Liam had skipped breakfast, too much of a coward to face Jacob and too nauseous to eat anyway. He sat in the makeup trailer, staring at himself in the mirror as the smell of cinnamon tea and powder clung to the air.
The bite marks were impossible to miss: dark, distinct, two on his neck and one on the curve of his shoulder. When he touched one, it throbbed under his fingertips like it had a pulse of its own. He didn’t remember Jacob beingthatrough, but then again, in the moment he hadn’t cared. He’d wanted every scrape of teeth, every bruise, every mark Jacob chose to leave.
He tugged the collar of his hoodie higher, knowing it was pointless. No zipper in the world could erase what Jacob had written into his skin. He’d just have to figure out how he was going to hide them from Emma once he got home.
Jacob sat across from him, silent and still while his makeup artist worked her magic on him. He looked the same as ever, calm and unreadable, like nothing could bother him. Meanwhile, Liam felt like his skin was buzzing just from being in the same trailer.
Benji hovered beside Liam, muttering about concealer and palettes as he dabbed at his skin. His brush stilled at Liam’s neck, eyes narrowing, catching on the bruises. “Well,” he murmured, a note of amusement curling in, “this’ll be a fun littlepuzzle. Didn’t have these yesterday. Looks like somebody got carried away.”
Liam choked. “I—what? No. It’s nothing.”
He didn’t dare look at Jacob, but he could feel it anyway; his stare searing into his skin.
Benji snorted. “It’s not nothing. These are fresh.” He glanced at Liam in the mirror and offered a wink. “None of my business, of course. Just bold, considering who’s waiting for you back home. Don’t worry, I’ll cover them. The studio stuff works miracles. Your secret’s safe with me, darling.”
Liam gave a jerky nod, staring at his lap while the brush worked to erase the evidence at his throat. Jacob’s eyes tracked every mark, and Liam swore he could feel it—the possession in that stare pressing into him, claiming him without a single touch.
“Let’s go!” someone yelled from outside. “We need to get to the cabin before the light shifts.” The crew scattered, grabbing backpacks, clipboards, and camera gear.
Liam bolted upright the second his makeup was done, desperate for the air outside. Jacob followed a moment later.
The hike to the cabin wasn’t long but it was steep. The trees rising close enough to break the group into scattered clusters. Conversation drifted between the others—complaints about bugs, jokes about protein bars, the snap of a bootlace—but at the back, where Liam and Jacob walked, silence stretched tight as a wire.
“You’re staring,” Liam muttered, warmth creeping under his skin.
“Your neck,” Jacob said quietly.
Liam let out something like a laugh. “Whose fault is that?”
Jacob’s eyes flickered dark and unrepentant. “I didn’t mean to leave them.”
“You don’t exactly look regretful.”
“No.”
The honesty struck like a blow.
“You should’ve told me to stop,” Jacob added.
Liam’s hands curled at his sides. “I didn’t want you to.”
Jacob gave the smallest nod, like it was an answer he already knew; confirmation of something he’d been certain of all along.
Liam fidgeted as they walked, hyper-aware of every movement. He couldn’t get comfortable in his own skin. “I shouldn’t have run off afterward,” he said finally. “I panicked.”
“You looked like you needed space. I wasn’t going to stop you.”
“Still do, I guess,” Liam muttered, mostly to the trees ahead. “I don’t know how to undo this.”
Jacob’s voice dropped. “Then don’t.”
Liam’s head snapped toward him. “You’re not sorry?”
“Sorry doesn’t help anyone. Whatever this is—we crossed the line. No pretending now.”
Liam believed him. Something had broken open between them last night, and it was too large to tape back together again. This wasn’t confusion anymore; it was a secret too big to unmake.
The trail narrowed, winding between thick trunks where the light barely broke through. Their boots crunched over gravel while leaves shifted softly underfoot. A bird darted off at their approach before the woods seemed to hold their breath again.
