Expulsion gave Liam Barrett a dangerous choice. Needing to transfer for his final year, he'd known immediately where to go. It was a distantly familiar place that'd taken everything from him; had once ruined him so absolutely and twisted his persona...
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Liam was stunned.
ㅤHe sat wide-eyed and gaping at the man standing over him, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to get his wits around him. He was vaguely aware of the loud booming surroundings but all of that was a blur, his focus sharpening solely on his lifetime enemy.
ㅤThe look on Bradley's face indicated he was experiencing the same kind of reaction to this completely unexpected encounter. Not once did their gazes break, each second ticking by slower than the previous. Liam winced after realising he'd checked out the one person who genuinely made his skin crawl.
ㅤThrough the stormy chaotic crashes of his mind, Liam's first immediate thought was whether Bradley had caught him leering. And he hoped to God that this was not the case. He studied Bradley's face intensely, looking for any hint of disgust in his complexion; but the only thing he was able to notice was the richness in his dark hazel eyes. He felt more or less safe in that regard, not finding any.
ㅤBradley snapped out of his trance first. "What the fuck are you doing here?" His eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion.
ㅤLiam got the urge to put a bullet in his own head when he noticed Bradley's eyes flicker to the number on the table. If what was happening was what Liam thought was happening, he was going to go feral. His hopes and dreams were crushed when Chris returned.
ㅤ"Hey, Charlie! You made it!"
ㅤLiam gritted his teeth. This was the friend that Chris had invited along with them, which meant the two of them were stuck third and fourth wheeling together. How romantic.
ㅤAt least it might give him a bit of a distraction.
ㅤMia and Chris took one side of the booth and Charlie glared at the empty spot next to Liam as if it was somehow the upholstery's fault, before sliding in next to Liam.
ㅤTension seeped through both of them as they sat stiffly side by side, the lack of space meaning their knees were touching despite desperate efforts to avoid any physical contact. Chris and Mia were completely dense to this atmosphere.
ㅤ"Got your drinks," Chris sang over the loud music and crowd, pushing a glass to Liam and nodding at Charlie. "Nice to see you again, Charlie. I assume you got here fine?"
ㅤCharlie seemed to have recovered from the encounter, smiling lazily. "Been here for a while, dude. Was just waiting on your lazy arse."
ㅤ"You love my arse," he cooed. "Anyway, this right here is Mia's good friend, Liam. His skill set includes being as annoying as possible and making your life a living hell just for the shits and giggles."
ㅤ"Stop being salty. It's unattractive," Liam said, forcing a casual air. "Besides, a gentleman should always buy his date dinner— it's the polite thing to do."
ㅤ"Yeah, except you weren't my date and you deliberately chose the most expensive thing on there just to piss me off!"
