After a long day of business and unexpected distractions, Liam and Noah returned to the luxury hotel, the familiar comfort of their suite waiting for them. The cab ride had been quieter this time, both men lost in their own thoughts, the weight of the evening's events still lingering in the air.

Liam dropped his briefcase by the door and tossed his jacket onto the armchair by the window. He needed a moment to decompress. As Noah moved toward the minibar, seemingly unfazed, Liam opened his laptop and, after a few moments, dialed his younger sister, Lily. It was always nice to check in with her; her quiet presence had a way of calming him. As the video call connected, he watched her face appear on the screen, her soft features and gentle smile offering an immediate sense of comfort.

"Hey, Lily," Liam greeted, his voice lighter than before. "Still awake?"

Lily's face brightened when she saw him, her brown eyes soft and a little shy. "Oh, um, hey, Liam. Yeah, I'm still up. It's only 5 PM here." She smiled gently. "How are you?"

Liam chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm good. Long day, though. Had some sightseeing with Noah. Well, he made me a tourist. I don't know if it was a good idea, but we had fun."

Lily tilted her head, her gaze soft but curious. "Tourist...you? That sounds...nice."

Liam smiled, trying to shake off the heaviness from the day. "Yeah, well, he definitely dragged me around. But we almost missed the business dinner because I lost track of time. I felt like I was going to let the whole family down. You know how it is."

Lily's lips pressed together in a small, thoughtful line. She opened her mouth to respond but hesitated, her voice quieter than usual. "I don't think...Mom and Dad would care if you missed one dinner. They just...they just want us to be happy, right?" She glanced down, as if unsure of her own words. "I mean, it's not all about work, is it?"

Liam raised an eyebrow at her, not expecting her to speak so openly. "What do you mean? Of course, it's about work. It's always about work. We have an image to maintain."

Lily bit her lip, fiddling with her fingers. "Yeah, I know...but I think, maybe, we don't always have to be perfect for everyone. I mean, you don't have to keep everything under control all the time. You can...take a break sometimes, right?"

Liam glanced at her, his expression softening. He hadn't expected Lily, usually so quiet and reserved, to speak so openly. "I don't know, Lil," he sighed. "It's just hard. I'm always the one who has to fix everything, make sure the family looks perfect. And... I don't know if I'm allowed to just not be that person sometimes."

Lily's gaze dropped, but there was a quiet firmness in her voice when she spoke again. "Look, I'm not saying you should stop being you, but maybe... maybe it wouldn't hurt to let go every now and then. I don't know Noah that well, but from what I've seen, he seems to think you're great—even when you're not perfect." Her tone lightened as she added, "If you ask me, he's a bad influence on you...in a good way."

Liam's breath caught, a slight tension running through him. "A bad influence?"

"Yeah," Lily teased with a small smile. "Ever since you started working with him, you've been lightening up. It's kind of nice to see."

Liam was quiet for a moment, absorbing what she'd said. It was like a switch had flipped in his mind. Noah had been challenging, yes, but also liberating. He'd made Liam step outside of his usual carefully curated persona, the one he thought he needed to succeed. It was easier to be himself around Noah, though he'd never allowed himself to fully admit that—until now.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that," Liam admitted quietly, his voice filled with uncertainty. "But maybe...maybe I'll think about it."

Lily smiled, a gentle, shy expression on her face. "You don't have to rush. Just...take it one step at a time, okay?"

Liam smiled back, his heart lighter than it had been in a long time. "Thanks, Lil. I'll talk to you soon."

After a brief pause, Liam ended the call, his sister's soft face still lingering in his mind. He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly, as his gaze shifted across the room to Noah. For the first time, he felt a shift within him—a subtle, yet undeniable change. There was a sense of possibility, a flicker of something new that he hadn't dared entertain before. Maybe Lily was right. Maybe Noah was a bad influence in all the best ways.

The thought lingered as the evening wore on. Liam decided to take a shower, the warm water offering him a moment of clarity as he let his mind wander. What if he stopped trying so hard to control everything? What if he began to embrace the unknown, the unexpected—like that afternoon spent sightseeing with Noah?

He hadn't planned it, hadn't thought it through, but it had been... nice. In a way he hadn't expected. There had been no pressure, no expectations. Just two people, wandering through London, talking and laughing. He had felt lighter than he had in months, maybe even years.

The water ran over his skin, and Liam let himself breathe more freely. Maybe it was time to let go. To trust more. To stop fighting so hard against the current. Maybe, just maybe, Noah was showing him a different way of living. A way where he didn't have to be so tightly wound all the time. And for the first time, Liam wasn't so sure that was such a bad thing.