Love after Death

Chapter 34: The Anatomy of an Apology

PRESENT TIME

There are moments in our lives when everything feels mysterious, and all we can do is discover it on our own.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry, Miss. I got delayed by traffic—" Miguel paused when his eyes landed on someone in the room.

A man he hadn't expected to see today. Miguel blinked twice, trying to convince himself he wasn't imagining it. But when he opened his eyes again, he was even more surprised.

"Mr. Thompson! I've been calling on you repeatedly!" the teacher snapped.

"I'm sorry again, Miss Ave." Miguel bowed politely, but she barely seemed to notice.

"You'll have to complete a set of papers. After that, a long quiz on my subject. And then, the gym." She gave him a pointed look.

"Pardon me, Miss Ave, but we haven't even had a lesson yet. You can't just..." Miguel began, but his words were interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Excuse me, Miss Ave?" Liam's voice carried a hint of challenge. "What you're asking Miguel to do isn't part of the rules, not in this school, not in this room."

Miguel turned sharply to find Liam, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face.

"Liam, please..." Miguel started, but before he could say more, the teacher's voice sliced through the air.

"How dare you speak to me like that, Mr. Devilla! You're just a new student here! You think you have the authority to question me?" Miss Ave sneered, eyes narrowed. "Both of you, go to the gym."

"Thank you," Liam grinned mischievously, turning to leave the room.

The teacher ignored him and pointed toward the door. "Go. Now."

Liam walked toward Miguel, who was still frozen, trying to process what was happening.

"What are you doing here?" Miguel finally managed to ask.

Liam grabbed Miguel's arm gently, but his touch felt strangely familiar. "I'm pulling you along. Seems like you're not thinking straight."

"You've got to be joking!" Miguel yanked his arm away, but Liam only smiled wider.

"I'm not!" Liam's grin was wide. "Just following you to class. No big deal."

"You—enrolled here? Really? In my class?" Miguel shook his head in disbelief.

"Yeah. So what?"

Miguel stood still, still unsure of how to process this. He had never expected Liam, of all people, to end up at his school.

"I wanted to be with you," Liam said, his voice quieter now. He spoke the words without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Miguel looked at him, stunned. The words felt too much. Too sudden. Too... confusing.

"Look," Miguel said, trying to keep his tone steady, "if you think that just because of what you did earlier, we're... okay now, you're mistaken."

Liam's face shifted. "And if you think I did that for you, you're assuming things."

Miguel glared at him, frustration creeping into his voice. "Just leave me alone."

"You know Miss Ave will come looking for us at the gym, right?" Liam said, his grip tightening on Miguel's arm again. "You've got no choice but to deal with me."

Miguel tugged his arm away, frustration turning to anger. "You're unbelievable."

Liam didn't let go. He took a step closer, his expression softening slightly. "Yeah... I'll go crazy if you don't forgive me."