Page 21 of Puck'n Bully
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.
“Iama 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?
