𝙞𝙞. 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙧

I FEEL IT TOO - THE ACADEMIC 

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 3:58

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—THE WEEK AFTER THE pitches blurred into something new, not that anyone said it out loud, but everyone could feel it. something had shifted between owen and liz.

it wasn't dramatic. just... quieter. easier. they still hung out with the group, still laughed at the same dumb jokes, but now there was this extra spark sitting in the silence between their words. a little weight that hadn't been there before.they started texting more. it was little things at first, stupid snap stickers, snaps of their homework, even tiktoks sent here and there. but then it turned into longer conversations. ones that stretched past midnight until one of them finally went, "ok i'm actually going now for real this time."

and then they'd keep talking for another twenty minutes anyway.

by sunday, charlie begged the group to hang out once again and head into town for a while. owen showed up late, his expression tired but still cheerful due to the match he had early morning. the rest of them were already gathered outside — mia, saoirse, charlie, harry, and liz. she was sitting on the curb, sipping a costa drink, scrolling through her phone. "well, well" charlie got up, "finally," harry groaned, as owen walked up. "yeah.. erm- my bad there was loads of traffic" owen scratched the back of his neck with an awkward smile. "mate, the match was like 4 hours ago and we're before you" harry rolled his eyes as the girls stood up, dusting themselves off just incase any muck or dirt was on their leggings. "okay guys, shut up and let's go" liz clapped her hands to get the boys' attention as the three girls linked arms and rushed inside giggling.

charlie had somehow dragged them all into jd sports first, claiming he "needed new boots," but really just wanted to mess about with the display footballs. harry was filming him trying (and failing) to do keepie uppies while saoirse was already complaining about how bored she was.

elizabeth and owen had ended up near the hoodies, standing a little apart from the chaos. "so this is what we're calling shopping now?" liz said, smiling as she sipped her costa drink.

"apparently," owen said, flicking through a rail of jumpers. "though i'm not sure charlie even knows what he's looking for." "he just likes touching things," she laughed. "bit weird when you say it like that." "you know what i mean." liz snickered

he laughed quietly, the kind of laugh that made her chest flutter.

he pulled out a grey hoodie and held it against himself. "what about this?" liz tilted her head, pretending to think. "it suits you." "yeah?" "yeah." he smirked. "you're just saying that." she shook her head "nahh, genuinely it looks fine, i think you should buy it"

owen shrugged "might come back for it later honestly" "good plan" she hummed. after jd, mia, liz and saoirse insisted on going into primark, which meant dragging the boys behind them. harry complained the entire walk.

"why are we even here?" he groaned. "because we need new pyjamas," mia said. "you could do that without us." "no fun in that," saoirse replied with a giggle

charlie walked beside owen through the busy walkway, bumping shoulders every so often. he looked down at charlie, the lazy grin still tugging at his face. "they're going to be hours in there, you know." "yeah, i know," charlie said before adding "you think we'll survive?" "barely."

they did.

by the time they reached the food court, the group was starving. everyone crowded around a long table, half of them with mcdonald's, the rest with greggs. harry had managed to spill his drink before even sitting down, and charlie was taking the mick out of him for it.

"you're actually useless," charlie said. "says the guy who missed an open goal earlier," harry shot back."don't start, bro." "too late."

"my dad was actually fuming at that by the way" owen giggled at charlie, they all watched as charlie's jaw drops and his ears go red from embarrassment. "are you for real?" he says in a panic before owen slowly nods.

liz was laughing quietly at them when owen leaned across the table. "you sure you're not embarrassed to be seen with us?" he asked, smirking. "every second," she teased. "rude." "i'm joking," she said softly. he smiled. "i know."

for a second, their eyes met — just a second too long — before mia's voice broke the moment. "harry! you're actually dripping milkshake everywhere!"

everyone groaned.

when the food was gone and the noise had finally calmed down, harry spoke up. "wait owen" owens head shot up but then harry shook his head, glancing at the phone before picking it up typing out something while the others were chatting about random things. owen's phone buzzed in his pocket. he pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

4:16 PM

harry 🦈

harry 🦈: bro don't look now but liz is so into you lol

owen: stfu 

harry 🦈: nah fr tho she's been smiling at you all day owen: yeah well maybe i'm just funny

harry 🦈: ur not that funny mate 

owen: cheers👍

  harry 🦈: u like her tho don't lie 

owen: idk maybe 

harry 🦈: nah not maybe. you defo do.

 owen: leave it

he shoved his phone back into his pocket, trying not to look as flustered as he suddenly felt, glancing at harry who was already grinning smug.

later, they wandered through a few more shops — h&m, boots, then tesco express "for snacks." harry was still being annoying, charlie was juggling a pack of pringles, and saoirse was arguing with the self-checkout machine. liz ended up next to owen again near the entrance, both waiting for the others.

"you alright?" she asked, noticing he'd gone a bit quiet. "yeah," he said quickly, glancing down at her. "just tired, that's all.""you sure?" he nodded. "yeah. promise." they all regrouped by the centre doors, sunlight spilling through the glass as the afternoon started to fade. mia was talking about doing another trip next weekend, charlie was saying he had football, harry was already halfway through his lucozade.

but owen and liz were just... standing there. not in a rush to leave.

"you heading home now?" he asked. "yeah," she said. "my mum'll start ringing soon if i don't." "same," he said. "been out all day." "it was fun though." "yeah," he said, smiling. "it was." they lingered for a second longer before the group started calling them from across the plaza.

"come on!" saoirse shouted. "before the bus goes!"

liz laughed and took a few steps back. "see you later, owen." "yeah," he said quietly. "see you, liz."

he watched her walk off, sunlight catching in her hair, and his chest tightened just a little.

as they all split into their separate directions, his phone buzzed again.

harry 🦈: u didn't even deny it this time 😏

owen: ur acc so annoying 

harry 🦈: admit it bro, she's got you smiling

owen: maybe she does

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a few days passed after the sunday meet-up, but the buzz from it lingered longer than anyone said out loud. owen had gone straight back into filming and rehearsals that week — early call times, long hours, scripts, lights. his life switched again from mates and shopping centres to trailers and cameras. but even when he was tired, he still found a way to text liz.

sometimes it was late at night, when he'd just finished filming and his brain felt half-fried. sometimes it was early morning, before he got picked up. it wasn't constant, just enough to remind her she hadn't imagined it, that he still thought about her when he could and probably more than he should.

11:27PM

elizabeth 🤎

owen: sorry i've been quiet been on set all day 💔 

elizabeth 🤎: it's g, i figured u were filming again 

owen: yeah, got back about 10, i'm shattered

elizabeth 🤎: go sleep bro sound dead

owen: can't yet, need to learn lines

elizabeth 🤎: i'd fail instantly, no way i could remember all that

owen: you'd do fine, you're smart

elizabeth 🤎: i'm also very lazy

owen: fair point 😂 elizabeth 🤎: how long you filming for this time?

owen: next few weeks, then a break

elizabeth 🤎: so no time for me then 😔

owen: oi i said i'd make time, didn't i?

elizabeth 🤎: you did tbf

⋆ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . 

liz smiled at her phone longer than she meant to. it wasn't much — just words — but it made her feel weirdly warm. the kind of message you reread once or twice before locking your screen..

and with that, the thought of him made her feel soft