My roommate had me pinned to the bed, kissing me.

Our other roommate was practically climbing the walls.

"You've almost kissed his mouth raw. When the hell is it my turn?"

Chapter 1

Watching porn in my dorm room turned out to be a terrible idea.

Mostly because Tyler caught me.

"So you like guys," he said, making it sound like a diagnosis. "You're not into me, are you? God, that's disgusting."

I gave him a cold little laugh.

"Own a mirror, Tyler? Maybe try looking in it. Being gay doesn't mean I'll take anything with a pulse."

I leaned back in my desk chair.

"If I liked anyone here, it'd be Noah. What makes you think you'd even make the list?"

And that was when I saw Noah Reed standing in the doorway, a faint blush on his face.

Behind him stood Chase Walker, looking ready to commit a felony.

My heart did an unpleasant little tap dance.

Great. Not only had the subject of my crush heard me shooting my mouth off, but so had the guy who was obsessed with him.

Tyler, whose brain apparently existed only to keep his skull from collapsing, kept going.

"You think you've got a shot with Noah? You'd be lucky to be his little lapdog."

I went quiet.

The insult had been aimed at me, but I had a feeling someone else had taken the hit.

I'd clocked Chase's thing for Noah on move-in day.

They were in the same program. Chase orbited him constantly, all while insisting they were just friends.

If denial needed a mascot, Chase was available.

Sure enough, his face darkened.

"Take this shit outside. Both of you."

My phone buzzed with a reminder for my shift. Perfect timing. I changed and grabbed my bag.

As I left, Tyler eagerly filled Chase in.

"Dude, did you know Owen's gay? He's into men. That's so fucking gross."

Chase kicked Tyler's chair.

"Shut the fuck up."

Chapter 2

For the record, I really did like Noah.

He was sweet. Considerate. Pretty enough to make thinking difficult.

Half the campus liked him.

If Chase hadn't guarded him like a dragon sitting on a pile of gold, Noah would've had people lining up outside our door.

The day before, I'd walked in while Noah was changing.

Pretty face, long legs, abs that looked unfairly good without even trying.

The face alone had already been a problem. The body was frankly excessive.

I'd spent the entire night thinking about him, which was how I'd ended up looking for a little private entertainment today.

Finding a guy who looked vaguely like Noah had taken forever.

Then, just as I started the video, Tyler ripped my privacy curtain open.

Naturally, I expressed my feelings by punching a pillow until it developed structural issues.

Halfway through, something occurred to me.

My laptop.

Had I actually closed the video?

Well. Everyone knew I was gay now. Being caught watching porn hardly seemed like the main emergency.

Besides, the screen faced the wall. As long as nobody opened my bed curtain, they probably wouldn't notice.

Chapter 3

It was almost ten when I handed a customer her boba.

She took it with both hands and smiled shyly.

"Hey, could I get your number?"

On the outside, I remained perfectly casual.

Inside, I was delighted.

See? Still cute. Still had it.

Someone should bring Tyler here to witness this.

Unfortunately for her, I was very, very gay.

Before I could explain, an icy voice spoke from behind her.

"He's gay."

Wow. Thanks for announcing that to the entire store.

The girl didn't look disappointed. If anything, she brightened. She exchanged a look with her friend, and the two walked away smiling into their drinks.

I stared at Chase.

What was his problem now?

He ordered a pearl milk tea and stood off to the side, glaring at me like I owed him money.

The woman working the closing shift with me grinned.

"Your boyfriend's possessive."

Oh, excellent.

Now we had a whole new misunderstanding.

Chapter 4

When my shift ended, I stepped outside.

Chase followed, lazily sipping his drink.

I stopped and turned.

"All right. What do you want?"

Under the warm streetlight, his sharp features looked almost pale. With his mouth shut, he was genuinely intimidating.

He stepped toward me.

Then cold milk tea poured over my head.

I froze as it ran down my face. Several pearls slipped beneath my collar.

Chase's expression was ice.

"Keep your filthy little fantasies to yourself. Noah isn't someone you get to touch."

I wiped my cheek, fished a pearl out of my shirt, and shoved it between his lips.

"Oh, get over yourself. You follow him around all day. What does that make you?"

He stopped moving.

"And who's filthy?" I pointed at the cup he'd dropped. "You're the one throwing trash on the sidewalk."

For a second, he looked as though I'd knocked him off his script.

Then the scowl came back.

"If you so much as try anything with Noah in our room—"

He crowded closer.

"Or watch that disgusting shit again—"

His hand darted forward and pinched me through my clothes.

I jolted.

"I'll tear it off."

Wow. Those pearls really were impressively chewy.

So that explained it. He'd seen what was on my laptop.

Which meant he'd opened my bed curtain without asking.

Rude.

A startled gasp sounded nearby. I turned, but all I caught was someone hurrying away.

That wasn't my main concern.

Chase still hadn't moved his hand.

He finally seemed to realize it. His face changed. He snatched his hand back, picked up the empty cup, and stalked away after giving me one last glare.

Chapter 5

Back at the dorm, Tyler had his headset on and was gaming.

I gathered my toiletries and nearly collided with Noah as he came out of our shared bathroom.

I felt awkward. Had he seen the video too?

Did he think I was some kind of creep?

Noah looked at me, his eyebrows drawing together. His gaze dropped to the milk tea soaking my shirt.

I couldn't quite bring myself to say hello. I ducked into the bathroom instead.

Warm, damp air still lingered inside. It smelled like his soap.

I took a breath and pulled off my sticky white T-shirt.

I'd just stepped out of my pants when the door opened.

Noah stood there, looking a little pink.

"Sorry. I forgot my clothes."

I followed his gaze to the laundry hamper.

Something sour fizzed in my chest.

"Noah, I am gay, and yes, I think you're cute. But I'm not going to steal your stuff. You don't have to look at me like I'm a criminal."

His eyes flicked away.

"That's not what I was doing," he said quietly.

I laughed without much feeling.

Prejudice. Apparently no bridge was long enough to get over it.

He probably thought I was pathetic.

Once he left, I turned on the shower and let out a long breath beneath the water.

My life was a sitcom. A particularly stupid one.

By the time I finished washing, I felt considerably better.

Fine. I was gay. There were plenty of men in the world. I could start fresh. Broaden my horizons. Turn my life into one giant singles bar.

A whole new beginning awaited me.

Like hell it did.

I'd forgotten clean clothes.

I looked into the hamper.

Empty.

Oh, lovely. Noah had taken my dirty clothes too.

Really putting in the effort to prove he wasn't avoiding me.

Chapter 6

Yesterday, I would've simply covered the important bits and gone out to get something.

Today, that seemed unwise.

Mostly because Tyler would probably accuse me of trying to seduce him.

I had standards. Occasionally low ones, but standards nonetheless.

There were only three of us home. I swallowed my pride and cracked the bathroom door.

"Noah? Could you bring me something to wear?"

He agreed immediately. A minute later, a hand passed clothes through the gap.

Outside, Tyler muttered, "You gay guys really will find any excuse."

I rolled my eyes where he couldn't see.

Then I unfolded the clothes.

Wait.

These weren't mine.

"I didn't want to go through your closet," Noah said gently. "You can borrow mine. The underwear's new."

Warmth spread through my chest.

An actual angel.

Sweet, thoughtful, and entirely wasted on Chase, who would absolutely bully him.

I got dressed.

Huh. Noah looked slim, but his shorts were surprisingly roomy.

I opened the door and immediately considered closing it again.

Had I gotten water in my brain? Why was Chase here?

His eyes practically shot sparks.

"Why the hell are you wearing Noah's clothes?"

"He said I could. Do I need your signature too?"

I pushed past him and found Noah at the little drying rack by the window.

"Noah, where are my—"

Then I saw my white underwear in his hand, freshly rinsed and dripping.

He smiled at me, somehow radiating domestic bliss.