Liam hesitated before checking the message, his heart thudding a little too loudly in his ears. He glanced at the professor, who was setting up a slideshow, then slowly unlocked his phone under the desk.
Blake: "Can we talk later?"
Blake: "It's important."
Liam's stomach dropped. Great. Just what he needed on a Monday morning—mystery drama.
He locked his phone quickly and tried to focus, but his mind kept drifting back to Blake's text. Important could mean anything. Did Blake regret that night? Was he angry? Confused? Liam didn't want to think about it, not right now.
Arthur nudged him lightly. "You okay?" he whispered.
Liam blinked and forced a small smile. "Yeah, just a message."
Arthur nodded, but the concern in his eyes was noticeable. He subtly slid a piece of paper toward Liam.
Liam looked down.
"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm a good listener :)"
Under it was Arthur's number, scribbled in neat handwriting.
Liam felt warmth bloom in his chest. He mouthed, "Thanks," and Arthur just smiled shyly before looking back at the presentation.
Throughout the lesson, Arthur occasionally leaned over to whisper about the professor's weird jokes or complain about the amount of readings they had. It made the class feel lighter, easier. Liam wasn't used to people being so naturally kind to him, but he liked it.
When the class ended, students began packing up quickly. Arthur turned to him with that soft smile again.
"So… do you maybe want to grab coffee? Like now? Only if you're free," he added quickly, suddenly shy.
Liam opened his mouth, ready to say yes—because he wanted to—but then he remembered Blake's text.
"Uh… I want to," Liam said honestly, "but I need to meet someone later."
Arthur nodded. "It's okay! We can go another time."
He slung his bag over his shoulder and added, "But text me, okay? Even if it's just to say hi."
"I will," Liam said, and he meant it.
As they walked out of the building together, Liam felt his phone buzz again.
Blake: "I'm outside your residence. Please don't ignore me."
Arthur glanced down at Liam's phone, and then at Liam's face—he could tell something was wrong.
"You sure you're okay?" Arthur asked softly.
Liam swallowed hard. "Yeah… I'll be fine."
They split ways at the gate, Arthur giving a small wave before leaving.
Liam walked toward his residence, each step feeling heavier than the last. In his chest, a quiet war raged—between the comfort of a new friend and the confusion of whatever Blake wanted to say.
And when he turned the corner and saw Blake waiting there, hands in his pockets, eyes glued to the ground… Liam felt his breath catch.
Blake looked up.
"Liam… we need to talk about what happened."