Empty Love

Chapter 3

Sabrina woke up to the sound of Fiona’s insanely loud music. Groaning, she pried one eye open—only to immediately squeeze it shut again as the sunlight stabbed into her skull.

Ugh.

Bracing herself this time, she opened both eyes, ready for the assault from the sun.

The dorm, which had been a disaster zone of empty pizza boxes and discarded heels last night, was now unnervingly spotless. The floor gleamed, the trash was gone, and even the pile of laundry she’d been ignoring for a week had vanished courtesy of Fiona’s hyperfocus cleaning spree.

Of course.

Sabrina groaned, rolling onto her back. The movement sent a fresh wave of nausea through her. She hadn’t even drunk that much—just enough to blur the edges of last night, to make the noise and the laughter and the suffocating crowd feel distant. But now, in the harsh morning light, everything was sharp again.

"The sun of my life!"

Fiona’s voice cut through the haze, saccharine and theatrical . The second she realized Sabrina was awake ,she rushed over launching herself onto Sabrina like an overly excited golden retriever and trapped her in a vice-like hug before Sabrina could even sit up.

"At this point, if this school doesn’t take my life, you’ll be the one to do it," Sabrina grumbled into Fiona’s chokehold, voice muffled.

Fiona suddenly pulled back, gripping Sabrina’s jaw and tilting her face up with a devious grin.

"Now spill. You vanished at the peak of the party—and don’t even try denying it. I saw you leaving with Liam Callahan." Her eyes gleamed mischievously

"The quarterback Liam Callahan."

"It's not my story to tell” Sabrina thought to herself.

Out loud, she shrugged, “I saw him struggling to walk so I helped him get home like any normal human. End of story ,you evil vixen now get off me.” She said softly pushing Fiona away

“Move you giant." she added chuckling softly swinging her legs off the bed.

“I have places to be unlike some black haired emo girls.”

Fiona clutched her chest. "Betrayal! And after I deep-cleaned your crusty side of the room—"

Sabrina rolled her eyes, grabbing her hoodie from the floor. "You love cleaning when you’re avoiding your lit paper."

Fiona gasped. "Low blow, Sabrina, low blow.”

Sabrina smirked, but her chest felt tight. The lie sat heavy on her tongue. Because last night hadn’t just been about helping a drunk guy home.

—

The locker room hallway was empty except for the distant echo of cleats on tile. Sabrina hesitated outside the door, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. She’d told herself she wouldn’t do this—wouldn’t pry.

But the image of Liam’s bloodied wrists from last night had burned itself into her mind. The way he’d flinched when she touched him. The way his voice had cracked when he had asked her to leave.

She shook her body lightly and then knocked once. No response

Pushing the door open, she found him alone, hunched on a bench with his back to her. His shoulders were tense, his head bowed as he wrapped fresh gauze around his left hand. The sharp scent of antiseptic hung in the air.

At the sound of the door, his head snapped up. His eyes—usually sharp, guarded—widened when he saw her.

She took another step closer. The fluorescent lights overhead highlighted the shadows under his eyes, the tight set of his jaw. He looked exhausted

"You didn’t answer your texts." So I had to come see if you were still among the living.

"Didn’t see them." He quietly tells an obvious lie as his phone was face-up beside him, screen lit with notifications–Including hers.

She stepped closer, nodding at his hands. "You need better bandages. That’s gonna get infected."

His jaw twitched and his fingers stilled. "I’ve had worse."

A moment of silence passed. The air thick with tension.

"Was it like last night? Or did you actually punch someone this time?"

His laugh was hollow. You're never beating the nurse allegations.

She reached for his wrist. He jerked back, but not fast enough. The gauze slipped, revealing angry red lines— too precise for a fight.

“ Liam_” Sabrina started, her voice laced with sympathy

He moved faster than she expected. One hand clamped over her mouth, the other locking around her waist as he yanked her into a supply closet. The door slammed behind them, plunging them into near-darkness. Her back hit the shelves, a box of athletic tape digging into her spine.

“You do know that this place is empty I see no need for this rough treatment" she says trying to lighten the mood

"You. Saw. Nothing." His voice was low, rough, closer to a plea than a threat. “I can't have you coming here playing nurse, you'll raise suspicions and I can't have that.”

She could feel his breath against her cheek, uneven. Could smell the salt of sweat and the sharp tang of antiseptic. His palm still pressed to her lips, warm and trembling.

Slowly, she nodded.

He let go, exhaling hard. For a second, they just stood there, the only sound of their shared, shaky breaths.

“Coffee?” Sabrina said suddenly

“What?” Liam asked, his confusion showing on his face.

"How about you buy me coffee. Right now.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, his expression weary.

“And then I'll pretend to forget what I saw last night." She continued, breathing softly. Her words a whisper; beguiling.

She knew she shouldn't be saying this and should’ve demanded answers. But the look in his eyes—desperate, defiant—stopped her.

“I take mine black.” She continued, her hands trembling by her sides, but her chin in the air, and her mass of hair laying haphazardly on his chest. They were sharing the same breath.

A ghost of a smirk appeared on his face as he muttered. "Of course you do."

—

The walk to the coffee shop was mercifully short—just across from the lockers, tucked between a laundromat and a bike rack. The autumn air carried the sharp scent of fallen leaves and distant bonfires, a crisp contrast to the steam curling from the shop’s doorway. The place was small, cozy, and half-empty, most students still shuffling to class or napping under trees.

She had ordered a black and some muffins while he simply ordered an Americano.

Sabrina had barely taken a sip of her latte when Liam leaned across the table, his voice a low tease. “Do you always walk into occupied bathrooms at parties, or am I special?”

Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped. Heat flooded her cheeks. “Excuse you , mister. Do you always leave the door half-open?” She stabbed her straw into her drink for emphasis.

Liam’s grin widened. “It’s my frat house, Nurse And that bathroom’s for members only.” He tilted his head, eyes glinting. “So. What were you really doing snooping around?”

“I wasn’t snooping—” Sabrina’s voice suddenly pitched upward. “I was looking for Fiona! My friend, Fiona” She studied the ceiling tiles like they held the secrets of the universe.

Liam burst out laughing. “Breathe, Nurse” he said, nudging her foot under the table. “The bathroom’s public. I was just messing with you.”

Sabrina narrowed her eyes. “You're evil"

“And you’re terrible at lying.” He chuckled as he stole her muffin and then proceeded to stuff it in his mouth.

His eyes were bright, playful, and his lips were curved up in a grin. And whenever she managed to c***k a joke in between, his gorgeous eyes crinkled into tiny crescents as he stared at her, seemingly enraptured.

This was him, the star quarterback. This was what the people loved, but as she stared at him, she wondered what part of him was real. The one bathed with sunlight, or the one covered in blood?