Chapter 3 No Room

• ◇•Liam•◇
• "You've got to be kidding me," she hissed, taking another step back.
• I blinked, surprised—then grinned.
• "Look who we have here. Maya," I said. Her name rolled off my tongue, feeling both foreign and oddly familiar.
• I sipped the coffee in my hand, eyes never leaving her.
• She looked borderline annoyed—irritated, even. By me.
• "This is a pleasant surprise. You came looking for me," I placed a hand over my chest, and she scrunched up her nose.
• "You're in the wrong house," she snapped. "I booked this place for a month. In my name!" She wagged a finger, and I leaned casually in the doorway.
• "So did I, pookie," I muttered. Her brows furrowed before she frowned.
• "I don't know what game you're playing, Carter. But you should stop."
• I raised an eyebrow. "I should be the one asking what game you’re playing. Are you stalking me? Because there’s no way you’d just 'mysteriously' show up at my door."
• I crossed my legs and tilted my head.
• "Or tell me—did you miss me so much you came looking?" I smirked. She glared, or at least tried to.
• "It’s too fucking early to call the police," she mumbled. "I have no idea what you’re talking about, but this is my vacation house."
• I raised a brow. Okay, she looked serious. Like, serious serious.
• I straightened up.
• "I've been here a month, Sugar. I don’t know who scammed you out of your money, but trust me—you’ve got it all wrong."
• Her frown deepened.
• "Don’t... don’t call me that," she muttered, adjusting the hood of her sweatshirt.
• I grinned.
• "Aren’t you a sweet little thing?" I teased.
• She stepped back and shook her head. "I'm calling the cops."
• She grabbed her phone, and I just raised a lazy brow. She could call whoever she wanted. The truth still stood—she’d been scammed.
• How much had she paid, anyway?
• "Hey. Hi, I have an emergency..." she began, her voice tight with irritation. I took that moment to study her.
• She was different now. Very different.
• It had been—what?—seven years since high school? I hadn’t seen her since.
• The girl with the huge glasses, braces, and long skirts was gone—replaced with someone entirely new.
• And if you ask me... hot.
• Even with the hoodie hiding half her face, the part I could see told me everything I needed to know.
• Petite. Round face. Long lashes. Full lips. Brown eyes—still hidden behind memory-thick glasses in my mind.
• Her eyes met mine. My lips curled up.
• "…probably in his early thirties. Yeah, yeah... I don’t see any weapons, but he could be hiding them," she said into the phone.
• I huffed. Jesus. Seriously?
• "Please do," she muttered, ending the call and folding her arms.
• "The cops will be here soon. You can still leave while you can. I’ll tell them you got away."
• "You grew some guts, I see," I said, turning around and walking into the house.
• "Let me know when they get here," I added, catching her wide-eyed stare before I shut the door.
• Inside, I set the coffee on the table and walked to the window. I peeked through the curtain.
• She was still there. Lips pursed, eyes glued to her phone.
• She glanced down the hill, then back to her screen. Okay—she wasn’t leaving.
• I wasn’t in the mood for this kind of drama. And as nice as it was seeing her again after seven years... I already wanted her gone.
• The cops showed up in under thirty minutes.
• I watched through the window as she pointed toward the door. I cursed under my breath, grabbed a shirt off the couch, and pulled it on as I headed to the door.
• I opened it just as the cop was about to knock. He froze mid-air, then dropped his hand and tilted his head.
• "Ciao," he greeted.
• I raised a brow and glanced at Maya. She frowned, arms crossed.
• "Salve, agente. Come posso aiutarla?" I replied. If we were doing this, we were doing it right. The officer looked as surprised as Maya.
• I leaned on the doorframe, mirroring her posture.
• He cleared his throat and switched to English. "This lady reported a case of break-in and trespassing."
• "Really?" I straightened and pretended not to notice Maya checking me out. "In my defense, Officer, she got scammed. Paid for a place that wasn’t hers."
• "I didn’t!" Maya fired back. "I booked this place a month ago! The agent told me the key would be under the mat!"
• The officer turned to me. "And when did you arrive?"
• "A month ago. Been here since," I said, and the cop muttered something under his breath, clearly agitated.
• Hey, I wasn’t the one who called him.
• He walked to the mat. I stepped back. He lifted it, frowned, and turned to Maya.
• "There’s nothing here. No key."
• She blinked, confused.
• "What? There should be. He said it was right there," she muttered, checking for herself.
• I sighed.
• "Pretty obvious she got duped—and trespassed," I pointed out.
• The officer frowned. "Ma’am, you've been scammed. Please find somewhere else to stay while we sort this."
• Maya tugged at her hoodie, lips pressed tight. She nodded.
• "I’m sorry for..." she gestured vaguely before sighing. "Thanks for coming."
• The officer nodded before walking down the steps.
• Without looking at me, she grabbed her suitcase.
• "Not gonna apologize for barging in?" I asked.
• She turned. "I’m not sorry. You’ve always been a piece of shit," she snapped.
• I caught the slight tremble in her lips before she turned and dragged her bag down the steps.
• I pressed my lips together. My expression shifted as I watched her go, then quietly shut the door.
• I was here to get away from life. Things had been rough lately. The spotlight wasn’t shining anymore—my career was tanking. Recognition? Gone.
• I needed a break. The last thing I expected was Maya Caldwell showing up at my door, all brown eyes and attitude.
• The same girl I used to mock.
• I spent the next few hours on the couch, binge-watching some show until night fell.
• Then—a knock.
• I frowned. I wasn’t expecting anyone. No one even knew I was here.
• I opened the door.
• Maya stood there, suitcase in hand. She gave me a tight smile.
• "Hi. Can I stay the night? No rooms are available," she muttered.
• I looked her over, then stepped aside.
• I wasn’t in the mood to tease her. And I wasn’t sure she’d tolerate it anyway.
• Maya and I, under the same roof... one bed…
• Oh, fuck.