Liam opened his eyes at the sound of lightning crashing outside and turned on the light.
He checked the time, it was a few minutes past three.
He picked up his phone and saw several missed calls from his mum and a message from Vivian asking when he would be back so she could cover for him.
He texted Vivian his location and also sent his mum a message telling her he was with Eric, but he didn't mention Camilla.
If they found out he had taken her away from school by breaking the rules, his mum would definitely inform her dad.
Another loud thunderclap followed by lightning echoed outside, and Liam stood up from the bed.
Camilla was scared of lightning and usually stayed awake whenever it rained unless he was beside her.
When they weren't together, he always stayed on the phone with her until the rain stopped.
Liam walked out of the room quietly and stopped in front of Camilla's door, hesitating before going in.
The more he tried to create distance so he wouldn't get hurt, the more he found himself drawn back to her.
"Liam, is that you?" Camilla called out, and he opened the door, not surprised to see that she was awake.
"Did the noise wake you up?" he asked as he sat beside her on the bed.
Camilla immediately snuggled closer and held onto him for comfort.
Liam patted her gently and helped her lie down, hoping she would fall asleep soon.
"Don't worry, I'm here," he assured her, pulling the duvet over her body while still holding onto her.
For the next few minutes, he tried to get her to sleep, but Camilla was still frightened by the storm.
She kept the room light on because of the lightning that flashed through the closed windows.
Knowing Liam wouldn't be able to sleep with the lights on, she forced her eyes shut and tried to fall asleep quickly so he could also get some rest.
She snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest, finding his warmth more comforting than the room temperature.
A soft, relaxed smile appeared on her face.
Liam felt the tug on his T-shirt and chuckled quietly, knowing she would soon drift off.
If this had been months ago, he wouldn't have minded staying awake for hours just to make her sleep.
But now, he couldn't help wishing they weren't this close.
Listening to her soft breathing and feeling it against his body made his senses heighten, and her fresh scent sent his thoughts spiraling.
He feared she might notice his rapidly beating heart at any moment and expose him if she moved even closer, but luckily, she didn't.
After about twenty minutes, Liam felt she was finally asleep.
He placed a gentle peck on her forehead and slowly removed his arm from around her shoulders so he could leave.
As he carefully freed his arm from her grip, she shifted slightly, her straight hair falling away from her cheek as she adjusted her neck into a more comfortable position.
Trying not to wake her, Liam's eyes caught sight of her slender neckline glowing under the room's bright light.
Like a man under a spell, he stared at it, mesmerized for a long moment.
Still caught in the enchantment, his gaze followed the line upward until it settled on her downward-turned lips.
They looked glossy, and their soft pink color pulled at him like a magnet.
Before he could stop himself, he bent down, his face lowering toward hers.
His lips brushed against hers, but just before he could deepen the kiss, she shifted her head slightly, jolting him back to his senses.
His heart pounding, Liam quickly pulled away and stared at her, hoping she hadn't noticed.
When she made no further movement, he rushed out of the room, back to his own, and buried his face in the bed.
~
Camilla woke up to the sweet smell of breakfast and her favorite cappuccino waiting on the table.
She walked over to Liam and hugged him from behind.
He turned slowly, greeted her coldly, and walked away with the plate of fried eggs in his hands.
He couldn't stop thinking about what almost happened the night before and didn't know how to face her.
Camilla followed him and asked if something was wrong.
"Did you not sleep well last night? I tried to fall asleep quickly so I wouldn't disturb you," she said.
"I slept fine. Let me get Eric from his room," he replied without looking at her and walked away.
When he got to the room, Eric wasn't there. Liam called out to him and then returned to Camilla, wondering where Eric had gone.
"I was about to tell you, but you walked away so quickly," Camilla said, standing up and moving closer to him.
"He left earlier. It seems he had some business to attend to," she added, noticing the awkward look on Liam's face.
She wondered why he was avoiding her first thing in the morning and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.
Liam quickly pulled away and returned to the dining table.
"The food is getting cold," he said and began to eat.
Camilla joined him, growing more suspicious as she ate slowly.
She had forgotten her phone at school the previous night and had no way to contact her roommate to cover for her absence.
"Did you do something wrong?" she suddenly asked, and Liam almost choked on his food.
"What do you mean?" he replied softly.
Her suspicion was confirmed—he definitely felt guilty, though she didn't know why.
"Why are you acting so guilty? Did you..." she began.
Liam was used to her probing questions and usually knew how to dodge them, but this time was different.
He truly felt uneasy, unsure whether she had been asleep when he almost kissed her.
"I didn't do anything. I was just thinking about how to get you back to school without you getting into trouble," he said.
Camilla didn't believe him but pretended to.
"Don't worry about that. I'll just take whatever punishment comes with it, and besides, I'll get a day to myself to have fun," she said, finishing her food.
Liam's phone rang.
He answered and spoke to his mother for a few minutes before hanging up and packing the plates away.
Camilla went to take her bath and returned to the living room afterward.
"What would you like to do?" Liam asked when she came back.
He had tried calling Eric again, but there was no answer.
Eric had clearly left the two of them alone on purpose, and Liam wanted to beat him for it.
"How about we go to the amusement park?" she shouted hopefully, but the look in his eyes told her the answer was no.
"Okay, fine. You decide," she said.
Liam debated internally for a few minutes.
He needed something that would keep him away from her for a while until he could act normally again.
"We should have girls' time," Briana suddenly said as she walked in.
She had heard from Eric that Camilla was there and rushed over.
The two hadn't spoken much since their schools had different breaks, and whenever Camilla was home, most of her time was spent with Liam.
"You won't mind, right, Liam?" Briana asked as she sat beside Camilla and pulled a bottle of wine from her bag.
"I don't," Liam replied, moving away to sit elsewhere.
"I thought Eric went out to meet you. Are you two still in your friends-with-benefits relationship?" Camilla asked, grinning as she took the bottle.
"We stopped. I have a boyfriend now," Briana said.
Camilla looked shocked and turned to Liam, who nodded to confirm it was true.
"That's why I warned you not to start that kind of relationship in the first place," Camilla said, moving closer.
"You didn't sleep together, did you?"
Briana exchanged a look with Liam and burst into laughter.
She shook her head, amused by Camilla's innocence.
"Do you even know what friends with benefits means? Don't tell me you haven't gotten to that level with your boyfriend. You two have been together for months now," Briana shot back.
Liam turned on his heels and walked out.
He wasn't ready to hear something like that about Camilla.
Although she told him everything, he knew she wouldn't discuss such intimacy with him, and the mere possibility of it unsettled him deeply.
"Where are you?" Liam texted Eric, who replied immediately.
"I'll see you two later," Eric sent.
Liam glanced back once as the girls continued giggling, completely ignoring him, before he left.