Luca, a beautiful blond 20-year-old sophomore swimmer, spotted Dean, his hot brunette fraternity brother, leaning shirtless under the big oak by the dorms. Sunlight glinted off the edge of Dean’s new tattoo, etched just beneath his collarbone, and Luca felt that same rush he’d been trying to ignore since last semester. They’d been close since pledging the fraternity together—always laughing, always low-key flirting—but there had always been this unspoken tension between them. Over break, they barely exchanged more than a few texts and memes. But now, seeing Dean again, relaxed and glowing in the sun, all the silence melted away. Dean’s grin widened as Luca approached, his letterman jacket catching the breeze, and without a word, he slung an arm around Dean’s bare shoulders. It felt easy. It felt right.

They chatted about classes, campus gossip, and how fast the semester was flying by, until the conversation paused and Dean turned to him. “We don’t have forever, you know?” he said, voice low. The words hit Luca like a wave. Why were they still pretending? College was slipping by. He leaned in first, giving Luca a quick kiss—soft, deliberate, like an answer to a question Luca never quite asked. Luca’s eyes widened, but then he smiled, and they pulled each other into a tight hug. It was warm, familiar, electric. Then they kissed again, slower this time, like they finally understood what they’d both been feeling all along. Their hearts raced, but the world around them stilled. “So what now?” Dean asked, breathless. Luca smiled. “We stop hiding. We just… be us.”