Elena could not sleep for a long time that night. Even after Liam left, her lips still felt warm. She kept touching them again and again, wondering how a single kiss could make her whole body shake. She lay on her small bed, staring at the ceiling, but her mind kept replaying everything—Liam's hands around her waist, the way he whispered her name, the soft look in his eyes before he kissed her.
She turned to her side, then turned again. She pulled her pillow close to her chest. She even covered her face with the blanket. But nothing helped. The more she tried to forget the kiss, the more she remembered every little thing.
"What is wrong with me?" she whispered to herself.
Her heart was beating too fast. She placed her palm on her chest and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come. But instead of sleep, she remembered how Liam's breath touched her skin, how his fingers moved slowly across her back, how his lips felt like warm fire. She swallowed hard. A small smile rose on her lips even when she tried to fight it.
"Am I crazy?" she muttered.
She hugged her pillow tighter and rolled again. It felt like her whole body was too awake. She didn't understand why this kiss was different from every other moment in her life. Maybe because it was her first real kiss. Or maybe because she actually liked Liam more than she wanted to admit.
Minutes later, she heard soft footsteps from the sitting room. Then a gentle knock on her door.
"Elena… it's me," David said quietly.
She sat up quickly and rubbed her eyes. "Come in," she answered.
David pushed the door open slowly. His face looked sleepy, but worried too. "Are you okay? You have been moving on your bed since."
"I'm fine," she said quickly, even though her voice sounded shaky.
David walked closer and sat beside her on the bed. He looked at her face for a long time. "You're not fine," he said. "Your cheeks are red. Your eyes are shining. And you are smiling for no reason. Something happened."
Elena looked away fast. "Nothing happened."
David raised a brow. "Elena…"
She bit her lip. "Stop looking at me like that."
He folded his arms. "Did Liam do something?"
Her heart jumped. "What do you mean?"
"Elena…" he said again, slowly this time. "Did he kiss you?"
Elena almost choked. "W-What? Why are you asking me that?"
David sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Because I know you. And because your face is telling me everything."
Elena covered her face with both hands. Her whole body felt hot. She wished the ground would open and swallow her. "David, stop…"
"So he kissed you?" David asked again.
She did not answer. But her silence already told him the truth.
David's eyes widened. "Wow… so he really did."
Elena groaned and threw her pillow at him. "Can you stop talking?!"
David laughed and caught the pillow. "So it was a real kiss? Like… a proper kiss?"
"David!" she shouted and hit him with another pillow.
"Okay! Okay! Sorry!" he laughed, trying to protect his head.
Elena grabbed the pillow back and hugged it tightly. Her cheeks were burning again.
"So…" David said softly. "Do you like him?"
Elena froze.
Her heart started beating fast again.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She tried again, but her voice broke. "I… I don't know."
David stared at her. "You don't know?"
"I said I don't know!" she repeated, now panicking. "He is just… Liam. He is my friend. I don't know what I feel."
David watched her for a long moment. "Your face says you like him."
She swallowed hard.
"Elena," he said again, "nobody thinks that much about a kiss unless they feel something."
She slowly lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling again. "David… everything is confusing. My life is already crazy. I'm supposed to move into Damon Steele's mansion next week. I have to learn about a company I never asked for. Mom is back to stress us. And now Liam…" She put her hands over her face again. "I don't know what to think."
David lay beside her, using his hands as a pillow. "You don't have to decide anything now."
"But I feel like I have to," she whispered.
"No," David said gently. "You can take your time."
Elena closed her eyes. "What if Liam thinks I like him too much? What if he thinks I'm cheap?"
"He doesn't," David replied immediately. "Liam respects you. And he has always cared about you."
Elena opened her eyes again. "How do you know?"
"Because I see how he looks at you," David said with a small smile. "The guy likes you, Elena. He has always liked you."
Her heart jumped again. "Stop saying that…"
"It's the truth."
She sat up slowly and hugged her knees. Her mind was still racing. "David…"
"Yes?"
"What if I fall in love with him?"
David laughed. "Then you fall in love with him."
Elena shook her head. "But my life is not normal. Nothing about me is normal."
David placed a hand on her shoulder. "Liam knows your life is not normal. And if he really likes you, he won't run away."
Elena said nothing. She didn't know what to say anymore. Everything felt too big for her chest. She lay down again and closed her eyes.
David stood up from the bed. "Just rest. You need sleep."
Before leaving, he paused at the door. "But Elena… if your heart is beating this fast because of him… then maybe the answer is already there."
He left the room quietly.
Elena opened her eyes slowly and stared into the darkness. Her heart was still beating fast. Her lips were still warm. And her mind was still full of Liam.
She touched her lips again.
Then whispered one small truth she was afraid to say out loud.
"Maybe… just maybe… I do like him."
She didn't know if that was good or bad. She didn't know what it meant for her future. She didn't know what would happen next.
But she knew one thing for sure.
Sleep was not coming anytime soon.