6

Mia was sitting comfortably on Liam's bed, her legs crossed and a pillow hugged against her chest. His room was cozy, a true reflection of its owner's personality: a mixture of controlled clutter and surprisingly well-organized details. Rock band posters adorned the walls, a bookcase filled with books stood in the corner and a guitar rested on an armchair near the window.

Liam entered the room with a mischievous grin, carefully balancing a large bowl of popcorn in one hand and two cans of soda in the other. The movie had already started, and Mia, amused, barely noticed his entrance until she smelled the irresistible aroma of freshly made popcorn.

“Finally! I thought you were going to starve me to death,” she joked, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

“I'd never do that,” Liam replied, laughing as he sat down next to her. “Now tell me, what do you think of the movie so far?”

Mia smiled and settled back on the bed.

“I find the story fascinating. I've watched it a thousand times. I confess that, if I were Bella Swan, I'd take the wolf. The whole imprint thing is much more fascinating.”

For a moment, something dark flashed across Liam's face. It was so quick that Mia almost didn't notice it, but there was a slight change in his expression, a different gleam in his eye. However, he soon let out a laugh and shook his head.

“No way! Vampires are a thousand times better. More cultured, more refined... Wolves are just big, smelly dogs.”

Mia widened her eyes, feigning indignation, and grabbed a handful of popcorn, throwing it at Liam.

“Don't talk bad about my Jacob!”

Liam laughed and leaned forward, his quick fingers finding the sides of Mia's waist. Before she could react, he began to tickle her, eliciting a scream mixed with uncontrolled laughter.

“Take that back,” he teased, his voice amused.

“Never!” Mia replied, squirming, trying to escape Liam's agile hands.

He took advantage of the situation, leaning even closer to her, his face dangerously close to hers. Mia's eyes met his, and suddenly everything changed. The laughter died on both their lips, replaced by a palpable tension that hung in the air like static electricity before a storm.

For a second, Mia held her breath. She would never be able to tell if it was an accident or if Liam had done it on purpose, but in the next instant, his lips touched hers.

Mia's first kiss.

Her heart raced, hammering in her chest like a drumbeat. The touch of Liam's lips was warm, soft, almost hesitant at first. He didn't force anything, just pressed his mouth against hers carefully, as if waiting for her to decide if she wanted to continue.

Mia didn't want him to stop.

She closed her eyes and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him a little closer. Liam understood the gesture and deepened the kiss, moving his lips against hers in a slow, exploratory dance, full of new and unknown sensations. Mia had never felt anything like it. It was as if something inside her had ignited, a flame that started small but quickly became an uncontrollable fire.

The warmth of Liam's body against hers made her feel dizzy, and she held onto his shoulders, as if she feared losing her balance. His fingers slid lightly up her arm to the nape of her neck, where he entwined his fingers in the white strands of her hair and tugged lightly, drawing an involuntary shiver from Mia.

Every detail of that moment seemed magical. The woody smell of Liam's perfume mixed with the slight sweetness of the popcorn, the taste of the soda still on their lips, the sound of their accelerated breathing between kisses. It was a whirlwind of emotions that Mia could barely process, but she didn't want it to end.

Liam pulled away just enough to stare into her eyes, an intense glow in his gaze.

“You're amazing, Mia,” he whispered, his voice slightly husky.

Mia bit her lower lip, still feeling the effects of the kiss. Her heart still hadn't returned to its normal rhythm, and she knew that this sensation would be imprinted on her forever. As much as she tried to avoid it, a doubt began to creep into her mind. What if her mother found out? What if it was a mistake? But looking at Liam, at the way he stared at her as if she were the only thing that mattered in the world, all doubts disappeared.

She smiled shyly and leaned her forehead against his.

“I've never done that before...” she admitted in a whisper.

Liam smiled, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“And it was perfect,” he assured her. “Can we do it again?”

Mia laughed softly and, in response, pulled him in for another kiss, this time with more confidence, allowing herself to enjoy every sensation, every second.

At that moment, nothing else mattered. There was no mother, no grandparents, no family secrets. There was no lingering feeling that something was wrong. There was only Liam, the warmth of his touch and the certainty that, for the first time in a long time, Mia was exactly where she wanted to be.

Meanwhile, far away, Elisa felt a chill run down her spine as soon as the cab pulled up in front of Mia's school. Panic made her heart beat so fast that she could hardly breathe. As soon as the car slowed down, she opened the door and jumped out before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop.

“Hey! Are you trying to get away without paying?” The taxi driver shouted, running after her with indignation.

Elisa cursed softly. In her haste, she didn't even think about payment. She stopped abruptly, rummaged through her purse with trembling hands and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, handing it to the driver without even looking at it.

“Keep the change.” She said, her voice tense and impatient.

The man took the money, muttering something about rude people, but Elisa was no longer listening. Her eyes were fixed on the school entrance, and a tightness in her chest grew as a bad feeling settled over her. Something was wrong. Very wrong.