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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Ella returned shortly after Aaron, immediately fussing over the house to tidy any loose messes. It was a rare occurrence for Liam's foster parents and sibling to meet. Usually, Liam would hang out with Olivia on his own—no more frequently than every fortnight. So, having Olivia over for dinner was special.
ㅤIt'd been a little awkward when Liam had first arrived in their care; Ella and Logan had been overly conscious to ensure Liam didn't feel they were separating him from his sister, nor did they want Olivia to believe they were surrogating for Liam's real parents. Although this tension had dissipated long ago, Ella would still run around headless to keep the house clean for her.
ㅤ"Where's Logan?" Liam asked. He was lounging on the sofa beside Charlie, occasionally kicking the other man. Charlie always retaliated in kind.
ㅤ"He can't make tonight; he's got a late one in the office. Do you think it would look too forced if I poofed the cushions a little?"
ㅤ"It looks fine, Ella. Having seen her student gaff, I doubt Liv would notice."
ㅤ"Well, I care about it. What does your friend think?"
ㅤCharlie sat up, no doubt winding up for his BAFTA-dominating performance. "I think the place looks perfect, Ella," he said, his working-class accent neutralised from its usual plosive abrasiveness. "It's already a stunning house. I can tell you've worked hard on it." His smile was charming and polite, and Ella returned one.
ㅤCharlie was so full of shit that it was hard not to grimace.
ㅤ"Such a lovely boy," Ella fawned, proceeding to poof the pillows and all. "I'm so glad Liam has a friend like you. He's in need of some good influences in his life. That boy can't stay out of trouble."
ㅤA strangled noise involuntarily escaped him. Charlie noticed, covering his smile behind his hand. And, when Ella looked back at Liam, he coughed a few times to hide it. His face was probably a shade of warm as glared at the other man.
ㅤThere was that 'friend' word again. Liam and Charlie weren't friends, but they weren't exactly strangers either. He wasn't sure what to call them since there wasn't a label that fit. And for Charlie Bradley to be considered a 'good influence' on him, Liam would've had to have been fucking Hitler. If Liam had an evil scheme, Charlie would be more likely to encourage than stifle him.
ㅤ"I'm glad you think so," Charlie said sweetly.
ㅤLiam crushed his heel into Charlie's toes.
ㅤIgnorant of the battle behind her, Ella evaluated the perfection of her work, tilting her head at the asymmetry of the curtains. Liam was grinding his heel in harder whilst Charlie was honing a neutral face, granting no reaction. He yawned and started to stretch, raising his arms above his head and 'accidentally' knocking Liam's temple as he did so. Liam bit down a pained grunt.
ㅤNo one had noticed Aaron enter until he cleared his throat behind them. Liam glanced back to see Aaron staring at him weirdly.
