When he isn't yours

Liam was a light sleeper. He always had been.

Even before the world turned into this frozen nightmare, he was the kind of guy who woke up at the smallest sound—footsteps in the hall, the creak of a door, the shift of the wind against his window.

So when he felt something—someone—touching him, his eyes snapped open instantly.

A whisper followed.

"Liam. Liam."

He turned his head sharply, his pulse spiking for half a second before he saw who it was.

Ava.

She was crouched beside him, her face dimly lit by the pale moonlight seeping through the broken windows.

Liam exhaled and sat up slightly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His body was stiff, his head sore from using the supply bag as a pillow.

"What?" he muttered, his voice rough from sleep.

Ava glanced back toward the others, lowering her voice. "Nothing happened. I just need the painkillers. Riley's leg is hurting again."

Liam blinked at her for a second before nodding. He reached under his head, unzipping the bag and feeling around inside until he found the bottle. He handed it to her without another word.

"Thanks," she murmured, taking it.

He watched her retreat back into the darkness toward Riley.

Liam sighed, shifting back down, resting his head against the bag again. He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to fall asleep.

But something gnawed at him.

A weird feeling—like the sense that something wasn't quite right.

A Few Hours Later

The feeling wasn't wrong.

Liam stirred slightly, his body instinctively aware of movement. He didn't open his eyes immediately, but the second he felt a light pull from beneath his head, he knew.

Someone was touching the bag.

His body tensed, and instead of reacting right away, he stayed still, forcing his breathing to remain slow and even.

He listened.

Silence.

Then—light, almost weightless movement.

Liam opened his eyes just a sliver, barely enough to see through his lashes.

Nothing.

Whoever it was had already moved away.

Liam slowly exhaled and sat up. His gaze flicked across the room, scanning every shadowed figure curled up against the walls.

Nothing looked out of place.

But someone had definitely been there.

He reached for the bag, unzipped it halfway, and felt inside. The supplies still seemed to be there, but that didn't mean something hadn't been taken.

His jaw tightened.

Liam decided not to sleep again.

Instead, he leaned back against the cold wall, pulled out a bottle of water from the bag, and drank in slow gulps. The cold liquid slid down his throat, waking him up further.

He would guard for the rest of the night.

Early Morning

The first thing Ava noticed when she woke up was that it was still quiet.

The second thing she noticed was Liam.

He was sitting against the wall, his head tilted slightly downward, eyes half-lidded but still open.

He was exhausted. She could see it in the way his shoulders sagged slightly, in the way his grip on his water bottle was loose, like he could barely hold it.

Ava sat up, rubbing her arms against the cold. "You've been awake this whole time?" she asked quietly.

Liam turned his head slightly. His gaze was groggy but still sharp. "Yeah."

Ava frowned. She stood up and stretched, rolling the stiffness out of her neck before walking toward him.

"I'll take over," she said simply. "Go rest."

Liam shook his head. "I'm fine."

Ava exhaled, crossing her arms. "No, you're not."

"I can last a few more hours."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "That's not the point."

Liam blinked slowly, like the act of keeping his eyes open was getting harder.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but then, his body betrayed him. His eyes shut for a second too long, his head tipping slightly forward.

Ava caught his shoulder before he could slump further.

"Get some rest," she said firmly, her voice holding no room for argument.

Liam exhaled and, for once, didn't argue. His body was too heavy, his limbs too sluggish.

He finally nodded.

As he adjusted, he sat back, his back pressing lightly against hers.

Ava tensed at first, caught off guard by the contact. But she didn't pull away.

They sat like that—back to back, with the supply bag between them.

Ava kept her eyes on the doorway, her fingers gripping the iron bar she had kept by her side. The tension from last night still lingered in the air, and she had a feeling things weren't going to get any easier.

An hour passed.

The morning light slowly crept into the room, casting long shadows.

Then, Mia stirred.

Ava heard the movement but didn't look right away.

Mia sat up slowly, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Her gaze drifted across the room, taking in the scene—taking in Liam, resting against Ava.

Her expression shifted.

Then, quietly, she turned her head and glanced at Ilsa, who was still asleep beside her.

Mia shifted slightly, locking her arm with Ilsa's and giving her a small nudge.

Ilsa groaned, stirring awake.

Mia, however, didn't say anything.

She just closed her eyes again, acting as if she were still asleep.

Ilsa blinked blearily, her gaze moving across the room—

And then, she saw it.

Ava. Near the supply bag.

Ilsa's expression changed, sharpening slightly.

She blinked away the last traces of sleep, stretching slightly before rubbing her face. Her body ached from sleeping on the hard classroom floor, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim morning light, something else caught her attention.

Ava.

Sitting near the supply bag.

Ilsa's brows furrowed. She nudged Jason, who was still asleep beside her.

"Wake up," she whispered sharply.

Jason grunted, rolling over onto his back, eyes barely cracking open. "What?"

Eli, who was curled up nearby, stirred as well. Ilsa motioned toward Ava with her chin.

Jason sat up a little, his tired expression sharpening the moment he saw what Ilsa was pointing at. His lips pressed into a thin line. "Are you kidding me?"

Ilsa turned to Mia, who was lying still beside them.

"Mia," she whispered, shaking her shoulder.

Mia didn't move at first. Then, slowly, she stretched, blinking lazily, as if she'd just been woken up from a peaceful dream. She sat up with a soft, innocent expression—like she had no idea what was happening.

Ilsa pointed again.

Mia's gaze shifted.

Ava was sitting near Liam. Too close.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, a frown flickering across her face.

Without another word, Ilsa stood up. Jason and Eli followed.

They moved toward Ava, their footsteps quiet but deliberate.

Ava, however, didn't notice.

She was focused on the door, gripping the iron bar she always kept at her side. Her thoughts were elsewhere—on the Frostborn outside, on the survival of the group, on the growing unease between them all.

She didn't hear them approach until—

"What are you doing?"

Ava flinched.

The unexpected sharpness in Ilsa's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned, startled, blinking at the three of them standing over her.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Ilsa crossed her arms. "How can you be so shameless?"

Ava frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jason let out a scoff. "Oh, come on. You're not that innocent."

Ava's confusion deepened. Her gaze flickered between them, trying to understand what they were accusing her of.

She noticed the way Jason and Eli were looking at her—not with curiosity, but with disdain. And behind them, Mia stood, her expression carefully composed, her lips pressed together as if something precious had been stolen from her.

Ilsa tilted her head. "How can you be so bold?"

Ava's brows furrowed. "Bold?"

Ilsa gestured toward the supply bag. "Sitting near the supplies like that."

Jason nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Didn't we already settle this? No one touches the supplies without asking Liam."

Ava opened her mouth to answer, but Ilsa cut her off.

"And even more shameless of you," she added, her voice dripping with accusation, "to get this close to someone else's boyfriend."

Ava's breath caught.

For a second, she didn't know what to say.

Someone else's… boyfriend?

Her gaze flickered toward Liam.

He was still fast asleep, his face slack with exhaustion. His usual sharp, observant demeanor was completely gone. He hadn't slept all night, and now, he wasn't waking up—not even with all of this noise.

Ava swallowed.

Something about that made her feel—

No.

She didn't let herself finish the thought.

Instead, she turned back to Ilsa and the others.

Their stares burned into her, waiting for a reaction.

Ava clenched her fists.

She wouldn't give them one.

Before she could speak, however, movement from the corner of the room caught her eye.

Riley and Elise.

Both of them had woken up from the commotion.

Riley, still groggy, sat up and rubbed her eyes. Elise, however, immediately noticed the tension in the room. She looked from Ava to Ilsa, her expression sharpening.

"What's going on?" Elise asked.

Ava exhaled slowly.

Then, she straightened her posture.

"Shut up and listen," she said firmly.

Ilsa's mouth fell open slightly, as if surprised by Ava's sudden shift in tone.

Ava met her gaze head-on. "Liam didn't sleep all night. He was guarding while the rest of us were asleep. I was keeping watch in his place."

Silence.

Ilsa's lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Ava continued.

"And as for the supplies," she said, her voice steady, "Liam is literally sleeping while gripping the straps of the bag. So there's no question about that, either."

The classroom was quiet.

Even Jason and Eli didn't say anything.

Mia, standing slightly behind them, lowered her gaze slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line.

Ava exhaled and pushed herself up to her feet.

She walked past them without another word.

Behind her, she could hear Ilsa muttering something under her breath to Jason.

Then—movement.

Ava glanced back.

Ilsa and the others had crouched down, murmuring to one another. And then—Mia.

Mia slowly walked forward, kneeling beside Liam.

She hesitated for a moment before settling herself down right next to him.

Her gaze flickered toward Ava, her expression unreadable.

Jason and Eli glanced toward Ava's group, their eyes still carrying a quiet contempt.

Ava didn't react.

She simply walked toward Riley and Elise, who were both watching her carefully.

Elise crossed her arms. "That was a load of bullshit."

Ava exhaled through her nose, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah."

Riley rolled her eyes. "I told you not to help Vin."

Ava shook her head slightly but didn't say anything.

Instead, she sat down beside them, her back pressing against the cold wall.

Across the room, Mia's group was still whispering among themselves.

And though nothing more was said, the tension in the air remained.

Thick.

Unspoken.

And only growing heavier with each passing second, while Liam was still sound asleep.