Leaning against the tall pillar backstage, I actually find myself bobbing my head along to Daphni’s newest song. It’s the first time she’s playing it live. Somehow she had managed to get it recorded while we had a few days off in Salt Lake City and judging by the crowd, they are absolutely loving it. In truth, I am as well. It’s different from her usual stuff, incorporating a bit more electronic synth paired with an orchestral chorus, which, weirdly enough, kind of sounds amazing.

“I don’t believe it. Am I finally seeing Gabby Monroe, in the flesh, dancing to Daphni Monroe’s music?” Melissa playfully asks as she approaches, holding her hands up as if she’s filming a documentary. I catch Liam walking beside her and instantly a smile sneaks up my face.

“Not dancing,” I argue. “Swaying.”

“Say whatever you want. I have it on film,” she says as she again pantomimes a camera.

Liam chuckles and I shoot them both an incredulous look before rolling my eyes. “Melissa, your dad jokes are seriously next-level embarrassing.”

Melissa dramatically flips her long, red hair over her shoulder. “Whatever, Gabby. I know you love them. Anyways, I got to scoot. We are working on trying to get Daphni a performance slot for the American Music Awards.”

“Hi,” I say, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious as my brain instantly replays our kiss from last night. I had fallen asleep with the taste of him on my lips and a dorky smile plastered on my face. Daphni hadn’t shut up about it either, and had insisted I give her a play-by-play reenactment. And now that he was here again, all I could do was stare at his lips and pray they would find their way back to mine again. I was done with the bullshit. I wanted him, and judging by the way his body reacted last night, and the bulge I felt against my stomach, I knew he wanted it, too.

“Hi,” he responds, and I feel a jab of surprise at how nervous he looks. He shoves his hands into his pockets and looks over to the stage where Daphni is performing before bringing his piercing grey eyes back to mine. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Very well, thank you.”

This all sounds so foreign and uncomfortable. I force my eyes to look into his and I’m generously rewarded. Liam’s eyes are locked on mine, and I can see burning passion and need swirling in his dark-grey irises. He’s my favorite open book, and while it scared me how easily he wore his emotions in his eyes and on his face, in this moment I am grateful. Because in his eyes I can recognize the same need I have inside of me for his touch and his lips against mine.

I don’t know if I’m the one to take a step closer, if he is, or if we both do at the same time. All I know is that somehow my hands are on his chest, my fingers gripping his shirt as our lips connect and all the noise and people around us fade into nothing.

With his lips on mine, I close my eyes and willingly surrender myself to Liam, let him dominate all of my senses. I allow myself to fall captive to the intoxicating scent of his cologne, the sweetness of his lips, the feel of his fingers digging into my hips, and the sound of our two breaths becoming one. He consumes every single inch of me and, like an addict, I know that after this kiss, I’ll only want more.

But I just can’t care because I know I'm already too far gone. Because something about Liam has sparked something inside of me that I want to explore. I want to know what it feels like to be held by him, to be owned by him. So I tilt my head, opening my lips, allowing him to more fully taste me as he dips his tongue into my mouth. I feel dizzy and drunk as his tongue explores every inch of my mouth and his hands dig through my hair, pulling me closer to him.

Only when the roar of the crowd swells as Daphni finishes her song do our lips finally break apart. Liam’s breaths come out in short pants as he wraps his arms around me, binding my body to his.

“What are you doing to me, Gabby?” he whispers into my hair as he dusts a series of soft kisses on the crown of my head.

It’s a simple question, but I don’t know how to respond. So I press my cheek against his chest and remain silent. And as I feel his heart pound, I realize with a fear I’ve never experienced that I think I may be falling for Liam. With a kiss and a simple question, he may have managed to chip away at the barricades I had spent years building to guard my heart. And it’s that thought that terrifies me the most.