The Walk of Shame

The night air was crisp against your skin, a welcome contrast to the heat that still clung to you from the party. The two of you walked side by side, the sidewalks of campus quiet this late at night, the only sounds the distant hum of the city and the occasional laughter of lingering partygoers in the distance.

You wrapped your arms around yourself, staring down at the pavement as you walked. Your heels clicked softly against the sidewalk, the aftershocks of **** and adrenaline still thrumming in your veins. The events of the night replayed in your head—Jake’s hands, his voice, the way his body tensed under yours, the way you took him apart piece by piece. While you didn't remember details, the lingering sensations in your body told you enough about how it went down.

It should have felt like a victory. The first of seven. A necessary step forward.

But instead?

Your stomach twisted.

You exhaled through your nose, glancing at Liam out of the corner of your eye. He was walking with his hands shoved into his pockets, his gaze forward, relaxed but attentive. It was always like that with him—he never missed anything.

"Well," you muttered, breaking the silence. "That happened."

Liam snorted. "Yeah, it definitely did."

You swallowed, kicking at a stray pebble on the sidewalk. "I mean—fuck, I don’t even know what I mean." You rubbed at your face. "I just—saying it out loud makes me sound like a whore, Liam."

Liam stopped in his tracks.

You took two more steps before you realized he wasn’t beside you anymore, and when you turned, he was staring at you with an unimpressed look, one brow raised.

"Stop that," he said flatly.

You frowned. "Stop what—?"

"You don’t sound like a whore. You don’t look like a whore. You’re not a fucking whore, Luna." He crossed his arms. "You’re doing what you have to do. This is Aphrodite’s bullshit, not yours. And even if it was just for fun, who the hell cares?"

Your mouth opened, then closed again.

Liam sighed, stepping closer, his voice softening. "Look, I get it. Everything’s been—insane. And it probably feels like you’re losing control of things, but this?" He gestured vaguely at you. "It’s just sex. It’s not some moral failure, it’s not some stain on your soul. It’s a body count, that’s it." He met your gaze, his own steady. "And none of these guys are gonna matter when you go back to being Lucas anyway."

You swallowed hard, looking away. "I just—I don’t want you to think I’m gross."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, so gross. Sleeping with a guy to break your curse? Disgusting. Vile." He shook his head. "C'mon, relax a little."

A breathy laugh escaped you despite yourself.

Liam smirked, nudging your arm. "Seriously, you don’t have to overthink this shit. It’s fine."

You exhaled, rolling your shoulders like you could shake the lingering guilt from your bones. "What about you?" you asked, **** for a change in subject. "How was the rest of your night?"

Liam shrugged, shoving his hands back in his pockets as you both resumed walking. "Talked to some girls. Talked to some guys. Got roped into a debate about whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza." He wrinkled his nose. "Some dude tried to convince me that barbecue sauce was an acceptable replacement for tomato sauce."

You snorted. "The fuck?"

"Right?!" He shook his head. "Anyway, nothing really eventful. Didn’t make any moves or anything."

You arched a brow, smirking. "What, no cute girls caught your eye?"

Liam gave you a dry look. "You tell me."

Your smirk faltered. Oh. Right. Liam couldn’t get hard without you.

You glanced at him, but he didn’t look particularly bothered. Just...resigned. Like he’d accepted it. Like it didn’t even phase him anymore.

You bit your lip, then glanced away, something warm curling in your chest.

"Hey," you said after a beat, voice casual. "You want to—y'know—do our arrangement tonight?"

Liam blinked at you, eyebrows lifting slightly at your sudden offer.

But then you hesitated, that doubt creeping back in. "I mean, you probably don’t want to, right? Since I just—" You gestured vaguely. "Since I just slept with Jake and all."

Liam sighed through his nose, shaking his head. "Okay, seriously? Again with this self-doubt shit?" He glanced at you, expression unreadable. "I don’t care, Luna. I literally do not care. Stop thinking about yourself like that."

You swallowed, watching his face carefully.

Liam huffed, rubbing at the back of his neck before muttering, almost sheepishly, "But, uh...yeah. The arrangement would be nice tonight."

You felt a slow smirk tug at your lips. "Oh?"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

You laughed, and for the first time all night, the weight on your chest felt just a little bit lighter.

The streetlights cast long, flickering shadows across the sidewalk as you and Liam strolled through campus, the heavy tension from earlier slowly lifting like morning fog burned away by the sun.

Your body still hummed from the ****, from Jake, from the night as a whole—but now, instead of overthinking it, you were just...existing. You were here, in the moment, and Liam was beside you, hands in his pockets, looking far too smug for someone who had just consoled you about your so-called "moral failings."

"You definitely rode that nerd like your life depended on it," Liam said suddenly, his voice laced with pure mischief.

Your mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"

He snickered. "C’mon. Don’t even try to deny it. The way you were talking about him earlier? You had plans, Luna. Blueprints. A full-on architectural design."

You groaned, covering your face with both hands. "Shut the fuck up."

Liam only grinned wider. "Nah, nah, I’m just impressed! Most people get their homework done by the nerd, not on the nerd."

You wheezed. "Liam!"

He cackled, bumping his shoulder against yours. "Be honest. Did you grade his performance at the end? Maybe leave some notes in the margins?"

You shot him a glare. "I'm gonna leave you in the margins if you don’t shut up."

Liam snorted. "Oh, please. You know you love this. I’m just saying, Professor Luna, you clearly ran a very hands-on lesson tonight."

You shoved him, and he barely stumbled, still grinning like an asshole.

A beat of silence passed before you sighed dramatically. "I mean, fine. I was a little surprised by him."

Liam wiggled his brows. "Oh?"

You shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "He’s got some skills. For a nerd."

Liam let out an exaggerated gasp. "Jake? A secret weapon in the sheets? Say it ain’t so!"

You rolled your eyes, nudging him. "Don’t act so surprised. The quiet ones always have some freak in them."

Liam hummed. "True, true. So, if this was the first of the seven, who's next? Who’s the next lucky contestant on Aphrodite’s Fucked-Up Game Show?"

You exhaled through your nose, rubbing the back of your neck. "Maybe...Damian Kane?"

Liam choked. "Damian Kane?!" He turned to stare at you, eyes wide. "You’re gonna sleep with that guy again?"

You held up a finger. "I don't know if the prophecy is going to count the first time I did."

Liam barked out a laugh. "Jesus Christ, Luna, you’re going from 'Destroy my insides, CEO-sama' to 'Do my homework, Daddy' real fucking quick."

You doubled over, clutching your stomach as laughter tore through you. "Shut up!"

Liam grinned. "No, no, I’m serious! You think Jake was a catch? Damian Kane is built like a Greek statue with the personality of a fucking war crime. That dude has never smiled at a woman in his life."

You wiped at your eyes, shaking your head. "Hey, I can be charming!"

"To people with souls, maybe," Liam shot back. "Damian Kane? That man would ghost his own mother if it meant closing a business deal."

You laughed again, still breathless. "Okay, yeah, but—I already have a way in. He’s a man, not a robot."

Liam shrugged. "I dunno, the jury’s still out on that."

You sighed, stretching your arms over your head. "Well, lucky for me, I’ve already figured it out. I won't need a lot of time."

Liam side-eyed you. "Time, huh? How long before you’re on top of him with your skirt bunched around your waist?"

You groaned, smacking his arm. "Can you not say it like that?"

He just grinned. "Oh, I will say it like that. In fact, I’m gonna be thinking about it every time you mention this trial."

You narrowed your eyes. "Every time?"

Liam smirked. "Every. Time."

You let out a long, suffering sigh, shaking your head. "You are the worst."

"And yet, here we are," he said, completely unbothered.

You rolled your eyes, but your lips were curled into a smile. The night might have started heavy, but now?

It just felt like you and Liam. Like always.