Page 61 of Freshman

“Alfie.”

Liam smirked, reaching into his jean pocket. He pulled out a single cigarette and a lighter.

“Such a sweet name…”

Alfie didn’t know what to say to that. He stood there paralysed while Liam had his cigarette. His dark eyes never once left Alfie, and when he finished, he dropped the cigarette to the floor and twisted his boot on top of it.

“I haven’t seen you here before.”

Alfie swallowed. “It’s my first time.”

“First time,” Liam repeated, then he moved towards Alfie, backing him up to the wall.

Alfie gasped. It wasn’t the bars of the gate at his back. It wasn’t Nate’s scent in his nose or his chest pressing against Alfie’s. It was Liam’s, a stranger, whose only similarity with Nate was the way he looked at Alfie. He looked at Alfie like he wanted to destroy him. But that was where the similarities ended, and the differences shone through.

Nate looked at Alfie like he wanted to destroy him and put him together afterwards, Liam did not.

Liam reached for Alfie’s wrist. He circled his fingers and thumb around it. “Such a delicate little thing you are.”

“I’m…I’m not delicate.”

Liam tightened his hold.

Alfie gasped but didn’t tug his arm back.

“Have you ever been tied up?” Liam asked as he stroked his thumb against Alfie’s fluttering pulse.

“No.”

Liam hummed, and a smile pulled at his lips. It spread wide and revealed rows of sharp-looking teeth. Alfie tried to blink them away. He tried to convince himself it was a friendly smile, but it held the undercurrent of something sinister.

“Would you like to be tied up?”

Yes. But not by him, his mind protested, and he thought of the drawing Nate had done of him, red-cheeked, wrists bound, and at Nate’s mercy. That’s what he wanted, not this, not with this stranger that might or might not actually be called Liam.

Liam went in for kiss, but Alfie turned his head, denying him. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I can’t do this.”

Liam didn’t let him go immediately. He kept his chest to Alfie’s, pinning him to the wall. “And why is that?”

“I just…can’t.”

“Nothing to do with that puppy following you around inside, is it?”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Liam growled.

“You mean Max, and no, it’s nothing to do with him. It’s someone else.”

Liam hummed and took a step back, releasing Alfie from the wall and letting his arm drop back by his side. “Then maybe you should be with that someone else rather than here, using those submissive eyes of yours to fuck people around.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Whatever,” Liam interrupted. “I’m going back inside, and I suggest you don’t.”

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