The following week settled into a quiet, predictable rhythm. Psychology came and went twice without a single sighting of Liam.
His absence made the lecture hall feel cavernous, though the empty chair beside me was a welcome relief or so the lie went.
By the third lecture, he was late. The seat he'd hijacked twice now was finally unclaimed, and for once, a girl I didn't recognize sat in the chair next to me. When the door finally creaked open and Liam slipped in, his eyes drifted toward my row instantly. I kept my gaze locked on the whiteboard, refusing to give him an opening, only catching the dark blur of his silhouette in my peripheral vision. He lingered for a heartbeat, realizing the territory had been reclaimed, before retreating toward the front.
Finally, the peace I'd asked for had arrived.
The relief, however, was incredibly short-lived. He ended up two rows ahead and to the right, perfectly positioned within my line of sight. He'd taken a seat next to a pretty blonde, and as the lecture began, a faint, easy smile pulled at his lips while she whispered something to him.
The fickle nature of it was jarring. Only forty-eight hours ago, he was calling my phone and claiming he wanted to take me out; now, he looked perfectly content with a new audience. It was a sharp prick of annoyance, one that had no right to be there. After all, what was Liam Lincoln to me but a collection of rumors and a few unsettling stares?
A slow exhale escaped my lips. This level of irritation was irrational, likely fueled by the looming arrival of my period and the inevitable mood swings that came with it. Stubbornness took over. If he wanted to play the part of the charming elite, he could do it without my eyes as an audience.
The next two hours became a battle of willpower. Occasionally, a shift in the air or a movement in the front row suggested he was looking back, but I didn't bite. Professor Hugh's relentless pace provided the perfect anchor, forcing my mind to stay on the notes and off the back of Liam's head.
The moment the dismissal was uttered, the tension broke. I packed my bag with frantic efficiency and was out the door before he could even stand up, leaving the lecture hall and the distraction behind