so," he said.
They moved together through the space, laughing softly as they explored the unfamiliar corners of their new life—Maya jumping onto the kitchen counter while Liam opened a bottle of wine, both of them still undressed beneath the loose fabric they barely wore. She teased him with slow kisses and playful touches, and he retaliated by hoisting her over his shoulder, carrying her like a prize to the living room where the fireplace waited to be lit.
Within minutes, the room glowed with firelight.
They lay together on the plush rug, a blanket thrown carelessly beneath them, the wine untouched beside two glasses. Liam lay on his side, tracing slow patterns along Maya's arm.
"I keep thinking about the way you looked at the party," he murmured. "Like you didn't belong to anyone… but somehow, you were completely mine."
Maya's breath hitched slightly, the memory of the way his father had looked at her still faint in her mind, but Liam's touch—tender, steady—drowned it out.
"You didn't just win me at that party," she said. "You claimed me."
He kissed her, slow and deep, as if sealing the promise.
Just then, Maya pulled back with a sudden smile. "We never finished unpacking."
"We can unpack tomorrow."
She shifted, straddling him slowly, the flicker of flames dancing across her skin. "No clothes tomorrow either?"
Liam grinned. "Only if we can unpack each other first."
Their laughter dissolved into another kiss—one that led into whispered moans, tangled limbs, and the sounds of fire crackling as the night deepened around them.
But outside, in the quiet dark street, a car pulled up.
Inside it sat the two guests from the party—Isla and Ronan. Isla's crimson lips curled into a knowing smirk. Ronan tapped the steering wheel with steady fingers, his eyes locked on the glowing windows of the house.
"They're exactly where we need them," Ronan said.
Isla leaned forward, her breath fogging the windshield.
"Let's just hope they're ready.