Liam arrived at the cafeteria and found it almost exactly the way he had expected.
Quiet and mostly empty.
The large dining space, which usually carried the heavy noise of students arguing over classwork, gossiping about rankings, or loudly pretending they were not worried about exams, felt almost peaceful at that hour. Only a few scattered students occupied the tables, most sitting alone or in pairs with books open beside their plates.
A handful of cooks moved behind the serving counters, speaking among themselves in low voices while preparing food for the next busier wave. The long tables were cleaner than usual, the floor less crowded, and the air carried the warm smell of roasted meat, bread, and soup without being buried beneath the sweat and noise of a hundred bodies.
Liam approved of it immediately.
