Whispers between worlds

Chapter 3:Almost kissed

Me and Megan went outside to buy food and drinks. The sun was sharp, burning through the clear sky, and the line in front of the cafeteria was already buzzing with impatient students. Megan kept nudging me, replaying the way Liam and I had acted in class.

“You two…” she said, shaking her head with a knowing smile. “It was like you were made for each other, Hannah. The way you just… clicked. Don’t even lie.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, though my chest tightened. Was it that obvious? I smiled back at her, pretending it was nothing, but deep inside I knew she was right. The way he raised his hand when I did, the way our answers flowed together like pieces of the same puzzle—it was something I couldn’t explain.

We grabbed our food—her usual chicken wrap with a strawberry milkshake, and for me, the same wrap but with a vanilla shake—and found a table in the corner. I always preferred the quieter spots where you could hear yourself think, away from the dramatic chaos of loud groups who pretended the cafeteria was a stage.

As soon as we sat down, Megan started gossiping about her holiday. I teased her for spending half of it glued to her phone. She teased me about sleeping too much and dreaming fake scenarios. That’s when the atmosphere in the cafeteria shifted.

Liam walked in.

Not alone.

He was with some dark, handsome boy I’d never seen before. His friend wasn’t the type you could easily forget either—tall, built, with a sharp smile that drew every girl’s attention like a magnet.

“Rrrr, dark chocolate,” Megan whispered under her breath, her eyes locked on him. I burst into laughter so hard I almost choked on my milkshake. That was exactly her type—smooth, confident, and trouble.

The room reacted instantly. It was as if time slowed down when they walked in. Girls turned their heads like sunflowers chasing the sun. Their eyes wandered, hungry, desperate, and I could already hear the whispers starting.

The way they walked wasn’t cocky—it was confident. They owned the space without even trying. Liam, though… his eyes were different. They weren’t roaming like Mason’s were. They weren’t searching for the next girl to impress. Instead, they scanned the room carefully, like he was looking for something—or someone.

I tried to ignore the fact that my heart thumped when his gaze landed near me.

But Megan and I… we were not about to be those girls. We focused on our gossip, pretending we hadn’t noticed the attention they were drawing. I sipped my milkshake and leaned on the table as if their presence didn’t matter. But deep down? My stomach was a mess of butterflies.

And then—guess what happened?

They came straight to us.

I froze when Liam sat down right next to me, his shoulder almost brushing mine, while Megan suddenly found herself face to face with her “dark chocolate.”

The friend leaned back casually in his chair, his smile flashing like he owned the moment. “Name’s Mason Hill,” he said, his voice smooth and confident, and then he flashed Megan a grin that had her blushing instantly.

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing under my breath. Mason was shameless.

Liam leaned closer to me. “Hey, stranger.”

“Stranger?” I raised my brow. “Wow, I’m a stranger now?”

He chuckled, the sound soft but teasing. “Relax. I was joking.”

They had burgers and Coke on their trays, and the smell of grilled beef drifted over our table. Meanwhile, Megan and I had our chicken wraps. I unwrapped mine carefully, but before I could even take a bite, Liam pointed at my vanilla milkshake.

“Let me taste that, pumpkin.”

The way he said it—playful but bold—caught me off guard. “Pumpkin?” I repeated, narrowing my eyes at him, but I pushed it toward him anyway.

He took a sip, looked at me, and grinned. “You’re a bad girl, Hannah.”

“Wow… you even know my name, white chocolate?” I shot back, mocking the nickname Megan had given his friend earlier.

His grin widened. “Of course. I asked the lecturer. Mrs. Hannah Blackwell.”

My face heated up, but I rolled my eyes. “Bring back my milkshake and go buy your own.”

“It’s not even that nice,” he said, pretending to gag. Then he tilted his head toward Megan and Mason, who were already laughing together. “Look at them.”

I turned—and nearly spat out my wrap. Megan and Mason were already lost in their own little world, laughing like they’d known each other forever. And then… they kissed.

“Megan!” I gasped, half laughing, half shocked. “You’re moving fast.”

She ignored me completely, her attention locked on Mason.

Liam leaned back, smirking. “Guess they don’t need us anymore.”

I laughed and shook my head. “They should just get a room already.”

And then—without even realizing it—Liam and I locked eyes. The cafeteria around us faded, the noise dulling to a hum. His eyes were so close, so intense, that for a split second I swore he was about to kiss me.

My heart was in my throat.

But then—RIIIIIING!

The bell screamed, shattering the moment like glass breaking. We both jumped slightly, breaking eye contact.

I hurriedly packed up my things, trying not to look as flustered as I felt. Megan was busy fixing her hair, pretending she hadn’t just kissed Mason in front of the whole cafeteria.

We grabbed our bags and walked out together. Mason had his arm around Megan like they were already official, and I couldn’t stop grinning at how fast that escalated.

Physics II was next, and Mason was in that class too since he was doing Computer Systems Engineering. I walked into the classroom with Liam right beside me, and instantly… all eyes turned.

The jealous stares. The whispers. I could feel them burning into my skin, especially from the girls who had been throwing themselves at Liam earlier.

Let them be angry.

I sat down, and Liam chose the seat right next to me, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Megan sat next to Mason, giggling quietly at something he whispered to her.

The air in the room shifted again when Ms. Rachel Lawson walked in. She was strict, sharp-eyed, and one of those lecturers you couldn’t mess around with. But even she noticed the way the room was unusually tense, with the jealous glances and the strange silence.

I tried to focus on unpacking my notebook, pretending everything was normal. But inside, my thoughts were racing.

Liam Hunter sat next to me.

He looked at me like I wasn’t just another girl in the room.

And I almost kissed him.

Almost.