When we moved in with him our entire lives changed.  We went from a shaky, low- to lower-middle-class lifestyle, to an upscale privileged one.  It all seemed too good to be true.  My mother was thriving for the first time since my father had died, and I finally felt safe enough to dream about my own future and goals.

The house had gone quiet now and I heard the automatic garage door open.  I stood up, walked over to the window, and watched as my mother’s car went barreling down the driveway, her taillights eventually disappearing around the corner.

“Good bye, mom,” I grieved, perhaps in the same way a mother would lament for a child when they left home for the first time.

A gentle knock came at my door.

“It’s open,” I called.

A soft light creeped into the darkness of my room as Liam slowly opened the door.

He stared at me in silence for a moment, his piercing eyes making me self-conscious of the thin nightclothes I was wearing.  I grabbed my robe from the closet door beside me and wrapped the silk tightly around me.

“I’m really sorry you had to hear all of that,” he apologized.

I finally broke down, the tears that wouldn’t come before, now burst forth uncontrollably.  “It’s not your fault,” I sobbed, “I’ve been dealing with this crap for years.  I can’t change her, she is broken and doesn’t want to be fixed.”  I buried my face in my hands.

My own words seem to sink-in as I spoke.  I knew it was true.  No matter what I sacrificed, no matter how I tried to help her, she would never be content until she fixed herself and found happiness and peace from within.

Liam’s arms wrapped around me and he pulled me into his chest.  “I think you did the right thing, Lily.” His fingers traced the long, dark brown tendrils of my hair back behind my ear.  “You can’t sacrifice your own happiness trying to look out for Penny.  It might actually be good for her to see you taking control of your own life and moving on.”

I encircled my arms around Liam and buried my face into his shoulder and just let go.  He was right. I deserved happiness as much as she did, and I was wasting the best years of my life trying to watch out for her.

“Thank you,” I whispered softly after the worst of my crying fit was over, lifting my swollen eyes to his.

“I don’t want you to feel like you can’t stay here.  Take your time, apply to some colleges, and enjoy yourself for god sakes.  Life is too short, and I have no qualms helping you out for a couple of months so you can get things sorted out.”

I should have known better, but a strange feeling was bubbling up inside of me as I gazed into Liam’s eyes.  I had never been so close to a man as I was now, my body acutely aware of the hard, muscular frame that cradled me.  He was so kind, so selfless, and so…alluring.

My breath caught in my throat as my lips slowly, deliberately, pressed against his.  Liam released me instantly, averting his eyes from mine as he turned away and left me alone in the dark.  For the life of me I couldn’t understand what had come over me.  Pangs of regret crippled my thoughts for the remainder of the night and I slept poorly.

I could smell the coffee brewing when I awoke the next morning.  Liam typically took a jog first thing after his coffee, and I planned to wait until he left before ever stepping foot outside of my bedroom.  A soft knock at the door, however, curbed any thoughts of avoiding him at this time.

“Lily?  We need to talk.  Get up, breakfast is almost ready,” Liam said resolutely.

“Be right out,” I replied tremulously.

I pulled on a pair of long underwear and made my way to the kitchen, the smell of warm bacon and freshly peeled oranges awakening the hunger within me.

“Thank you,” I said politely as Liam placed two plates down opposite of one another.

Liam started in on his breakfast, so I did the same, all the while shifting nervously in my seat.  Liam looked up at me as I wiped a bead of nervous sweat from my brow. The silence was killing me, and as his lips turned up into a curious grin, I started to suspect that he was some sort of sadist.  He seemed to know I was uncomfortable, and took pleasure in watching me writhe in my discomfort.

“About last night,” he finally said, the words more of a salvation than a punishment after spending the last five minutes amidst a deafening silence.  “I meant what I said about you enjoying the rest of your summer.  Don’t let your pride stand in the way of your happiness.”

Relief pulsed through my veins.  Leave it to him to skirt around an uncomfortable topic, and at the same time address it. He had always been level-headed and well-spoken.

“Thanks,” I murmured genuinely.

I went back to eating my breakfast, feeling much more relaxed and cheerful than before.   I should have known better than to expect the worst. Liam had never been one to snap to conclusions or act on impulse, and I doubted he even gave the incident much thought.

Finishing my plate I stood up and took his, more than happy to clean up.

“Lily,” he stopped me, looking up from his paper as I carried the dishes to the sink. “I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go to dinner and movie with me tonight."

The plates fell from my hands and crashed to the floor. What did he just say?!  I stared into his eyes.  I was just inches from his lips---the same lips I had tasted the night before.  My belly clenched reflexively.  Was he…asking me on a date?

His mouth moved slowly, sensually as he began again.  All I could seem to focus on was those full lips.

“I already bought the tickets and made reservations at Café 421.”  His eyes looked towards the floor and he took a deep breath.  “I had planned to take your mother.”

I shook my head, trying to physically cast away the thoughts that were flooding in and corrupting my mind.

"Ah, well, it’s no problem then. I could use the night off anyhow,” he said, interpreting my headshake as a denial of his offer.

“Oh no, no!  That wasn’t what I meant at all!  I just got lost in my own thoughts for a moment.  Yeah, sure, I would love to join you," I replied awkwardly, trying to regain my composure and save face.

“Then I’ll see you back here at six,” he confirmed, refilling his coffee mug.

My eyes secretly followed his movements, taking in parts of him that I had never given much thought or notice to before.  His arms were sculpted, and even from across the kitchen I could see the sinews of his biceps flex as he moved.  His t-shirt clung to his chest and back, stretching over his long, lean frame.  His jeans hung low on his hips and rounded nicely over his shapely ass.

Liam had always taken good care of himself, and it definitely showed.  I had never really considered that he wasn’t that much older than I was.  I guess I always just thought of him as being old enough to be my dad, but in fact, he was five years younger than my mother, which made him only twelve years my senior.  He had a full head of dark brown hair, with just a few flecks of silver near his temples that made him look distinguished.

Liam turned in my direction, forcing my eyes to snap back to the sink as my cheeks grew red hot.  “I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” he declared, disappearing up the stairs to his study.

I scrubbed the dishes anxiously.  ‘What is heck wrong with you?’ I scolded myself.  I had never, ever looked at him that way, and I wasn’t about to start…was I?  I looked at my watch.  It was seven-thirty, which meant I had just enough time to get to yoga if I hurried.

A sense of relief flooded through my veins as I set up my mat and began taking deep meditative breaths.  Yoga had been an integral part of my life ever since my biological father passed away.  He had been a firefighter, and was killed when a building collapsed around him.  The entire community came together and generously donated so much to our family, but only one thing had truly helped me cope and come to terms with my loss: yoga.