His eyes linger on hers.

"Before I say anything...can I kiss you again?" his voice is barely a whisper.

Aimee breath catches at his request and she nods. Liam slowly gets up and sits next to her, he stares at her and slowly caresses her face. Aimee closes her eyes memorising his touch on her skin. Liam glances at her lips and slowly connect his own to hers.

The kiss is at first barely a peck but Aimee's body responds swiftly to his touch and soon their mouths intertwine with one another in a passionate, longing kiss. Aimee climbs on top of Liam without allowing their mouths to disconnect from one another. Liam's right hand takes her neck and caresses it while his left lingers on her right hip, gently fondling the fabric from her dress.

"Was it okay?" she asks softly after breaking the kiss.

Liam gently touches her lips with his thumb. "It is everything. I don't know what you will feel once we talk, but I just..."

Aimee captures his lips once again with both her hands cupping his face. Liam responds with both his hands grazing her back and feeling her bareback.

"You're not the only one that is scared..." she responds while pecking his lips once again. "But it's now or never."

Liam stares into her emerald eyes and nods. Aimee doesn't move from his lap, taking her hands to touch his blonde hair.

"I wrote you a letter."

Aimee's eyes dart to his and she frowns. "I never received a letter from you."

"That's because I never sent it. None of the thirty letters I wrote to you."

"Thirty letters?"

Liam nods and sighs. "The most important though, that one I gave it to Callum..."

"Callum?"

"When it happened... Charlie put me on a flight to a facility in Switzerland. A rehab centre... He knew what I know today. That I needed help. The process was long, difficult, and painful... Part of it was to write letters to those that I've wronged. I wrote letters to my family, to Josie, to Callum, even to Mary... I wrote letters to everyone that I've wronged and those that have failed me... I sent them all. Except with you, I didn't care for forgiveness, only that I could move past it. I couldn't bear to allow myself to send you a letter to the one I've wronged the most. Especially when you had moved on and were happy with another..."

Aimee lowers her eyes and knows he's referring to Scott. "I..."

"You don't have to say anything." Liam says while touching her cheek. "I just want you to be happy. That's all I ever wanted."

Aimee touches his hand and closes her eyes.

"When I arrived back in Australia, things were heated around here, especially after the whole thing with Eva and you guys."

Aimee nods.

"I went to Callum and gave him his letter by hand. I wanted to explain him in his face. Having him nearby was like having a part of you. I also gave him your letter and told him to do whatever he wanted with it."

"He never gave it to me..."

"He destroyed it. He told me months later." Liam replies. "It doesn't matter. The letter was just a jumble of words where I tried to apologise for breaking the heart of the one person who mattered the most..."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I was a broken man, and I never expected that the fiery pommie that I ran into at the beach would be the one piecing me together."

Aimee inhales deeply at his words.

"I love you, Aimee. I think I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you playing the piano in the restaurant. Your raw emotion took hold of me and has never left me still."

Aimee lowers her lips to his and begs for another kiss, to which Liam responds eagerly.

"If you loved me, why did you go back to her?" she asks with teary eyes.

"Because I thought I had lost you when you saw me with Grace. You found someone in New Zealand. Because we fought that night of the restaurant. Because my heart couldn't bear the thought of losing you before I experienced a relationship with you."

Aimee exhales the trapped air from her lungs and connects her forehead to his. "Why you've been avoiding me since I arrived? Is it because of Mary?"

Liam releases a roar of laughter. "Mary? She's the disaster of a past I couldn't care less. You made me realise that the years I had with her, was nothing compared to the few moments we shared." He gives her another kiss. "Fuck, I missed your lips..." He pecks her lips again, savouring each moment. "I stayed away because I made a promise to leave you alone and I intended to keep it. Even though all I have thought about from the moment I saw you at the shop is to break this promise."

"You have broken it now... was this a promise you made my dad?"

Liam shakes his head. "No, a promise I did to Callum and Eva..."

Aimee's face scrunches with anger.

"Don't be mad... they mean well. I fucked up so much, Aimee... they didn't want me to break you again. I don't want to break your heart again..."

"Then, don't..."

Liam encapsulates her lips and their tongues graze one another. Aimee takes hold of his hair and pulls it softly. Liam pulls her dress slowly upwards and allows his hands to caress her skin. Suddenly, he stops.

"We shouldn't..."

"Please..." Aimee says. "Don't shut me down... not again."

Liam pulls her hair from the bun slowly, allowing her hair to cascade down her back. "Your hair is so long now..." He plays with her hair and Aimee's hands tuck at his sweatshirt.

"What did you promise to my dad?" Aimee asks abruptly. "If it's not to stay away from me, then what is it?"

Liam takes a few strands of her hair in his hand. "He made me promise to tell you all the truth."

"About your promise to Callum and Eva?"

Liam shakes his head. "About Michael and your audition..."

Aimee gasps. "What about it?" She removes her body from Liam and frowns.

"There's no easy way to say this... Michael is my friend, and I asked him to get you the audition."

"What do you mean you got me the audition? Wait, Michael is your friend? Not Charlie's?"

Liam shakes his head in response, avoiding looking at her.

Aimee gets up and wraps her arms around herself. "So all this time that I've asked Mike about Charlie, he's been lying to me..."

"I've told him to keep it between us..."

"You got me the audition..." She shakes her head. "I can't believe this... I feel like such a fraud... every work I've ever got, it was you... the Northern gig, this..."

"What do you mean by the Northern gig?" Liam raises his eyes to Aimee, that still stands with her back to him.

"Josie told me back then..." Aimee shakes her head vehemently. "Why? Why did you do it?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're everything to me. All I want is to see you smile. And you smile the brightest when you play."

"So everything I have is because of you?"

Liam gets up. "Your success is all because of you. I just gave a small push. I set up an audition for you, Aimee. It wouldn't mean anything if you hadn't played that day. Your talent got you everything. And, you are so talented..." He reaches for her.

Aimee hesitates at first, but then allows his arms to bring him closer to her.

He inhales her scent. "There's more..."

Aimee peeks from his embrace. "More?"

Liam clears his throat. "It was me in the audience. The night you think you saw me. It's because you did."

Aimee releases herself from his embrace. "It was you? But, you said..."

"I didn't want to admit because of my..."

"The fucking promise!" Aimee finally bursts. "Got it!" She paces around the room. "I deserved more than being played around like this!"

"You weren't played..." he rebuts.

Aimee throws her hands in the air. "I wasn't? Because right now feels everyone has been pulling strings around my life... Callum, Eva, Pai... and even you..." she tears up.

Liam takes two steps back. He can feel the shift in her posture that he dreaded. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

Aimee laughs dryly. "You know how you wouldn't hurt me? If you had the decency to tell me you were there when I asked you!" She shakes her head angrily. "Do you know how I racked my brain thinking about that night? How many nights did I scour the audience, desperate to see you again? And, when I finally have the chance to ask you the question that was burning my brain for two years, you lied to my face?"

Liam hangs his head low in regret.

Aimee paces around the room and takes the water glass abruptly from the table before gulping the rest of the water.

"Do you want more?"

She stares at him and stands as still as the Mona Lisa in her painting. He can't read her clouded thoughts and is unsure of what to do next. He stretches his arm indecisively to reach the empty glass.

"I'll get you some more water," he states softly while removing the glass from her hand.

Liam walks to the kitchen and opens the fridge to retrieve the water jug. He hears the main door open and shut forcefully and he knows she has left the house. He places the jug over the kitchen counter and lowers his body down. Liam shuts his eyes and recalls the feeling of her lips on his just moments before.

"Fuck!" he screams.

He walks towards the door and paces, considering his options. He opens the door but is greeted with emptiness. Did she get an Uber so fast at this late hour? He frowns and takes a few steps forward, only to see her golden dress flowing while she walks slowly towards the main road.

He turns around and closes the door behind him. She might not want to see him, but he needs to ensure she gets back to the farmhouse safely. He runs behind her and stops a few steps away.

"Aimee..." he calls her softly. "Let me give you a ride back. It's late."

Aimee stops walking, but doesn't turn around. "How many concerts have you seen me play?"

Her question throws him off. "Why does that matter?"

"Because it does."

"I've seen all of your opening nights since you've started your tour."

Aimee remains motionless. "Every opening night?"

"Yes," he responds.

"Why?"

"Because I know how nervous you get with your first performances. How your father used to come and see you to support you until he didn't..."

Aimee turns around. Watermarks still linger on her red cheeks. "I've never told you that."

"I know."

"How did you know my dad used to attend all my first performances?"

"Callum let it slip during the time I was in the Gold Coast..." His throat catches with the memory. "He told me that when you were smaller, your dad used to attend all your auditions and first performances because you used to get so nervous on the stage that you would freeze. His presence was calming to you."

"I see..." she lowers her eyes to the ground.

"He also told me that stopped when you both had your fallout." He puts his hands in his pockets. "So, I wanted to make sure you would have someone there for you even if it was only an invisible one..." He chuckles half-heartedly.

"You attended my audition? When I was in London?"

Liam smiles at the memory. "You were a hurricane on stage. All the other pianists were so scared of playing after your performance."

She takes a step towards him and examines his features. He wishes he could read her thoughts.

"The flowers in my dressing room every closing night? From you?"

Liam nods.

"I see..." she mumbles.

"I get you want nothing to do with me. But let me just take you home. It's too late for you to..."

His speech gets cut by her lips on his. He is taken aback, but quickly takes advantage of the mercy of feeling her lips on his once again. She breaks the kiss softly and looks up at him.

"I don't know how this is going to be. I live in London and you live here. And, it's not like we fixed everything because we haven't.. but somehow we have?"

Liam frowns.

"I'm not making any sense..." she mumbles.

"I'll move anywhere in the world if it means I get another shot at being with you, pommie."

She embraces him softly. "We need to talk and figure this out. I don't want to fall in this head first again. And we need to be truthful with one another. No one else matters."

"Whatever you need," he responds.

"I want to try this again."

Liam's eyes light up with a hope he never allowed himself to dream.

"If that is what you want too..."

Liam takes her face in his hands and whispers, "That's all I want, pommie." And he captures his lips onto hers.

The End