"Desire doesn't check boxes. It crosses lines."
Jayden had always known how to read people.
It came with being quiet, observant, and slightly too good at pretending he wasn't watching.
He knew when someone was lying.
He knew when someone was flirting.
And he definitely knew when Cam his best friend since freshman year was toeing a line and pretending not to.
Jayden had spent years ignoring it.
Until now.
It started during their sophomore road trip to Lake Echo back when nights were long, rules were few, and everyone thought they had time to waste.
Cam had been tipsy. Sunburnt. Shirtless in the driver's seat.
Jayden, watching him out of the corner of his eye, had asked the question just to see.
"Would you ever kiss a guy?"
Cam hadn't missed a beat. "I mean... maybe. Depends on the guy."
He said it with a shrug. Like it didn't mean anything.
But Jayden never forgot.
Now, at twenty-four, they were back in the city, back in each other's space sharing a too-small loft with creaky floors, overdue bills, and the kind of emotional closeness only years of silent attraction could create.
Cam had just gotten out of a long-term relationship with a girl who'd broken more than just his heart.
He'd been quieter since. More thoughtful. His smiles came slower. And sometimes, when Jayden caught him staring, there was a softness in Cam's gaze that hadn't been there before.
One night, the tension broke.
It was late. Cold. A Thursday that felt like a Sunday.
They were up on the roof again Jayden wrapped in a hoodie, Cam in that worn-out denim jacket Jayden had secretly claimed as his favorite.
The city sparkled below them, but Jayden only watched Cam. The way he chewed the edge of the paper cup. The way his knee kept brushing Jayden's. The way he exhaled like something was heavy on his chest.
Jayden cleared his throat. "You ever think you're maybe… more curious than you admit?"
Cam stilled.
"Curious?" he asked, his voice low.
Jayden didn't blink. "About guys."
A long pause.
Cam looked out at the skyline, then back at him. "Bi the way…"
He half-smiled.
"…I'm yours."
Jayden's stomach dropped. Then fluttered. Then clenched again.
He tried to play it cool. "You don't have to say that."
"I know." Cam turned toward him fully. "But I've been thinking about it. About us. For a while."
Jayden's breath caught. "Since when?"
Cam smirked. "Since Lake Echo."
They didn't kiss right away.
First, they sat in silence.
Then Cam leaned in, forehead to forehead, his hand resting on Jayden's chest like he needed to feel his heartbeat before trusting his own.
Jayden closed the distance between them.
The kiss wasn't explosive. It wasn't wild.
It was slow. Careful. Full of years of questions and silent tension and deep, terrifying hope.
When they pulled apart, Cam's eyes were glassy.
"I don't know what this means yet," he admitted.
Jayden reached up and tucked a strand of Cam's hair behind his ear.
"It just means we're not pretending anymore."
They didn't go inside.
They lay back on the rooftop, side by side, sharing the blanket. Hands touched under the fabric. Fingers laced. Breaths slowed.
The night didn't ask them for answers.
And for once, neither of them needed one.
All they knew was that something had shifted and neither of them wanted it to go back.