Page 7

Hayden

People throw curious glances my way as I wander aimlessly through the hallways of the Physics department.

Mostly because I have zero business being here.

Fuck! I don’t even know where the hell I’m going right now as I look for some kind of lab that works with lasers. I’m sure that’s what Liam said , I tell myself, checking out the signs outside the doors along a deserted corridor.

“Excuse me, are you here to work in the biophysics lab?” a high-pitched feminine voice stops me in my tracks.

Turning around, I find a young woman in a bright blue hoodie. Unlike the girls I usually have hanging around me, she doesn’t blush, play with her hair, or try to touch me. To my surprise, she’s frowning at me.

“Are you...” she glances down at the clipboard in her hand before staring up at me. “Jesse Fletcher?”

“No, ma’am,” I respond, amusement flickering through me. She has no idea who I am.

“We’re still waiting for him to come so that we can start our experiment,” she mutters with a huff.

“Hey, wait up,” I call just as she’s about to stomp away.

“What?”

“Do you know Liam Meyers?”

She nods as her annoyance vanishes for a second. “Are you talking about the cute guy who’s joined the senior master’s class?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“He’s probably using the laser lab right now,” she says with a thoughtful look.

“Can you point me in that direction, please?”

Her gaze slides over my face, taking me in closely for the first time. “You’ll find him in the lab at the end of this hallway. By the way, I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you a student in the Physics department?”

“No. I’m just here to see Liam.” Before she can ask me another question, I turn away from her.

Reaching the last room along the corridor, I finally catch a glimpse of Liam through the small window in the door. Dressed in an overlarge white coat, he fiddles with a complicated network of wires and strange machinery. Large goggles cover his eyes, giving him a nerdy, scientist look that I find to be surprisingly hot.

Liam stays oblivious to my presence as he puts his whole focus on the intricate set-up before him. A sharp, concentrated expression is etched on his beautiful face as he rolls up his sleeves, showing me the elegant curve of his elbow.

I shouldn’t be here.

I should be using my free hours to catch up on my schoolwork and not spy on Liam like some kind of creep. “Jesus,” I moan, unable to pull myself away from the small glass window in the door.

What is this stupid, warm wave of happiness I feel every time I see him?

Liam adjusts one of the wires and steps in front of a small TV screen kind of thing. I have no idea what he sees on it but whatever is happening has him biting his bottom lip. After a few minutes, he scribbles something down on the notebook lying open on the table before him.

Liam is doing nerdy shit and here I am, unable to look away from him.

We’d agreed on three one-hour tutoring sessions per week. At the time, it’d seemed enough but it’s barely been a day since I last saw him and I’m unable to control myself. I had to see Liam to keep myself from going crazy.

Leaning against the doorframe, still watching, I wonder what the hell is wrong with me. Sure, I like Liam. He’s the first person in my life who makes me feel seen and accepted. I don’t have to hide anything in front of him. I don’t have to pretend.

For the first time in my life, I’ve realized what it feels like to be able to breathe freely.

But it’s not a reason to peep at him , my mind whispers as I take in the way Liam’s slim fingers hold a pencil. Just how good would it feel to have them wrapped around my cock...

As if he can sense the shift in my thoughts, Liam suddenly straightens up and turns around, looking directly at me.

Shit! I got caught like an idiot.

My stomach plummets as I panic, wondering what to do next.

Should I run?

Should I pretend like I had some work in the Physics department?

Liam holds my gaze, rooting my feet to the spot. Great...I have to choose my second option and lie through my teeth about why I’m here.

He removes his safety goggles before stalking toward me. Opening the door, he stares up at me with a suspicious look. “What are you doing here?”

“Do I need a reason to walk around here?” I say with a scoff. “I go to this school too, you know.”

“This is the Physics department,” Liam points out. “Last time I checked, we don’t teach economics here.”

Choosing to ignore his jab, I walk past him and enter the lab.

The air has a faint metallic tang to it, mixing with the scent of something fresh, like ozone maybe? The room is bathed in a surreal red glow from safety lights, punctuated by pinpricks of green and blue dancing across various surfaces.

The complicated machinery on the table is actually an intricate maze of mirrors, lenses, and fiber-optic cables. Beams of laser light slice through the air, bouncing off mirrors at perfect angles, splitting into smaller beams like magic spells cast in midair.

It’s pretty cool but I wasn’t going to say that to Liam.

“So, this is what you do?” I say, trying to sound unimpressed.

“Yeah, this is what I love doing,” Liam replies, meeting my gaze. He doesn’t even try to justify his love for lasers or science. He’s always unapologetically himself.

Something, I can never be.

Turning my back on him, I try to breathe deeply to calm the heat spreading on my face. What is it about Liam that throws me off every time I’m near him?

“So, what’s this thing?” I say, reaching toward a glowing glass sphere.

“Don’t touch that!” Liam shouts, grabbing my hand before I can touch it. “That could’ve burned your fingers off! You shouldn’t be here like this. It’s dangerous to be around this equipment without proper orientation.”

A concerned look comes over him as he firmly holds my hand and leads me away from his precious set-up. Warmth shoots through me as I realize he’s trying to keep me safe.

“What do you want, Hayden?” he asks, unconsciously holding onto my wrist.

I shrug. “I just wanted to see you.”

He freezes, the truth too hard for him to swallow.

“We have a session the day after tomorrow,” he says in a low, thoughtful tone.

“I couldn’t wait that long.”

“Hayden—”

“You look cute dressed as a scientist,” I say, playfully twirling a golden curl around my finger.

He bites his bottom lip while his cheeks turn bright pink. I can see he’s struggling to stay in control of the situation but is failing.

An amused grin lifts the corners of my lips. Liam can try hard to pretend like I don’t affect him but I can see right through him. And it makes me giddy.

“I am a scientist!” Liam hisses. “And you’re an unauthorized person who shouldn’t be hanging around the lab without proper safety equipment. Now, leave!”

“How can I leave when you’re holding me?”

“What?” Confusion flickers through his face before he realizes he’s still grabbing onto my wrist. He drops my hand like he got burned by it.

I can’t help but laugh at the stricken look on his face. Does he have any idea how darn cute he is?

“Hayden!” he curses through clenched teeth.

“Alright, I’m going,” I say, lifting my hands in surrender and backing out of the room. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

A big grin spreads on my face as I walk down the corridor. Now that I’ve messed with Liam, I can spend the rest of the day without missing him.

Or so I hope.