Chapter 3
1433 Words
"No."
Selene stood with her arms crossed in front of her locker, staring Liam down.
Liam, in return, just grinned like he hadn’t just invited himself to Emily’s very personal, very important trip to Leo Callahan’s art show.
Emily looked torn between panic and rage.
“What do you mean, ‘you’re coming with us?’” she hissed. “This is—this is a special occasion! A delicate mission!”
“A mission that could end in disaster,” Liam said smoothly. “And since I care deeply about your emotional well-being, I’ve decided to supervise.”
Selene snorted. “You don’t care. You’re just bored.”
Liam gasped, clutching his chest. “You wound me, Veyne.”
Emily gritted her teeth. “I am serious, Liam. I don’t need you ruining this for me.”
“I won’t ruin anything. I’ll be on my best behavior,” he promised, placing a hand over his heart.
Selene raised an eyebrow. “Your best behavior?”
“I’ll be slightly less annoying.”
“Not good enough,” Emily said immediately.
Liam rolled his eyes. “Look, you’re going to be too nervous to form sentences, Selene’s gonna be making fun of you the whole time, and I—" he clapped a hand on his chest—“am simply there to provide balance.”
Emily groaned.
Selene just shrugged. “Let him come.”
Emily whirled on her. "Excuse me?"
Selene smirked. “This is gonna be a disaster either way. Might as well let it be entertaining.”
Liam winked. “See? Veyne gets it.”
Emily exhaled sharply, muttering something violent under her breath before turning away. “Fine. But if you mess this up, Liam, I swear—”
“Mess it up?” Liam grinned. “I’m going to make it unforgettable.”
Selene was already regretting everything.
---
The sky had shifted into shades of fading gold and soft purple by the time Selene, Emily, and their very unwelcome third wheel, Liam, made their way across town. The art show was in a small but trendy gallery downtown, tucked between a hipster coffee shop and a boutique that sold overpriced scarves.
Emily was bouncing with nervous energy, gripping the straps of her bag like she was walking into battle.
Selene, meanwhile, was exhausted. She still felt off—like something inside her was crawling just beneath her skin—but she ignored it.
Tonight wasn’t about her. It was about Emily’s ridiculous, painfully obvious crush on Leo Callahan, the school’s resident art prodigy.
“Well, here we are,” Liam announced, gesturing dramatically at the glass doors. “A place full of overpriced squiggly lines.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Try not to embarrass me, okay?”
“No promises.”
Selene sighed, following them inside.
The moment they stepped in, the scent of fresh paint and expensive cologne filled the air. The gallery was packed—students, local artists, a few professors, and people who probably owned way too many turtlenecks.
Soft classical music played from unseen speakers, adding to the artsy ambiance.
Emily was already scanning the room, eyes locked onto her target.
Selene followed her gaze and spotted Leo, standing near one of his paintings. He was deep in conversation with some older man in a tweed blazer, his hands moving expressively as he talked.
He looked exactly like someone who belonged here.
And Emily?
Emily looked like she was two seconds from passing out.
Selene sighed. This is going to be painful.
---
Liam, completely oblivious to the sacredness of Emily’s crush mission, whistled low as he took in the paintings.
“Damn. This stuff’s actually kinda cool.”
Selene narrowed her eyes. “Are you saying you expected it to suck?”
“I’m saying I don’t understand half of what I’m looking at,” Liam admitted, pointing at one particular canvas that was just a single red square on a white background. “This looks like something a toddler could do.”
A nearby woman in a black dress shot him an offended look before walking away.
Selene smirked. “Congratulations, you just insulted modern art.”
“I insult modern art daily.”
Emily, who was still laser-focused on Leo, suddenly turned to Selene, gripping her arm.
“Oh my God, he’s alone. Should I go talk to him? Is now a good time?”
Selene winced. “Emily, you look like you’re about to have a heart attack.”
Liam perked up. “Wait, this is about a crush? You dragged me to an art show for a guy?”
Emily glared. “I did not drag you. You invited yourself.”
Selene crossed her arms. “Honestly, we should’ve left him outside.”
“I would’ve found a way in.”
Emily ignored him, taking a deep breath. “Okay. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna talk to him.”
“Do you need a script?” Selene asked dryly.
“No.”
Liam grinned. “Do you need me to go over there and casually mention that you’re single, available, and totally into him?”
Emily’s face turned murderous. “If you do, I will actually kill you.”
“Got it. But if you chicken out, I’m stepping in.”
Emily muttered something about regretting her life choices before marching over to Leo.
Selene and Liam watched from a safe distance.
“She’s gonna panic halfway through,” Liam predicted.
“She’s gonna overthink everything and talk too fast,” Selene countered.
They both watched as Emily smiled nervously, stumbled over her words, and immediately started talking too fast.
Selene sighed. “Called it.”
---
Selene wandered through the gallery, not really looking until she stopped short.
The painting in front of her stood out.
Unlike the others, which were colorful and abstract, this one was dark. It depicted a figure standing in a long, empty hallway. Their back was turned, their silhouette stretched too thin, too tall.
The hallway itself seemed to twist, the walls leaning inward, creating a feeling of something closing in.
It made Selene shiver.
“What’s up with you?”
Liam’s voice was too close—low, amused, practically in her ear.
Selene turned, not realizing how close he’d gotten until she moved.
And suddenly, there was almost no space between them.
Her breath caught.
Liam smirked, clearly enjoying the reaction. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
Selene scowled. “You’re the ghost. You move too damn quietly.”
He took a step closer. “Maybe you just weren’t paying attention.”
She didn’t move.
Didn’t step back.
There was something sharper in the way he was looking at her.
His gaze flicked to her lips—quick, barely there, but she caught it.
Selene’s stomach tightened.
“Liam.”
“Mmh?”
“Are you—”
Before she could finish, someone bumped into her.
The movement sent her crashing into him, and before she could stop herself, she had grabbed his shirt for balance.
And Liam—
Liam’s hands were on her waist, steadying her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The sounds of the gallery didn't fade like books say.
No they were louder than ever. Only competing with her heartbeat that felt so loud she felt her ears might burst.
Selene’s heart slammed against her ribs.
She should move.
She didn’t.
Neither did he.
His fingers curled slightly, like he was testing the grip of her waist beneath his hands. His smirk had faded. His expression was dark. She saw the a flick of something dangerous in his eyes and for the life of her she wanted to explore it
Selene felt like she was standing at the edge of something.
Something she hadn’t considered before.
The moment stretched too long—a second, two, three—
Then Liam let go.
And just like that, the spell broke.
Selene cleared her throat, stepping back.
Liam’s smirk returned, but it wasn’t quite the same.
“Careful, Veyne,” he murmured. “Wouldn’t want you falling for me.”
Selene rolled her eyes, even as her pulse refused to slow.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said.
She turned away.
She didn’t check to see if he was still looking.
Didn’t want to know.
But as she walked away, she couldn’t ignore the feeling still thrumming beneath her skin.
Like something had just shifted.
And she didn’t know if she liked it.
- Writer
