Liam rolled his eyes, annoyed. "I've told you before, Dave, it's not like that."
"Oh, I know exactly how it is," Dave said, propping himself up on the bed a little, his smile widening. "You think you're hiding it, but man, you're about as subtle as a neon sign. Everyone can see how you look at her. Even she can probably tell. You're just too chicken to admit it, aren't you?" He paused for dramatic effect, his grin now mischievous. "You're just waiting for things to magically fall into place. But newsflash, buddy—this isn't a fairy tale."
Liam clenched his fists under the table, trying to stay calm. Every word Dave spoke felt like a jab, but he couldn't bring himself to snap. He hated how Dave always knew how to hit that nerve, always teasing him about his feelings for Maya—feelings he hadn't been able to express, let alone act on.
"I told you to stop," Liam muttered, his voice low but thick with frustration.
"Stop?" Dave repeated, almost incredulous. "Why? Because it's true? Come on, Liam, you're a walking romance novel, and you don't even know it. If you just told her already, it'd be over. Maya? She looks at you, she notices you. Everyone else can see it, but you're just too much of a wimp to do anything about it."
Liam gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening. He didn't want to deal with this, didn't want to be the punchline of Dave's jokes, but his friend wasn't letting up. "I told you, Dave, it's not like that."
Dave grinned wider, enjoying every moment of his teasing. "Well, I mean, you've got a lot to lose, huh? You just keep sitting there, acting like everything's fine, but you're not fooling anyone. Maya's got a thing for you, and you're too scared to even admit it."
Liam could feel his patience wearing thin. "You really don't get it, do you?"
But Dave, oblivious to his friend's growing irritation, leaned forward. "I know, I know. You're too shy. Maya probably thinks you don't care. But here's the thing—she's not going to wait forever. Someone else will notice her if you don't."
Liam stood up suddenly, the anger rising in his chest. "Just drop it, Dave. Seriously."
Dave, noticing the edge in Liam's voice, shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright, alright, I'll back off. But you've gotta face the truth eventually, man. You're gonna end up kicking yourself for not saying anything."
Liam turned to leave, desperate to escape the conversation, but something was nagging at him in the back of his mind. It wasn't just the teasing, or the fact that Dave had hit a nerve about his feelings for Maya.
There was something else, something he hadn't yet been able to put into words, but it was there, growing in his chest like a weight.
Liam hadn't told Dave what he had been noticing lately. But Dave, as always, had a way of picking up on things Liam had tried to ignore. Recently, he had seen Maya and Robbie spending more and more time together. Not just the usual cousin banter, but something deeper.
Their interactions had become charged, with subtle touches, shared glances, and moments that seemed far too intimate for just family.
And Dave knew something that Liam didn't: Robbie, Liam's cousin, had been getting close to Maya in a way that Liam hadn't realized. Dave could see it—the way Robbie looked at her, the way Maya seemed to look back, almost as if they were sharing something that neither of them dared to fully acknowledge.
The thought of it made Dave uneasy. He didn't want to be the one to break the news to Liam, to tell him that his cousin might be secretly involved with the one person Liam had quietly fallen for.
If Liam knew, if he ever found out the truth, it would shatter him. Dave wasn't sure how Liam would handle it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to see his friend's reaction when he learned the truth.
But for now, Dave stayed quiet. He didn't want to say too much.
The last thing he wanted was to cause more trouble than there already was.
The idea that Liam might find out about Robbie and Maya haunted him, and the fear of what would happen if Liam learned the truth was a constant weight on his chest.
"Look, Liam," Dave said after a long pause, almost casually. "You really have no idea what's going on, do you? People see things, they know things. And sometimes... sometimes, it's better to open your eyes before it all slips away from you."
Liam paused, a chill creeping up his spine. He shot a sharp look at Dave, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling in his gut. "What are you talking about?"
Dave just shrugged, a nonchalant smile on his face. "Nothing. Forget it. It's not my place to say." He glanced at Liam's expression, catching a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "But seriously, open your eyes, man. That's all I'm saying."
Liam, clearly disturbed by Dave's cryptic words, turned and walked out of the infirmary, his thoughts in turmoil.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, something he hadn't seen before, but now he couldn't ignore. Could it be true? Could Robbie be more than just a cousin to Maya? The thought of it twisted his insides.
What if Dave was right? What if there was something going on between Maya and Robbie, something he didn't know about? The idea of Robbie, the one person Liam had always trusted, being involved with Maya, the girl he cared about in silence, was too much to bear.
As he walked away, Dave's words echoed in his mind. "Open your eyes, man."
Liam wasn't ready to confront the truth. He wasn't ready to deal with it. But something was about to break, and when it did, it would shatter everything he thought he knew about love, loyalty, and family.
While the two of them stayed calm, he said, "Doing it together with Maya is not totally impossible, but to-get- her; that... that's impossible," before bursting out laughing!"
They stayed there for a while, exchanging a few jokes to lighten the mood. Gradually, Liam's worry eased, though part of him remained on edge. He knew Dave hadn't told him everything, but for now, he chose to respect his silence.
As he left the infirmary, Liam glanced back a few times. The school, still as quiet as before, felt a little less oppressive, but he was now certain of one thing: he wouldn't let Dave face anything alone.