CONFESSION

SKY'S POV

I woke up with a pounding headache, my mind foggy from the haze of last night's revelry. As I scanned the room, memories of the evening flashed before me in a dizzying blur. But one thing was painfully clear: my ass was sore, and I winced at the discomfort.

"What the f**k happened?" I cursed, my voice a hoarse whisper. Panic surged through me as I noticed a naked figure beside me in bed. My heart raced, and I couldn't hold back a startled shout.

"AAAAH! What are you doing here?!" I shrieked, clutching the sheets to my bare body. The man stirred, his eyes fluttering open in confusion.

He began to mumble something, but my mind was racing with possibilities, none of them good. "It's not what you think, Sky," he stammered, his voice strained.

"Get out of my house, NOW!" I commanded, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and anger. I needed him gone, needed to piece together the events of the night before.

As he scrambled to dress, I tried to make sense of the chaos. How had I ended up here, with a stranger in my bed? Memories flickered in my mind like a broken movie reel, fragments of wails and blurred faces.

No way, Sky. No, this didn't happen. Please, this didn't happen!

I tried to reassure myself, but it was futile. Yes, we f**ked, and nothing could change that. I could only live with that shame. You can be useless, Sky. You barely had any self-control when it came to him. I didn't know how I'd ever face him again.

Then, as I was contemplating what to do, a text message came through. The screen lit up with Liam's name, making my heart race.

"Sky, I'm sorry. It was my fault, not yours. You shouldn't blame yourself. I was the one who couldn't control myself, not you. I took advantage of you, and I'm really sorry."

Aaargh, why can't he leave me alone?! I shouted, frustrated. I tried to stand and walk, but my butt really hurt. "Aaaah," I groaned as I touched it, the dull pain a constant reminder of what had transpired. I say to myself, "We didn't f**k with him. He's someone who's saved me twice. He was still a stranger. Why did I even get drunk?"

The night before played in my mind like a relentless movie I couldn't stop watching. I can only recall someone driving me home after messing myself up in the Vista club, then as I was going home someone caught me when staggering before I fell and drove me home, things had escalated. It started with a simple touch, then sucking his dick! Before I knew it, we were tearing each other's clothes off. The heat of his breath on my neck, the way his hands roamed over my body, the urgency in his touch -it was intoxicating.

But now, in the harsh light of day, all I felt was shame. I paced around my room, my thoughts a chaotic whirlwind. Liam and I had only been friends for barely a month but this was different. This was crossing a line that could never be uncrossed.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Not just at Liam, but at myself. I had allowed this to happen. I had let my guard down, gotten drunk, and now I was paying the price.

Another text from Liam came through, breaking my train of thought.

"Please, Sky, talk to me. I can't stand the thought of you hating yourself because of what happened."

I threw my phone onto the bed, unable to deal with it. Why did he have to reach out? Why couldn't he just let me process this on my own? The ache in my butt and the heaviness in my heart were unbearable.

The next few hours were a blur. I tried distracting myself with mundane tasks -cleaning, making coffee, anything to keep my mind off Liam. But every time I paused, even for a second, the memories came flooding back.

Finally, I decided I couldn't avoid him forever. With a deep breath, I picked up my phone and called him. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Sky?" His voice was hesitant, laced with concern.

"Liam," I replied, my voice shaky. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, we do. Can I come over?" he asked.

I hesitated, then nodded, forgetting for a moment he couldn't see me. "Yeah, okay."

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on my door. My heart pounded as I opened it, revealing Liam. He looked just as torn as I felt. He stepped inside, and we stood there in awkward silence for a moment.

"I'm really sorry," he started, breaking the silence. "I shouldn't have let things go that far."

i sighed, running a hand through my hair. "it wasn't just you, Liam. i could have stopped it too."

"but i pushed it," he insisted. "i knew you were vulnerable, and i still-"

"stop," i interrupted. "we both made a mistake. blaming each other won't change anything."

he looked down, guilt etched on his face. "i just don't want you to hate me."

i shook my head. "i don't hate you. i'm just confused. and i don't know how to move forward from this."

He took a step closer, his eyes searching mine. "can we just talk? really talk?"

We sat on the couch, a safe distance apart. Liam took a deep breath. "I've had feelings for you for a while, Sky. From the day I saved you, I was left with your face imprinted in my mind and Last night, I let them get the better of me."

His confession took me by surprise. I had always seen him as a friend, but there had been moments-fleeting glances, lingering touches-that hinted at something more.

"I didn't know," I said quietly.

"I never wanted to complicate things," he continued. "But last night, with the alcohol and the way we were joking around... I lost control."

I looked at him, really looked at him. His sincerity was evident, and it was clear he was struggling with this as much as I was

"I don't know what to say," I admitted.

"Just tell me how you feel," he said. "About last night. About us."

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. "Last night... it was intense. And confusing. Part of me enjoyed it, but another part of me feels guilty. Like I betrayed our friendship and the crazy part is we've known each other for a month!."

Liam nodded, his expression somber. "I get that. I feel the same way."

"But if I'm honest," I continued, "I also felt something more. Something I've been trying to ignore."

His eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. "You did?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what it means yet, but I felt it."

He reached out, taking my hand in his. "Maybe we can figure it out together."

I squeezed his hand, a tentative smile forming on my lips. "I wish we can, but right now I'm focused on healing myself from my mother's loss, and I know this feelings will just complicate things for me. I'm sorry but I'm not ready Liam."

"Don't be in a rush Sky, you can take your time, I won't push you, I promise."

We spent the next few hours talking, really talking. About interests, hobbies, our fears, and what we wanted moving forward. It was awkward and painful at times, but it was also cathartic. We agreed to forget everything that happened that night, to see where our newfound friendship would lead us.

As the evening wore on, the tension between us eased, replaced by a sense of cautious optimism. We still had a lot to work through, but for the first

time since the night before, I felt a glimmer of hope.

Liam stayed for dinner, and we fell into our familiar rhythm, joking and laughing like nothing happened last night. But now, there was an underlying current of something more, a promise of what could be.

As he left, he gave me a hug,which felt inappropriate, "Goodnight, Sky."

"Goodnight, Liam," I replied, feeling a warmth from the hug.

As I closed the door, I realized that while things had changed, they hadn't necessarily changed for the worse. Maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something, maybe I'd come to terms and be ready to tell him that I love him in the near future.