The long, quiet corridors of the university felt narrower than usual as we walked. He remained exactly one step behind me, a constant, heavy presence that made the hair on my neck prickle. The silence stretched until it felt like a physical weight, pushing me toward a breaking point.
I spun around, stopping so abruptly that he nearly collided with me. The sudden lack of distance was jarring. He towered over me, his shadow swallowing mine against the linoleum floor. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.We just stood there in a high tension stalemate.
"What do you want, Liam?" I finally asked. My voice sounded smaller than I intended.
He raised an eyebrow, a dark, perfectly arched brow that I was far too annoyed to notice was attractive. "You already know what I want, don't you?"
The smoothness of his voice left me momentarily speechless. Just as the air between us felt like it might snap, he let out a relaxed exhale, the intensity vanishing as quickly as it had arrived.
"I'm kidding," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I was just passing by the corridor when I saw you through the glass."
It was a simple enough explanation, yet he didn't bother to mention why he was wandering the art wing in the first place. Still, the way he said it didn't feel like a lie.
I took a steadying breath, trying to regain my footing. "And now? Why are you following me?"
He scanned my face, his gaze quick before giving a casual shrug. "I'm not following you. This is the way to the lot where I parked."
I rolled my eyes, a reaction that seemed to genuinely amuse him. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he stepped back, giving me a little more air.
"Fine," I said, stepping aside to create a clear path toward the exit. "Then you should probably go your own way."
He didn't move immediately. Instead, he gestured toward a sleek Audi parked haphazardly across two spots in the distance. "Do you want a lift back?"
"No, thank you," I declined, keeping my tone polite but final.
To my surprise, he didn't argue. He didn't try to charm me into the passenger seat or push the issue. He simply turned and started walking toward his car, a black, polished machine that matched his clothes perfectly. When he reached the door, he paused and looked back at me, that familiar, infuriating smirk returning before he climbed inside.
The engine roared to life, and he reversed the car with a reckless screech of tires before speeding away, leaving the parking lot in a blur of motion. I stood there, watching the spot where the Audi had been, and realized something disturbing. I was calmer now than I had been twenty minutes ago.
The logic of it escaped me entirely. He was arrogant and unpredictable, yet somehow, the storm of anxiety that had been brewing all day had finally gone quiet. It didn't make any sense at all.