Those few bites tasted so incredibly good that they completely derailed Derek’s train of thought. For a moment, he actually forgot what he had set out to do in the first place.
After chewing a few more times, he suddenly froze. Wait... why exactly did I grab these fire noodles again?
Ah, whatever, I can’t remember.
He decided to drop it. There was no point overthinking it anyway; the food tasted great, and that was all that mattered. Pushing the chaotic thoughts from his mind, Derek refocused all his attention on the bowl in front of him, losing any remaining interest in competing with Liam.
Meanwhile, after chugging a large glass of ice-cold milk, Liam finally managed to soothe the raging fire in his mouth. The stinging heat had mostly subsided, but his lips remained vividly red and slightly swollen, giving them a bright, striking appearance against his pale skin. Even his eyes were still rimmed with a delicate flush.
"Are you feeling any better?" Suzy asked softly, her eyes locked onto his face.
Liam gave a quiet nod, though his heart was swimming with intense regret. If he had known it would turn out like this, he never would have touched those fire noodles. He had made such an absolute mess of himself, and his nose had even started running.
He couldn’t help but worry whether Suzy would find him repulsive now.
Anxiously trying to gauge her reaction, Liam stole a quick glance at her, only to freeze when he met her intensely burning gaze. He was sharp enough to notice that she wasn’t just looking at him—she was staring directly at his lips.
She’s checking me out!
The realization sent his heart into a frantic flutter. Subconsciously, he ran his tongue over his lips. The light sheen of moisture made his already swollen, crimson lips look even glossier and more defined.
The heat in Suzy’s gaze flared even hotter, so intense it felt as though it could burn right through him.
Liam suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness wash over him, accompanied by a touch of awkwardness. Yet, any lingering traces of regret from earlier dissolved completely. If making a bit of a fool of himself meant earning a look like that from Suzy, then a little public embarrassment was a price he was more than willing to pay.
A secret, delicate wave of sweetness blossomed in his chest and radiated outward. He realized he thoroughly enjoyed being looked at by her in this way. It filled him with an immense sense of satisfaction—even pure delight.
However, that fleeting moment of bliss didn’t last long before Liam felt another heavy, piercing gaze directed at him. There was no malice behind it, but it was far too intense to ignore.
Tracing the line of sight, Liam discovered that the person staring at him was none other than Thomas.
Thomas’s dark, eagle-like eyes were locked entirely onto him, studying him with a gaze that felt part-mindful, part-observant. Those eyes were simply too dark—resembling a deep, bottomless pool or a heavy layer of fog, making it impossible for Liam to decipher the exact emotions hidden beneath the surface.
Even so, he caught a subtle trace of something leaking out from Thomas’s cool exterior: envy.
He... Thomas is envious of me?
Liam was thoroughly taken aback. But before he could read into it any further, Thomas calmly averted his gaze.
Liam let his attention drift back to Suzy. She was still staring at him with a bright, welcoming smile, her beautiful eyes burning with that same intense warmth. Once again, a faint blush began to creep back up his cheeks.
"Alright, everyone sit down and let’s dig in!" Leonard called out, breaking up the heavy silence as he noticed everyone exchanging looks. "If you guys don’t start eating now, Derek is going to polish off the entire spread by himself."
At those words, everyone’s eyes snapped over to Derek.
Mid-bite into his food frenzy, Derek froze. He lifted his head with a thoroughly dazed expression, only to find the entire room staring blankly at him. An acute wave of awkwardness washed over him.
"Derek, slow down. If it’s not enough, we have plenty more in the kitchen," Suzy teased gently, watching him eat like a starving ghost who had just broken a lifelong fast.
"No... I... I’m not..."
Derek stammered over his words, suddenly finding that the food in his mouth had lost all its flavor. He felt completely mortified. This was absolutely not the kind of attention he had been trying to attract!
Thanks to Leonard’s timely intervention, however, the group finally settled down around the table. Their focus gradually shifted toward the rich spread of food before them, and the awkward tension quickly evaporated.
They chatted and ate, the conversation flowing effortlessly as the next half hour ticked away. By the time they finished, everyone was feeling a little pleasantly buzzed from the drinks.
Suzy hadn’t really touched the alcohol; it was mostly the three guys doing the heavy drinking. Even Thomas, for reasons unknown, had downed several bottles in a row, prompting Leonard to tease him about having something on his mind.
Thomas had cut him a look, flatly denying it. He claimed he was only drinking so much because the alcohol tasted decent.
Derek took those words to heart. Intrigued, he poured himself a glass and took a sip. He didn’t think it tasted particularly amazing and wondered if his taste buds were misfiring, so he tried a few more gulps. Before long, a heavy buzz set in. His alcohol tolerance was mediocre at best, and those few mouthfuls were more than enough to do him in.
Derek had been loudly rowdy at first, but he gradually grew completely unresponsive, eventually slumping onto the sofa, out cold.
The chaotic noise in the living room slowly died down. In the end, the only sober people left were Suzy and Liam.
Exchanging a look, the two of them spent a considerable amount of energy hauling the three dead weights off to bed and getting them settled.
Back in the living room, Liam turned to Suzy, his voice soft and gentle. "You should head back and get some rest too. I’ll take care of cleaning up the rest of this."
With the drunkards dealt with, only a messy table remained.
Suzy looked at Liam. His cheeks still carried a lingering flush, and his lips were remarkably vivid. After all the heavy lifting, a few stray strands of hair had fallen across his face, making him look exceptionally striking. In his quiet, nurturing element, the sheer "husband material" energy radiating from him was practically palpable.
Suzy didn’t budge, staying exactly where she stood.
"Are you... not going?" Liam asked, feeling a bit self-conscious under her intense gaze. He lowered his eyes, his long lashes trembling slightly. His fingers brushed idly against the edge of the coffee table, touching a small crumb from the fried chicken before quickly drawing back.
"I’ll head back in a bit," Suzy said.
She walked over to the sofa and took a seat directly opposite him. They were separated only by the coffee table and the leftover mess—a scattering of empty beer cans and used skewer sticks. It was a comfortable distance; close enough to see each other’s expressions clearly, yet far enough not to feel suffocated.
Liam didn’t look up at her again, leaning down to start clearing the table. He began crushing the empty beer cans one by one, dropping them into a trash bag with light, practiced movements. As he bent over, his long hair slid off his shoulder, veiling half of his face from view.
Sitting across from him, Suzy rested her elbows on her knees and propped her chin in her hands, simply watching him work.
"Liam," she called out.
"Yeah?" Liam looked up, curious.
Suzy didn’t say a word. She simply curled her index finger, gesturing for him to come closer.