I stared at Liam, unblinking, disbelieving. I searched his eyes for any hint of mockery or teasing.

But they were open, sincere.

A sense of wonder ballooned in my chest. Liam really did think all those things about me.

My fingers began to tremble ever so slightly. I pressed my palms against the sides of my hips.

"That's some impressive symbolism," I said, pretending to smooth down my skirt.

Liam raised an eyebrow, as if confused by statement.

"Sun. Supernova. Rock star." I said the words slowly.

"I wasn't trying to make a pun." He cracked a smile. "You're amazing, and soon the whole world is going to know it."

"You're the one who's amazing." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. A flush crept up my neck and onto my cheeks. "I mean, you're an amazing guitar player, and a great singer. Of course, you know that already."

"I do know that." He examined me closely. "But that's not what you meant, is it?"

Flustered, I looked away.

Liam couldn't have known how much he had motivated me. He couldn't have known how much I'd needed to hear his words back then.

He couldn't have known how important he was to me.

"Why don't you tell me what you really meant?" he asked softly.

"I didn't mean anything," I said quickly. "Just what I said. You're good at what you do."

"I think there's more to it than that." His probing eyes pinned me down, like he was trying to dissect me. Like he was trying to figure me out.

"What you said before. In that interview. About the name of your band."

My heartbeat spiked. "What about it?"

"You lied to that journalist when she asked you how you came up with Cherry Lips."

"No I didn't," I said immediately. "I named the band after myself."

"You named the band after my nickname for you."

Pulse racing, I deflected. "So what if I did? It's catchy."

"Why did you lie about it in the interview?" he persisted.

"Because—"

Because you moved me.

Because you inspired me.

"Tell me why," he asked again.

"Because you saved me."

The words came out quiet. Quiet, but not weak. Not timid. I forced myself to meet his gaze head on. His eyes were wide, perplexed. I don't know what he had been expecting me to say, but it wasn't that.

"I had almost given up on singing," I said honestly. "I had almost given up on music altogether. But what you said…" I trailed off, trying to remember his exact words. "You asked when I felt the most powerful, like I could take on anything."

"You said it was when you sang." Liam's eyes went soft and unfocused, as if searching his own distant memories. "Then you laughed and said life wasn't a musical."

I placed my hand over my heart. It was beating at a wild pace. "You told me to always be singing in here."

Liam placed his hand over mine. His large palm pressed into the back of my hand. The tips of his fingers brushed the skin of my collarbone. The speed of my pounding heart was alarming.

"Why were you about to give up on music?" he asked. "If you loved singing so much, why stop?"

My heart froze, stuttering in my chest. That lump in my gut, that ever-present swirling dark mass, began to snake its way out of the cage where I kept it locked down.

"I couldn't—" my voice cracked. "I couldn't keep singing after—"

Dark tendrils crawled along my ribcage, slowly inching their way to the very center of my chest.

"I couldn't handle it. I fell apart. I didn't want the reminder of—"

Liam closed his fingers, lacing ours together. "You don't have to talk about it."

I nodded silently. He lowered his head and, bringing our clasped hands to his lips, pecked a soft kiss against my knuckles. I stared at our entwined hands. My nerve endings tingled where our skin touched.

Liam straightened and let go.

"It would be cool if I could take credit for the band's name." His tone was light, breezy. "But if you're okay with people thinking you're just a narcissist, it's fine by me."

A teasing smile played on his lips. I let out a soft snort, relieved that he had changed the subject. Relieved that he wasn't going to push the issue.

I'd only ever told a handful of people about Harper before. Most of the ones who knew what happened were the ones who had been there. Gael. Morris. I'd rarely had to tell the story to anyone. Rarely had to say the words out loud.

I didn't know if I even could without breaking again.

"Lots of musicians name their bands after themselves." I took a few steps back, needing space. Being so close to Liam like this was dangerous. I'd already said more than I should have. More than I'd meant to. I was supposed to be turning him away, not pulling him closer. "Thank you for agreeing to keep the real reason to yourself."

"It's not my place to tell anyone any different."

"So if the subject comes up in an interview again, now you know what to say."

"You want me to take part in more interviews?" he asked. "I thought you'd never let me near another journalist again after today."

"As long as you keep it strictly about the music."

"Hm," he mused playfully. "I don't know if I can do that."

"Liam…" I said with a warning tone.

"I'm serious." He looked determined. "I told you before. I think you're amazing. I want to be a part of that."

"You are," I said firmly. "You're helping out my band."

Liam brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "That's not what I mean."

He trailed his fingers along my face before cupping my cheek. I exhaled a shaky breath. His gaze flicked to my mouth, eyes turning dark. He drew me closer to him. I found myself leaning forward into his touch.

"You're a star, Cerise," he said. Our lips were a hairsbreadth apart. My chin tipped up unconsciously. "We both are. And we can only burn brighter together."

Liam closed the gap between us and pressed his lips to mine.

I'd thought about kissing Liam. Dreamed of it, even. But now all those steamy fantasies seemed tepid and dull in comparison. As I breathed him in, a rush of heat surged through my body.

When his tongue swiped for entrance my knees nearly fell from under me. I clutched at his shoulders for support. The softness of his lips was a delicious contrast to the firmness of his muscles.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me closer, shifting until our hips fit neatly together. I melted against him, giving in, opening up, allowing his desire to consume me.

"Been thinking of kissing you for-fucking-ever," he murmured into my mouth.

In response, I fisted a handful of his hair and crushed my lips to his.

He tried to take control of the kiss, cupping the back of my head, tilting my face to the side for a better angle. Our lips worked together, dancing and battling, our breaths combining with pants and gasps. For all that I had been trying to keep away from Liam, I was now just as eager to have him as he was to have me. The entire world fell away until it was only the two of us, lips pressed to lips, chest pressed to chest.

The slam of a door interrupted our dream-like state. My hands stilled from where they were buried in his hair. His arm around my waist jolted in surprise. We were frozen together, tensed and ready to jump apart. When nothing further happened, we slowly relaxed.

But reality had already started settling back in. The moment was over.

I hurriedly put space between us.

Liam cursed quietly under his breath.

I ran my hands over my face.

He rubbed his stubbled jaw.

We shared a regretful sigh as Liam regarded me intently. Those green eyes of his made it hard to think.

"You're right," I agreed, still slightly breathless. "We are both stars. And maybe we would burn brighter together."

We could both hear voices coming from down the hall. The sound of my brother's laughter was like a foghorn blasting through my still dazed and fogged over mind.

"Or maybe," I continued, "we'd only end up burning ourselves out."

He opened his mouth, maybe to argue or cajole. I held up my hand to stop him.

"No," I said. "I'm sorry, but no."

"Cerise…" His tone was overlaid with disappointment and frustration and heartache. I hated that I'd made him feel that way. But I knew giving in could never lead to anything good.

"You know what sometimes happens after a star burns out?" I asked.

He frowned. "No. What?"

I gave him a sad smile.

"It collapses into a black hole, consuming everything in its path."