We arrive at the front of the line and order, and despite my protests, Liam pays. We choose a table outside, sitting opposite each other.
As soon as I stretch my legs out, my calf grazes Liam's. "Your legs are everywhere," I complain.
Something passes over his face, but then he smiles. "Did you read last night?" He's changing the topic, and he's not moving his leg away. Then again, neither am I.
"Nah, too tired. Anyway, I only have one book left and a lot of time left in the holidays to read it."
"It's the one about mindsets?"
"Yeah," I say, nodding. "Everyone has beliefs about money and if you have healthy beliefs, you'll have a healthier relationship with money and your overall quality of life should be better." I go into further depth, explaining the book, and Liam nods and keeps eye contact. I get so excited speaking, that I almost forget about his leg burning a hole into my calve.
I'm interrupted when a waitress arrives with our food, and Liam tells her to place the jelly slice in the middle.
"So at university, you want to study commerce, right? What do you want to do after?"
"I'd like to be a financial planner," I say as I cut up my pie.
"So you'll help people organise their money?"
"Yeah," I nod. "I'd give advice on how to deal with debts, and how to save and invest. All that kind of stuff. Some people have money but bad habits learned from their families, or just not being financially literate, and so they squander it. And some people don't have that much money, so I want to help them make the most of it. I know people think money's kind of vulgar, but you can't deny how much influence it has on people's lives. If people's financial situations are better, I'm sure their whole life will be better."
I shrug and look up from my food to see Liam smiling softly at me.
"What?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "You're a good guy, Curtis. I don't know why I thought you were an asshole for as long as I did."
I look down at my food. "I want to be a financial planner, not a saint. Besides, I bet Kennedy thinks that my interest in finance makes me a capitalist pig." God, I did not mean to say that.
"You're lucky you know what you want to do with your life," Liam says. "And that you're able to go to university for something you're passionate about. I'd bet you make a good planner."
"Thank you," I say.
"You'd be good with clients," he continues.
"Stop flattering me," I say. "Really?"
"Yeah, just look at how popular you are with teachers at school. You're a bit of a teacher's pet," he teases.
"Oh, come on," I say, rolling my eyes. "This brings us back to before, about how you're Ms Lipson's favourite. It's annoying, actually"
"What is?"
I finish my pie, chewing slowly just to watch Liam squirm as he waits. He's already finished his sausage roll — he probably ate it in three bites. "How charming you are," I finish.
He looks surprised for a second before cracking into a grin. "Stop it," he says, before telling a story about how he convinced his Year 9 Humanities teacher to throw a class toga party and I laugh so hard that people from nearby tables give me concerned looks.
"So is this what you meant before, about me being oblivious?" Liam asks. He picks up his fork and digs it into the red, white and beige jelly slice, nodding at me to take some.
"I'm okay," I say, looking at the slice. "And yes, that's what I meant. Sometimes, you act like you don't know how likeable you are."
"Eat some," Liam commands, and when I don't, he raises his fork loaded with slice to me, as if he's going to feed me like I'm a baby.
I shake my head.
"Curtis."
"Liam," I reply.
