Hayley Davies Pov !!top!! May 2026

Liam is in the kitchen. I don’t need to see him to know he’s leaning against the counter, running a hand through that messy dark hair, probably stealing bacon off a plate with his fingers. I’ve known Liam for eight years. He is my brother’s best friend, which means, in the unwritten rules of friendship, he is strictly off-limits.

“Thanks, Hayley,” he says, and walks away. hayley davies pov

I lean against the staircase wall, out of sight, and I listen. Liam is in the kitchen

I wake up to the sound of rain against my window—the kind of steady, grey rain that makes the world outside look like a watercolour painting left out too long. My room is small, cluttered with paperback novels and half-drunk mugs of tea. It smells like paper and lavender. This is my fortress. He is my brother’s best friend, which means,

Davies. Not Hayley. Just my last name, like I’m one of the guys.