Not Coded

5

Liam spent most of the weekend trying to shake off the strange feeling that had lingered after his interaction with Theo. It was stupid, really-his heart pounding because Theo called him by his first name and smiled at him? His mind kept circling back to it, even when he told himself to stop. He couldn't possibly bea attracted to Theo. Not now, and definitely not ever.

Theo was... Theo. The guy who was, up until recently, dating Hayden. Liam's former crush. That alone was enough reason for him to put all these weird thoughts to bed. It didn't make sense for him to be feeling anything about Theo.

It was just a random moment. A friendly smile, a bit of banter. Nothing to obsess over.

But even though Liam told himself all this, the echo of Theo's smile-his stupid, disarming smile-still lingered in his mind.

I'm overthinking it, Liam reassured himself, running a hand through his hair as he sat on his bed Sunday night. Theo is just being friendly... I've got no reason to feel weird about it. None.

He sighed, pushing himself off the bed and deciding to focus on anything other than Theo. I'm probably just stressed.

By Monday, Liam had all but convinced himself that the weekend's weirdness was behind him. He was back at Beacon Hills, ready to focus on classes and shove everything else to the back of his mind.
During lunch, Liam found himself walking through the hallway when he heard a familiar voice. Theo. He froze momentarily, surprised to see Theo and his group lingering near the entrance, talking to someone, probably a professor. Liam had forgotten they were coming to Beacon Hills for some work.

The sight of Theo, standing tall with his usual cool, composed expression, sent a shiver through Liam. He shook it off. It's just Theo.He forced himself to keep walking, though he noticed Theo's gaze shift toward him, catching his eye briefly.

"Liam!" Theo called out, smiling warmly. For some reason, it hit Liam harder than it should have, like a tiny electric shock to his system.

He approached, trying to act normal. "Theo, hey. What are you doing here so early?"

Theo's eyes flickered with something unreadable for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Some paperwork we had to do," he said simply, stepping closer. "Figured I'd say hi."

Before Liam could respond, a girl from his class, Sarah, walked up to him with a bright smile. She had her textbook clutched to her chest and was clearly in a good mood. "Liam! Hey, I was hoping to catch you. You still up for that study session we talked about?"

Liam blinked, slightly caught off guard by Sarah's enthusiasm. He glanced between her and Theo, then back to her. "Uh, yeah... I mean, sure. What time?"

Sarah smiled wider. "How about after school? We could grab coffee and go over the history notes?"

"Yeah, that works," Liam replied, trying not to sound as distracted as he suddenly felt. He could feel Theo's eyes on him, but he wasn't sure why it made him so uneasy.

As Sarah walked away, Liam noticed Theo's jaw had tightened slightly. His usual composed demeanor seemed a little off, though Liam couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Theo's voice was cool when he spoke. "She seems... interested."

Liam blinked. "Sarah? Nah, she's just a classmate." He shrugged it off, feeling a little confused. "We're just studying for the upcoming test."

Theo didn't respond immediately, but his expression darkened ever so slightly. There was a brief flicker of something in his eyes-something Liam couldn't read.