"Oh my gosh, how much do you weigh?"

"Now, that's not...not kind of thing... you ask a guy." Aaron slurred, his arm slung over my shoulder and the other one hoisted up by Kat with Savannah giggling behind.

I didn't expect to be hauling Aaron home at midnight, but that's exactly where the night landed us. It seemed he had a little too much fun celebrating my birthday, but I didn't mind. Kat stayed sober for us, but after my third drink, I didn't want to stomach more anyway. 

The nausea that had settled in had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I didn't see Liam the rest of the night, him seeming to have left with the lady in red.

Nope. Not at all.

It's just, you'd think the guy could have stayed to celebrate considering if was for my birthday and all.

But I digress.

"There's no way we're going to make it up the stairs. He's basically a dead weight." Kat huffed, attempting to push him up more by nudging her shoulder into him.

"Hey...I can walk. See..." Aaron let go of our arms that were holding him up, taking two crooked steps forward before looking back at us with a sloppy smile. I shook my head, fighting back the grin when his body swayed. Lunging forward in an attempt to catch him, he fell face forward on the couch, a snore erupting from him only a moment later.

With my arms still hanging out in the air, I looked wide-eyed to a grinning Kat who shrugged and then over to a cackling Savannah who had one too many herself. Her hand slapped to her mouth before bringing her finger to her lips and shushing us.

"Shh, you're so loud. He'll wake up." She shouted.

Kat and I burst into laughter, unable to contain ourselves any longer. The night may not have ended exactly the way I thought, but it was amazing, nonetheless.

"Come on girl, let's get you to bed." Kat gripped Savannah by the arms with no fight from her and ushered her towards the steps.

"I'm going to try to get him more comfortable, then I'll be up. Let me know if you need help with her."

Kat looked to a sleepy-eyed Savannah, already leaning on her, and then back to me. "I think I got it. She'll be out in no time. Good night, Mads. Happy Birthday again."

"Night, Babe. Thanks for a fun night."

I turned my attention back to Aaron, who currently sounded like a pig ready for its' slosh. I chuckled, pulling his shoes off then heading to the other side of the couch to try to pull him further up. After the fourth attempt, I gave up and slid a pillow underneath his head before covering him with a blanket.

Deciding that would have to do, I made my way up the stairs, ready to be out of my outfit and into bed. I had already ditched my heels in the car, so all I had to do was slip out of my romper. After I was in a pair of super comfy yoga pants and my Journey t-shirt, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

Back in my bedroom, I spread my arms wide and flopped onto the bed. The feel of the bedsheets beneath me was heaven, and I sighed into them as I wiggled further up.

"Whatcha' doin' there?"

A quick ninja roll, some entanglement issues, and a hurt butt later, I scowled up at Liam who was standing at my doorway with his hand over his mouth as he peered down at me tangled up in the sheets on the floor.

"Ah yes, just what I had wanted for my birthday, Liam--a heart attack and a bruised butt. How ever did you know?"

"I only aim to please."

"Yeah, so I've heard." I mumbled, struggling to stand up.

He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning into the door frame, and narrowed his eyes, bouncing them across my flushed face. His silent assessment of me had me crossing my own arms and grabbing my sides. Unsure of what to do or say, I narrowed my eyes in a scowl.

"What?"

"Take a walk with me."

My head lightly jerked back and then pulled to the side as my arms began to relax and fall.

"What? Where?" I asked hesitantly.

He uncrossed his arms, stepping forward and holding out his hand to me.

"Does it matter?"

I looked down at his hand, then back up to his face, a certain vulnerability present in his eyes.

"Come on...I dare you." He whispered.

A slow smile spread across my face, and I shook my head. Sighing, I reached out and took his hand, the contact sparking memories alive, replaying through my head like a movie trailer. He met my eyes and for a moment, it was as if he felt it too, as if we were watching the same replay. His lips pulled up in a small grin and he lightly squeezed my hand, pulling me with him as he led us out of my room.

He stopped at the door, grabbing my coat and handing it to me, before putting his own on over his white, long-sleeve shirt. I slipped into the tennis shoes I had by the door, then followed him out.

We walked past the cabin towards the walking trail that led to the lake. It was past midnight and the October weather proved to be cold at night, but my coat was keeping me warm. The moon was full that night, providing us the light that guided our steps.

"How was your birthday? I hope you had a good time." Liam asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah, I did. It was a really fun night. Maybe a bit too much fun for Aaron." I chuckled, hoping he would wake up feeling okay in the morning.

"Yeah, I noticed him on the couch. Did he pass out or something?"

"Or something." I giggled, thinking of his fall to the couch. "But what about you? Did you have fun?" Unable to help myself, I added, "I noticed you left early."

He side-eyed me, clearing his throat.
"Yeah, I had fun. I'm glad I was able to celebrate with you."

His comment should have made me happy, but it didn't. A certain blonde in red was too busy stealing my joy and apparently my restraint as the next comment slipped from my mouth.

"You weren't really celebrating with me though, more like with blondie."

He stopped walking, causing me to awkwardly trip and catch myself. Huffing, I glanced up to catch his amusement before turning into an expression of confusion.

"Savannah? I hardly talked to her all night. You guys were dancing."

"No, not Savannah." I rolled my eyes. She must have been a real catch if he forgot about her that quickly. "I'm talking about the woman you left with. The one in the red dress."

His eyebrow pulled up as a smirk tugged at his lips. His emerald eyes sparkled in the night, causing its' own glow between the two of us as he beamed down at me.

"Are you jealous?"

I scoffed, jerking my head back. "What? No! I'm merely annoyed. It was my Birthday after all, not Mrs. Boobs."

He threw his head back and laughed, the sound almost belonging with the quiet of the night, instead of the disturbance it should have been.

"Yeah, you're right. You're totally not jealous. But I must say, annoyance looks good on you." He winked, walking once more. "However, I didn't leave with her. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure who you're talking about. I left because," he paused, assessing me, "well partially for selfish reasons, but mostly because I felt like, in a way, my presence reminded you of your issues with your mom. Since her text had clearly upset you, I didn't want you to continue to dwell on it. With Aaron and your friends, I felt you could cut loose a bit."

I stopped walking this time, causing him to do the same, stopping and turning to face me.

"You don't remind me of the issues with my mom. Well, maybe a little. But, more than that, you remind me of...well, of home. And we both know she was never that for me."

He took a step forward, his mouth slightly ajar as he appeared like he was about to respond. Instead, he tucked his hands into his pockets and closed his lips, turning them up into a half smile. We stood there a moment, our eyes locked on each other, neither of us saying anything as the silence in the air seemed to be speaking enough for the both of us.

He jerked his head, gesturing behind him, as he turned to walk again. "Come on, the dock is just a bit further ahead."

We walked in silence until we reached the dock looking out over the lake. The moon's light sat gracefully on the water; the beautiful glow bouncing off in a vertical line leading from the wonders of the sky to us, as if it was a path we could take. Sitting at the edge of the dock, we dangled our legs out over the water.

"By the way," Liam's voice cut through the comfortable silence, "not everything you hear is true."

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Shall I quote you? I believe you said something along the lines of, 'From what I heard, you stick it in everything that comes your way'." Liam recited in a high-pitched voice-- a poor effort to imitate me. 

A blush overcame my cheeks as I looked away from him and shrugged. "I hope you have a back-up plan, because impressions are definitely not a smart career choice for you."

He chuckled, lightly nudging me. "And here I thought I was well on my way to riches." He looked toward the water again, his playfulness shifting. "I, uh, actually want to make a career with my music."

I turned to look back at him, not at all surprised by his comment, and waited for him to continue.

"I'm going to school to be a physical therapist, but I want to incorporate my music. It's called music therapy. I've found it to help...," looking at me briefly, his eyebrows pulled together, and he lightly shook his head, before looking away again, "well, I've just found it to be helpful. There's a lot of studies and research involved. I feel like I could really help people."

Now, I'm surprised.

Not about him wanting to help people, because that was who Liam had been his whole life, but about the career path he found himself to be on, and how he got there. I found myself completely amazed by him.

"That's really amazing, Liam. I have no doubt your music will help thousands. It always helped me. I don't think l ever really told you how much." I thought back to the countless times I replayed his voice in my mind and the song he had started to write for me anytime I felt lonely, scared, or unsure. The memories of him had become my safe place at a time in my life where I hardly felt safe. Even after he had forgotten about me. 

I glanced up at him to see he was peering down on me with such a broken and yet hopeful expression. His eyes held such a painful truth to them, one I still desperately needed to understand. 

"That means a lot to me, Maddie."

"It's just the truth. Speaking of, I'd really like to hear more of it. Liam... what happened to us? What happened to you? I have no idea about your life in the years I was gone." 

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look, you were right. It was a long time ago and we were just kids. You wrote, and like you said...I didn't. It's not something I want to get into." He shook his head, lightly hitting the dock with his knuckles. "I would rather focus on the now, including where I apologize for being such an ass. I would really love it if we could be friends again."

It bothered me not knowing why he stopped writing. It was so sudden and so incredibly crushing, especially with the circumstances. But I didn't know how to tell him that, how to tell him I needed to know in order to heal. Who was I to force him to face a truth that seemed painful for him as well, when he obviously wanted to move forward? After all, being his friend again was what I had been wanting.

"Okay Liam, I would like that."

He grinned, reaching out to squeeze my thigh, causing tingles to shoot through me. "Thank God, because this could have been a really awkward moment for you."

I laughed, nudging him with my shoulder. "Oh really? It would have been awkward for me, huh?"

"Yup. My friendship is highly sought after."

"Always so cocky." 

He winked, a wolfish grin taking over his face, causing my heart to stutter.

"So, you do know that friends actually tell each other things though, right?"

"You're right. So, fill me in on everything I missed."

"Everything, huh?"

"Absolutely. I want to know it all." His emerald eyes glistened in the moonlight that cascaded on us, lighting up half his face as he stared at me, determined to know it all.

So, I told him. 

Not everything of course, but some of the more meaningful moments of my life, like my first driving lesson where I backed into a fire hydrant and caused water to gush everywhere, which he laughed at, and the time I was asked to prom in front of the football team, which I caught him scowling at.

I can't tell you how long we sat on that dock, laughing and sharing random stories. We had easily slipped back into our friendship, almost as if no time or heartache had passed between us. When we had brought up the memory of when I was eight and he had stolen my cookie in exchange for a kiss, we were in tears by the end of it as we recalled both his and my shock at landing a punch to his nose.

"You should have seen your face!"

"My face? You should have seen yours! You went from being this little spitfire, to a concerned and horrified little girl. In fact, I'm pretty sure I mocked hurt for a good bit, just to mess with you."

I dropped my mouth open and stared at him in shock. "Are you serious? I felt so bad for hurting you, Liam! I basically waited on hand and foot for you for days just to make it up to you!"

He grinned a devilish smirk, wiggling his eyebrows. "Sure am, Little Dove. Maybe you should have just kissed me."

I scoffed, punching him in the arm, but before I could retract, he reached out, catching my fist in his hands. His words settled in my stomach soon after. It was the first time he called me by my nickname since that one drunken night. He looked down on me, his eyes darkening as his grip stayed tight around my fist.

"I kind of liked being taken care of by you though." He whispered, his voice now deep and soft.

I held his stare as well as my breath, as his eyes flickered to my lips before meeting my stare again. I felt frozen in this moment, my heart skipping beats as it fluttered in my chest, whispering to me what it wanted while my mind was telling it to be quiet. His eyebrows pulled together as his eyes narrowed, and I waited for him to pull away. He leaned in instead, almost as if he was having trouble fighting the same pull I was feeling. A battle raged across his eyes as though he was at war with himself, and I closed my own, waiting for him to either surrender or continue to fight.

He chose the latter.

Cold immediately enveloped me as the heat from Liam's body was no longer next to mine. I opened my eyes to see him moving to stand. Looking up at him, he stood before me, his hand held out to help me up.

I chose to not grab it, unable to meet his eyes, standing up on my own. He awkwardly moved his hand to rub the back of his neck, gesturing toward the cabin.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

I followed him back, neither of us speaking, the silence between us now uncomfortable for the very first time.