The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 288

Callum’s POV

“Come on, man. You’ve been moping around for weeks.”

I looked up from my textbook to find Drake standing in my doorway with his arms crossed. Behind him, I could see Toby loitering in the hallway, tapping away at his phone. They were both dressed to go out.

“I’m not moping,” I said, forcefully flipping to the next page in the book I was reading.

“Yeah. You’re brooding.” Drake walked into my room and snatched the book out of my hands. “The semester’s almost over. You need to get out and have some fun before we all go home for the holidays.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

“You’re never in the mood anymore.” Toby poked his head in. “Seriously, dude. When’s the last time you actually hung out with us? You’re always either with Bianca or locked in your room.”

I didn’t have an answer for that. Mostly because he was right.

“Paddy’s is hosting an end of semester party tonight,” Drake added. “Free first round. Live music. Hot girls. Come on, you know you want to.”

Paddy’s. The local dive bar. The last place I wanted to be right now was in a packed bar, drinking alcohol, potentially rubbing elbows with Liora. I was still trying to keep my distance from her. Alcohol and dim lighting and her possibly wearing something tight was a recipe for disaster.

“I’m not interested,” I said coolly.

“Callum.” Drake set the book down and leaned against my desk. “Look, I get it. Things have been rough lately. But you can’t just hide in here forever. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy.”

I rubbed my eyes. I was tired. So fucking tired. And the idea of going out and pretending to have a good time sounded exhausting.

But they weren’t going to leave me alone. I could already tell.

“Fine,” I muttered. “One drink. That’s it.”

Drake grinned. “That’s all we’re asking for.”

An hour later, I found myself at the bar near campus. The place was packed with students, all of them laughing and drinking and celebrating the end of the semester. Music blared from the speakers, and the air smelled like beer and sweat.

She was sitting alone at a table in the corner with her head resting on her arm, twirling her finger around the rim of her drink glass. Even from here, I could tell she’d been crying. Her shoulders were shaking, and there were several empty shot glasses around her.

I frowned and looked around. Where was Liora? Those two were usually attached at the hip. It was weird seeing Mia here alone, especially in this state.

Before I could think better of it, I slid off my stool and walked over.

“Mia?”

She lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her mascara had left dark tracks down her cheeks. “Callum?” She sat up and wiped at her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

She laughed. It sounded bitter. “Do I look okay?”

“Not really.” I pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. “What happened? Where’s Liora?”