I kiss Liam's lips once more because I can't get enough. With him, it never is.

The fingers of one of my hands are in his hair now, combing through the strands. I trace the contours of his face with my other hand, smiling when a content, lazy smile appears on his lips, and Liam opens his eyes and looks at me.

"You're beautiful, sweetheart. Have I told you that?"

"Many times," I reply, smiling.

"Even more beautiful after I make love to you. Your skin is flushed, and you have a special gleam in your eyes."

"And you're always so relaxed right after."

Liam laughs and pulls my naked body to him. It's June, but the nights aren't too warm yet. I shiver slightly, and Liam covers us with a blanket, kissing my lips.

"We can't fall asleep," he whispers in a while. "The sun will rise soon; we'll have to return to the tents."

"I know. Our friends probably noticed we're missing."

Liam presses his lips to my forehead, whispering, "I don't give a damn. We are all adults. What we do is our business. Besides, I wouldn't worry about the guys. O'Brien had too much to drink and Alex seems to be a heavy sleeper. Aiden was sleeping, too."

"I love being with you," I say, tracing patterns on Liam's chest. "You give me peace, but also butterflies. Every single time."

"It means we're good for each other. I feel the same way about you. And I get something else apart from butterflies."

Liam kisses my neck and moves slightly. I feel his hardness against my stomach and blush in the dark. He smirks as if he can see my crimson cheeks.

I giggle, caressing him. "Again?"

Liam nods, smiling at me. I know the look in his eyes— it's desire, and tenderness, and love. I move on top of him and our mouths are joined in no time.

It's a possessive, raw kiss— nothing like the tender lovemaking that happened on this very blanket half an hour ago. We devour each other's lips and touch each other's bodies shamelessly as if we weren't in the middle of the woods with our friends sleeping in their tents not too far from us.

We forget about everything as soon as our bodies become one. I move with him, and he covers my mouth with his palm when his body, lips, and hands bring me close to the edge.

Liam watches me fall apart, whispering words of  encouragement, and I surrender to him and my feelings.

It's love what I feel, but I am too scared to admit it out loud. What we have seems too intense, too deep, too honest.

It's too good to be true, because, until Liam, nothing was real. His love is a camera lens through which I see a different Sky — a brave, confident, beautiful girl. He makes me believe that girl is real.

And deep down I am still doubting if I am good enough to deserve him.

He is the sweetest dream, and I am constantly waiting for the moment when I will have to wake up.

I dropped my phone to the grass and sighed, picking up my camera instead.

Three days had passed since my conversation with my parents. Sam bought the ticket for me to go to Paris and we transferred money to my university account.

I would have been more excited had I heard from Liam.

I left him tons of messages and kept on calling him every day without any luck. Worry and desperation made me get in touch with Jeff. He seemed surprised by my phone call and told me he hadn't seen Liam in weeks. It didn't make me feel better because if something happened, I wouldn't forgive myself.

Shaking my head to get rid of the sad thought, I got ready to take a picture of my hometown from the hill where I sat. It was one of the best photography spots I knew. The timing wasn't the best because the early afternoon sun was blazing, but I brought the equipment and didn't want to miss a chance to use it. Just like dancing, photography brought me peace.

It wasn't the same kind of peace I found in Liam's arms, but just for today, it would do.

"I knew you'd be here," my Mom said from behind me. "Can I?"

She stopped next to me and waited for me to tell her she could sit by my side.

Mom lowered herself onto the grass and picked up my phone. "Still nothing?"

"Nothing," I whispered. "He might have changed his number."

"Maybe something happened."

"Not funny, Mom. I'm trying to be positive here."

Mom hugged me. "It's gonna be alright. He will forgive you."

"I hope so. What about you? Any news?"

"Yes." Mom smiled. "Louise called us. She will come here later today but what we know for now is that there are many other victims of that fake investment company. Louise is talking about a class-action lawsuit. We agreed to discuss it when she's here."

"At least you and Dad aren't the only ones."

"We're not. It doesn't make the situation any better, though. I still can't believe your Dad did something like that. He's always so level-headed and calm, hardly ever takes risks, hardly ever..."

Mom's voice trailed off, and I saw a teardrop on her cheek.

"What is it, Mom?"

"We've been together for more than twenty years, but the last five can hardly be taken into account. Dad wasn't like this, Sky. He wasn't the sulking kind. He didn't use to complain.

"He used to be the tall, handsome guy all the girls wanted. And I was so honored to be chosen by him. You can't imagine how much fun we had. He always invented something different for our dates. It was never dull with Luke.

"We used to talk about traveling abroad and visiting Europe. We even marked the countries on a map. I didn't doubt Luke would do it. Sometimes, we'd take a car and drive somewhere new, spend the day there eating local food and discovering new places. And look at us now. Stuck in this town, barely talking to each other."

Mom looked at the town ahead of us and sighed.

"Do you still love Dad?" I asked.

Mom smiled. "Of course, I do. I just want my husband back. I want my Luke, the adventurous and happy guy. We are still young, Sky. I want to live a little, to travel and enjoy life. I am happy you get to do it. At least our girl can go places."

"I hope it gets better between you and Dad," I said.

Mom kissed my cheek and rose to her feet. "Me too. I'm gonna head back in case Louise arrives early, baby. Don't take long to come back."

"I won't," I replied and refocused my attention on my camera and the photos as soon as Mom turned around and left.

The task kept me busy for another couple of hours. The weather grew hotter, and I finally headed home, not wanting to get sunburned.

Louise had already arrived. I saw her car in the driveway. It would be the second time I'd seen Ellie's Mom. I hoped she didn't say anything to her daughter. Ellie was enjoying her honeymoon, and I would rather tell her everything when I was back in Paris.

I quickened my step and entered the house. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the kitchen, making my mouth water.

And just as I hung my camera bag on the hook by the door, I heard it.

Laughter.

This time, what watered were my eyes. I pressed my palm to my mouth and ran down the hallway toward the kitchen, halting in the doorway with my heart somersaulting in my chest.

"Liam!"