“I—” I said.
“We should—” he said.
We stopped and smiled at each other.
The truth was... neither of us knew what to say. Didn’t know how to name what had just happened in that closet. And I didn’t know if I was supposed to pretend it meant nothing or admit it meant everything.
So I didn’t try and say anything again.
Neither did he.
We just stood there in the hallway, three feet apart, looking at each other like we were trying to memorize this moment. Likewe knew it might be the last time we got to be honest about what we wanted.
My hand moved before I could think about it.
Reached out. Found his chest.
His heartbeat hammered under my palm. Fast. Frantic. Matching mine.
His breath hitched.
The heat of him seeped through his shirt. Solid. Real. Here.
God, I wanted—
“Liam?”
Emily’s voice cut through the moment like a knife.
I jerked my hand back. Took a step away from Alex.
She was at the end of the hallway, coming from the direction of the stairs. Curly hair pulled into a messy bun, wearing one of my hoodies and leggings. She had her backpack over one shoulder—probably coming from the library.
Soon she was next to us and her eyes moved from me to Alex. Back to me.
Confusion flickered across her face, and guilt slammed into me like a freight train.
I just cheated on her.
The thought hit so hard I almost couldn’t breathe.
Not just kissed someone else. Not just some drunk mistake at a party. Alex had gotten on his knees, I let him suck me off, and came in his mouth. And then walked out here like nothing happened.
What the fuck did I just do?
“Hey,” I said. My voice sounded wrong.
“Hi.” She walked closer, her gaze lingering on Alex. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“This is Alex.” The introduction felt surreal. “From Kingswell. We were just—“
“Leaving,” Alex finished. His voice was steady. Controlled. Nothing like the gasping way he’d said my name in the closet. “I was just leaving.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed slightly. She was reading the room. Reading us. And she was smart—too smart not to notice the tension hanging in the air like smoke.
“Alex Harrington?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Alex’s jaw tightened.
