Expelled and needing to transfer for his final year, Liam had known immediately where to go. It was the place that'd taken everything from him; that'd ruined him so absolutely it'd twisted his personality beyond recognition.
The place where he'd met...
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Not even an hour had passed, and Liam had already had enough.
ㅤ"I'm going to hang myself on the flower ornaments, and no one can stop me." He wasn't joking this time. The stems were coiled like nooses, and he was sure the slightly trembling petals were laughing at him.
ㅤEach person who approached exhausted one more fake smile from him, and he was quickly running out of spares. These people were horrible and insufferable.
ㅤ"I'm gonna be honest with you, man. Your whinging isn't going to be missed."
ㅤ"It'll be missed more than you," he grumbled back.
ㅤCharlie was infinitely patient with him. No matter what Liam threatened, he didn't rise to the attention sought. Liam could've smashed something over his head and Charlie wouldn't have reacted further than a slight unimpressed and pitying glance. Liam was being exceptionally petulant, and Charlie was a wonder at managing him. He was a better babysitter than Olivia had ever been.
ㅤ"Well, I'm having fun," Charlie lightly let him know. His smile was steadily controlled, but the dimples pricked into his cheeks regardless.
ㅤ"Jesus, you fit this crowd better than I do. How the fuck did that happen? And what is there in this fucking padded torture cell to enjoy?"
ㅤOnce again, Charlie brushed off the antagonism and tilted his head with eyes that held a cheeky secret. "Have you ever gone... people watching?"
ㅤLiam huffed. He pretended to be uninterested, readjusting his cuffs. "People what-now?"
ㅤ"People watching. It's what makes boring places like this fun." He raised both his eyebrows, an innocent expression that was subtly challenging. "Want to hear...?"
ㅤLiam bit his lip. He wanted to pretend he wasn't interested. There was nothing valuable to be seen on plastic mannequins. However, there was also nothing else for him to do and he was curious.
ㅤ"Sure, man. Whatever."
ㅤCharlie's lips tugged into a smile. "You see that worker over there?" he said, inclining his head. "Blonde hair, ponytail. She's handing out drinks."
ㅤLiam spotted her. Two women were at the champagne table, dressed in black. The blonde one's hair was neatly combed into a ponytail, her face pretty but nothing special. He watched her hand wine to a guest with a stiff smile.
ㅤHe couldn't see what was supposed to be interesting. "What about her?"
ㅤCharlie leant in conspiratorially, their shoulders touching. He didn't smile, but his eyes were twinkling. "She's got a crush on her brown-haired co-worker."
ㅤLiam did a double take, but, as he'd thought, there was only one other woman. No men. ...Oh.
