Chapter 2

[Iris' POV] Ever since that night, Liam never contacted me again. He had barged in on me that night, left his marks all over my body, and then disappeared into the dark of the night without another sound. Whatever. Maybe it was for the better for our friendship to end that way. At least, I could just pretend that I had a wet dream about him, or something. "Iris? What are you doing, hiding here by yourself during a party?" Lia came over to me with two glasses of champagne in her hands, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Your darling Liam was just asking about you earlier. Are you still at odds with each other?" My heart thumped wildly against my ribcage. "He's here?" "He'd just arrived when he began asking around if you were already here. Really, he's probably more loyal than a dog at this point." I immediately got up and tried to escape by the back door, but it was too late. The crowd opened up like the Red Sea, and Liam, the ice hockey prince, walked into the party in a black turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. It was the simplest of all outfits, and yet, he looked extremely striking in it. Everyone's eyes were on him from the moment he walked in. However, I wasn't one of them. I just lowered my head, watching the bubbles in my glass of champagne, praying to the gods that he would suddenly go blind and not take any notice of me. Liam approached me and stopped. "Iris. We need to talk," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the music and stung my eardrums. The crowd immediately made space for us and tactfully left us alone. I groaned inwardly, praying hard that his deranged fans wouldn't attack me tomorrow for this. Liam leaned against the bar, his side toward me, and he tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop. Then, he brought out a velvet box and said, "Merry Christmas." He went straight to the point. "I'd wanted to give it to you the other night." My face burned immensely as memories of that hot night flooded my mind. I could remember the warmth of his body, his breath, his hands, and the way he made me call him— "I don't want it," I said, my voice tight. "I didn't prepare a gift for you, and I don't want to take yours either." Liam finally turned to face me, his eyes as cold as ice. "Why not?" "I… I don't want your gift. Also, whatever happened that night was nothing but a mistake," I said, basically forcing the words through gritted teeth. "A mistake," Liam echoed, his frown deepening. "Was it also a mistake how you took the initiative to appease me and lead me on that night?" I couldn't answer his question. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I thought it was going to fly out and explode. The fight between us that happened half a year ago felt like this, too. I had been at his villa that day, and I accidentally overheard his senator dad chatting with his other relatives. I heard a few parts where his dad said he needed to "pave the way for Liam by arranging a marriage for him" and that "the Coopers are a good choice, and they have a daughter named Elena, too." After that, at the ball, Elena wore a custom-designed dress and asked Liam to dance in front of the entire school. I had been standing by myself in a corner, still holding the box of desserts Liam had stuffed into my hands, saying that he had bought them for me on the spur of the moment. A short while after graduation, Liam began planning a vacation and asked me excitedly if there was anywhere I wanted to go. I simply said, "Don't bother. I'm not in the same league as you are." I could still remember the expression on Liam's face when I said that to him. It was one of shock and confusion. Then, his face slowly turned cold. "Iris," he said, staring at me. "What exactly do you mean by that?" It meant that I, who came from a family that had just gone bankrupt, was not good enough for him. It meant that I couldn't afford to get played by him. It meant that I was begging him to please stay away from me as much as possible because I didn't want to continue falling for him anymore. "Liam!" A bright voice suddenly interrupted us. It was Elena. She was blonde, had beautiful blue eyes, and her short bodycon dress hugged her just right, flaunting all of her curves. She looked like she didn't even see me and immediately wrapped herself around Liam's arms, making sure to nudge her chest against his body. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Don't you know that we're all waiting for the captain to give us a little speech?" Elena's voice was saccharinely sweet. However, her gaze soon shifted to me as she gave me a once-over. Liam didn't move. His eyes were still on me. "Congratulations," I said, still rooted to my spot. My voice trembled as I added, "Have fun." Then, I turned and walked away unsteadily. I didn't know if it was from the alcohol or the heartbreak. I was such a pathetic loser.