Lie to Him, Moan for Me!

Who is it Nate?

Nathan POV:

Every step echoed with the sound of Maya's voice still in my ears. Her body still burned onto mine. Her taste still on my fucking tongue. The city was cold, loud, alive—but none of it cut through the heat clinging to my skin, the scent of her that still lived on my shirt. I was drenched in her. Marked.

And no matter how much air I gulped down, it still felt like I couldn't fucking breathe.

By the time I reached the dorm, I'd gone over every possible version of this conversation in my head. Play it cool. Act normal. Don't look like the guy who just spent the day ruining his best friend's world without saying a single word.

I was already failing.

The door opened before I even reached for the handle.

Liam stood there, hoodie half-zipped, beer in hand. His eyes flicked over me, casual—but not really. Not anymore.

"Where've you been?" he asked. Not sharp. Just... too neutral.

Like he already knew something.

"Out," I muttered, brushing past him, heart hammering. "Had some stuff to do."

"Stuff," he echoed, stepping in behind me. "What kind of stuff?"

I poured a glass of water just to have something to do with my hands. Just act normal. Breathe. "Errands."

"You look like you ran a marathon."

I didn't answer.

"You're sweating," he added.

"It's warm out."

He blinked. "It's fifty-two degrees, dude."

I clenched my jaw. "Then maybe I over-layered."

The words snapped out sharper than I meant. His eyes narrowed, just slightly. Just enough.

Then: "You ghosted the party early. Where'd you disappear to?"

Fuck.

I didn't look at him. "Had something to take care of."

"Yeah?" He took a slow sip of his beer. "Weird. Maya disappeared too."

My blood turned to ice.

He didn't say it like an accusation. Just... like he was putting pieces together and waiting for one to fit.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, keeping my tone even.

I turned to the fridge. Pretended I needed something. Anything. I stared at shelves I didn't see.

"You think it's serious?" he asked behind me.

I froze. "What?"

"This guy. The one she left me for. You think it's real?"

I closed the fridge. Turned slowly. "Why would you ask me that?"

His eyes didn't waver. "Because maybe you know."

There it was.

The shift. The fracture. The beginning of the end.

I laughed—dry, hollow. "You think I'm Maya's confidant now?"

Liam didn't laugh back.

He just stared.

"You've been off lately. Not just distant. Edgy. On edge, like you're always one second from cracking."

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper.

"Maybe I'm tired of watching you crash over her again and again."