**Chapter Seven: Sparks in the Everyday**

The early morning sun filtered through the linen curtains, casting golden streaks across Maya's bare shoulder. She stirred slightly, still wrapped in the quiet warmth of sleep, her cheek nestled against Liam's chest. His fingers traced the curve of her spine with a slow, deliberate tenderness, like he was memorizing the shape of her all over again.

They hadn't spoken much after last night's rediscovery, but they hadn't needed to. The softness in their touches, the way their bodies aligned without hesitation—it was a language of forgiveness, of wanting, of hope.

When Maya finally opened her eyes, she caught Liam looking at her. He didn't look away.

"Hi," she said, voice husky with sleep.

"Hi."

They lay like that, tangled and quiet, for a long time. Eventually, reality crept in and Maya slipped out of bed, pulling one of Liam's shirts over her naked frame. In the kitchen, the smell of brewing coffee filled the air as she leaned against the counter, lost in thought. The therapy. The laughter. The intimacy. Every part of it felt like slow healing.

Liam joined her moments later, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing the side of her neck. "Morning," he murmured.

"Morning," she echoed, tilting her head to let him nuzzle closer.

They spent that day meandering through a local farmer's market, holding hands and sampling fresh produce. Maya kept sneaking glances at Liam, amazed at how his laugh—once distant—now felt familiar again. When they got home, she pulled out a small notebook.

"What's that?" Liam asked.

"My journal. But now it's our journal."

He raised an eyebrow. "Relationship journal?"

She nodded. "To remember everything we're doing right. Because we forgot before."

She wrote on the first page: *Day One—We touched like we remembered how.*

That night, they made curry together. The kitchen filled with warmth, laughter, and the clatter of utensils. When Liam smeared a streak of sauce on her cheek, Maya retaliated with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Oh, you're asking for trouble," she teased, grabbing a spoonful.

They chased each other until Liam cornered her near the fridge. He cupped her face and kissed the sauce away, his tongue lingering on her skin. Their laughter dissolved into breathless silence as heat sparked between them. Maya's hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer until their mouths crashed again—hot, greedy.

Liam hoisted her onto the counter, parting her legs with his hips as his hands roamed under the shirt she wore. Her breath hitched when his fingers found the sensitive curve of her lower back.

"You taste like spice and heaven," he whispered against her lips, voice rough with desire.

She moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist, pressing herself against the hardness she felt beneath his jeans. "Then have me," she whispered. "Right here."

He didn't need to be told twice. He slid the shirt over her head, baring her breasts to the cool kitchen air. His mouth closed around one nipple while his hand teased the other, sending jolts of pleasure through her. Maya arched into him, her fingers tangled in his hair, gasping his name like a prayer.

He unbuttoned his jeans, his eyes locked on hers. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "Take me."

He thrust into her in one smooth motion, and they both groaned. The pace was frantic, raw, desperate. The slap of skin against skin echoed in the kitchen, mingled with the sound of Maya's gasps and Liam's deep groans. The counter rocked beneath them as he drove into her harder, faster.

She clung to him, her nails digging into his shoulders as waves of ecstasy built and broke inside her. When she came, it was with a cry that echoed through the room, her body trembling around him. Liam followed moments later, pulsing inside her with a shudder.

They stayed there, breathless and flushed, forehead to forehead.

"I can't believe we just did that," she said, still panting.

"I've never wanted anything more."

They showered together, exchanging slow kisses beneath the water, and curled up in bed afterward, naked and wrapped around each other.

The week that followed brought tough conversations. Therapy sessions where buried pain resurfaced. Maya cried more than once, but Liam was there—silent, strong, present. When she faltered, he didn't try to fix it. He held space for her. And that, more than anything, healed her.

One particularly emotional evening, Maya drew a bath. The scent of eucalyptus and lavender filled the bathroom. Liam joined her, sliding behind her and pulling her against his chest. The water enveloped them, warm and comforting.

"I don't know how we lost us," Maya said quietly.

"We forgot to turn toward each other," Liam said, kissing her temple.

"Promise me we'll keep choosing us."

"I promise."

His hand drifted down her wet stomach, between her thighs. She gasped and turned in his arms, straddling him in the water. Their kisses deepened quickly. The water sloshed gently around them as their bodies found rhythm again.

He entered her slowly this time, their eyes locked. It wasn't frantic like before—it was tender, reverent. Maya moaned, rolling her hips, her hands splayed across his chest. The world outside disappeared. It was just them, breathless and joined, rising together to a crescendo that left them clinging to each other.

Afterward, she rested her cheek on his shoulder. "We're doing it, Liam."

"Yeah," he whispered. "We are."

In the days that followed, the journal filled with stories. Kisses in the rain. Handwritten notes left on pillows. Breakfasts made with care. And more sex—slow and fast, sweet and rough. Each time felt like a new chapter, a deeper connection.

One night, as they lay in bed tangled in sheets and each other, Maya brushed a kiss against Liam's chest.

"Do you think we're falling in love again?"

Liam cupped her cheek, lifting her face to meet his gaze.

"No," he said. "I think we're building something better. Something lasting."

She smiled. "Then let's keep building."

He kissed her again, slow and deep, as if sealing a vow.

And with every kiss, every moan, every whispered promise, they did.

**To be continued...**