When Liam came back, he noticed the food on the table. It smelled good.
Maria had fallen asleep on the sofa in her pajamas.
Liam was slightly taken back. He took off his shoes and walked over to the sofa, looking at Maria with a gentle gaze.
Maria seemed to have sensed him and woke up with a jolt. She opened her eyes and met his gaze.
"You're back?" she said, smiling at him as she sat up properly.
Liam nodded. "Did you cook?"
"I don't know how to cook, but I did order takeout," Maria answered honestly. "I bought it half an hour ago and wanted to wait for you to come back before eating."
"You went to so much trouble," Liam said softly, reaching out to stroke Maria's face gently.
Maria immediately smiled and shook her head. "I didn't even cook, so it wasn't much trouble. These are the fruit of other people's labor." "Well, you went to the trouble of buying it," Liam replied in an even gentler voice.
Maria said, "Come on, wash your hands and let's eat."
"I want to take a shower and change my clothes. Wait for me for a while."
"Sure."
As he went into the bathroom, Maria stretched and rubbed her eyes. Then, she reached for the remote and turned on the television. She felt that the sound of the television playing in the background made the apartment feel warm and cozy.
Taking out her phone, she started scrolling through social media.
Even though she had returned to Northern City, she dared not go home. She was scared that her parents would be angry at her if they knew she had snuck back.
Glancing at her watch, she realized that it had been ten minutes.
Maria got up and went to the closet to get a change of clothes for Liam.
From the bathroom came the sound of running water, which meant that he was still showering. The two of them had just flown back that day and had yet to get any rest.
More importantly, Liam had a lot going on in his mind. How could Maria not understand how he was feeling?
She knew that he felt sorry for everything that had happened, and he was frustrated.
All she could do was stay by his side and support him.
Although there was not much she could do for him at the moment, the least she could do was assure him that she would stand by him and walk with him through the lowest points of his life.
She truly believed that Liam would be able to overcome the difficult situation he was in.
As she looked through his closet, she realized that he had not bought any new clothes. All of it was still the same as before.
She wondered whether it was because of financial constraints.
After all, he had not worked for a long time.
All of his endorsements had either been canceled or replaced with someone else. He had also lost all of his movie deals. It seemed as if he had been completely spurned.
He probably was not making any money at all.
Maria looked in the direction of the bathroom, feeling extremely worried.
How is Liam supposed to continue living like this in the future? Maria wondered.
With his personality, he would definitely not want her help.
What was she supposed to do?
While Maria was hesitating, she saw the bathroom door open. Then, Liam walked out with his towel draped over his shoulders, and he was not attempting to cover up any part of his body.
Taken aback, her cheeks flushed, and she turned around subconsciously.
Liam thought that Maria's behavior was amusing. Maria has seen Liam naked before, so why was she still shy? Liam thought to himself.
He quickly dried himself off without trying to hide his body. "Maria, hand me my clothes."
Maria placed the clothes on the bed with her back facing him. "Dry yourself off and put those on. You don't want to catch a cold. The weather is getting really chilly."
Noticing that she was about to leave, he immediately said, "Come over here and help me dry my back."
"What?" Maria exclaimed.
"Hurry up. I don't mind being seen by you." He felt that he belonged to her, so it felt natural for her to see his body.
Maria blushed a deep red. It happened every time Liam behaved like that. However, she was even more worried that he would catch a cold. So, she turned around quickly without looking at him, lowered her eyes, and wiped the water on his back with a towel.
She could tell that he had worked out. His body was a lot stronger and sturdier than before. Every chiseled inch of his body seemed to radiate strength and masculinity.
His sculpted body was no less than that of a top model's. In fact, he was becoming more and more like a stylish male idol.
Liam's image had been that of a happy-go-lucky guy four years ago, but now it was clear that he was heading in a new direction.
If he transitioned into a stylish male idol and showed off his acting skills, no one would try to suppress him anymore. In fact, he would definitely become even more famous.
She had a plan that might work. Unfortunately, his contract would not be expiring soon.
After drying his back, she handed him a soft sweater. "Put this on."
Liam put on the sweater and turned around to look at Maria.
"Oh, you!" Maria was so surprised that she looked away. "Hurry up and put on your pants. I'll head out first. Come and eat when you're dressed."
"It's not like you haven't seen it before. Why are you so afraid to see it? It's yours. Don't be shy. You can look at it all you want in the future, got it?" His expression turned serious, but there was a hint of playfulness in his tone as he added, "But your shyness is really intriguing."
Maria felt her face getting redder and warmer. Her face was so flushed that it seemed like steam would soon be coming out from the top of her head. She pursed her lips before looking away. "How can I not be shy? I'll still get embarrassed by these things," she whispered.
Liam's eyes narrowed. He liked Maria's cuteness and honesty.
She handed him his clothes, but he took her hand and pulled her to him. All at once, his strong presence surrounded her
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