“You’re going to be incredible.” He smiles.
“So are you.”
Silence settles between us. Weighted. Honest.
“We won’t have this anymore.” I drag the toe of my boot through grit on the sidewalk, watching the pale line vanish almost as soon as it appears. “Study sessions. Random dinners. Nights here at the pub.”
Julian’s laugh floats from farther up the block, unchecked. Marisol’s gleeful cackle cuts through it. Irving lifts an arm and flags a cab without missing a beat.
“No. We won’t.” Zach steps closer. Enough to narrow the night to what stands between us.
I look up. His attention holds mine. Steady. Unreadable. Refusing to offer permission or retreat.
Until, a kiss lands firm and exact, stealing my breath before I can prepare for it. His hand settles at my waist. Not tentative or urgent.Authoritative. He holds me in place to keep me anchored.
My balance settles and my lips answer without thinking, opening and letting it deepen. My fingers twist into the fabric of his hoodie, gathering it tight. His mouth moves with mine, control loosened by restraint finally released. The years between this moment and the day we met dissolve under desire and heat.
Time stretches without permission. My body lines up with his, instinct taking over where caution usually lives. Nothing about this is borrowed or reckless. Our kiss carries familiarity layered with something new.
Somethingchosen.
He draws back only enough to breathe. His forehead rests on my temple but his hand stays locked at my waist. His thumb nudges once. Deliberate. A signal meant to be remembered.
“Cab’s here,” Julian calls, snapping us back to reality.
Marisol whistles.
Zach releases me and reaches for my hand, fingers closing around mine without pause.
We jog to catch up, laughter breaking free as we reach them. Julian slings an arm around Zach’s shoulders. Marisol loops her arm through mine. We pile in the cab, knees knocking, coats brushing, breath uneven. Irving scoots over to make room.
Julian names the next bar, which is fairly close. Marisol agrees. Irving nods. Once the door shuts, the driver pulls out and the city of New Haven blurs past the windows.
Zach repositions so his leg crowds mine, stupidly intentional now. His arm snakes along the back of the seat, close enough to claim space without crowding me overtly. I scoot closer, purposefully, because this could be our last chance to tilt the dynamic between us.
Heat blazes through me before thought catches up. His kiss lingers on my mouth, unresolved. Want settles deep. Certain. I’ve spent years managing my secret crush. Redirecting myenergy to avoid detection. Filing away my attraction to Zach as something impractical.
None of my restraint holds now.
I want him with unsurprising clarity. Not as an escape. Or rebellion. Fucking Zach will be something incredible, even with distance waiting on the other side of graduation. Our lives may be heading in different directions it doesn’t erase what’s happening here.
It sharpens it.
Being with him tonight isn’t about what comes next or where we land after bar prep or how often we’ll cross paths once geography intervenes. It’s about giving in to something we’ve both held at bay for too long.
It may be unspoken, but he knows. I know.
We’ll stay out with our friends for a few hours. We’ll laugh and drink and carry the night forward as friends, the way it’s always been.
Later, when the noise softens and the crowds thin, he and I will slink away without any formal announcement.
No one will notice, which means no one will stop us.
Tonight’s gonna end with his hands all over me.
I won’t regret it for one second.
