The Psychology project was over, and a quiet sense of relief settled over Tasha. No more forced meetings, no more awkward group chats with Liam. Yet, a strange feeling lingered. His backhanded compliment, the almost-smile, the glimpse into his focused mind during the presentation—it all made him less of a simple enemy and more of a confusing puzzle.
A few days after the presentation, Tasha was walking out of her Intro to Literature lecture. She was still thinking about the poetry they had just discussed. As she walked past the main bulletin board, she saw Liam. He was standing there, looking at a flyer.
Tasha braced herself, ready to keep walking and ignore him. But as she got closer, she saw him sigh. It was a small, quiet sound, but it seemed to hold a lot of tiredness. He rubbed the back of his neck, then took out his phone and started typing, his brow furrowed. He looked stressed, not bored or arrogant.
She walked past him, trying to be invisible. But as she passed, she heard him muttering softly to himself. "Another one. Seriously?" He sounded genuinely frustrated.
Tasha hesitated. Her usual instinct was to walk away. But the sight of him looking so bothered, combined with the new, softer sides she'd seen, made her pause. She stopped a few feet away, pretending to look at another flyer.
Liam then shoved his phone into his pocket and walked away, not noticing her. Tasha watched him go, a tiny frown on her face. What was "another one"? What was bothering him?
Later that day, Tasha was in the dorm common room, trying to study. Sabrina burst in, holding a flyer.
"Guess what?!" Sabrina exclaimed, her eyes wide. "There's a big charity concert happening next month, right here on campus! All the proceeds go to a local animal shelter!"
Tasha smiled. "That sounds great! I love animals."
"I know, right?" Sabrina said excitedly. "And guess who's on the list of performers? Look!" She pointed to a name near the bottom of the flyer.
Tasha's eyes landed on it. Liam Carter (Acoustic Set).
Tasha felt a strange mix of emotions. Surprise, a little warmth, and then a familiar flutter of annoyance. Of course. The guitar player. The cat lover. Now he was performing in public?
"No way," Tasha whispered. "He's actually performing?"
"Yep! And it's for charity!" Sabrina grinned. "See? He's not all bad. Maybe he's got a heart of gold under all that grumpiness."
Tasha shook her head, a small, reluctant smile forming. "He's still a grump. But... a talented grump, I guess."
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like someone's interested."
"I am not interested!" Tasha protested, but her voice lacked its usual conviction. She was confused. Liam was still the guy who annoyed her, but now he was also the guy who played beautiful music, was gentle with cats, and even got stressed about unknown problems. The line between 'enemy' and 'interesting stranger' was blurring, and Tasha didn't know how to feel about it.