When I got close enough, Caleb grinned and smacked my back.
"Dude," he said, stepping back to look at me properly. "Did you grow taller in two months, or am I shrinking?"
I rolled my eyes, but my heart was already doing backflips.
Up close, he looked unfair. That stupidly handsome face. That smile that could probably fix global warming if we aimed it right. And for one reckless second, I wanted to grab him. Pull him into me. Bury my face in his neck and breathe him in like oxygen after drowning.
But I'd learned the rules a long time ago.
Guys didn't just... touch. Not unless it was a handshake, a back slap, or someone had broken a bone. Meanwhile, girls could hug whoever they wanted, hold hands, lean on each other without the world blinking. If I even tried to hold Caleb's hand, people would start writing conspiracy theories.
Sometimes I was stupidly jealous of that.
So I swallowed all of it-every insane, reckless want-and forced out a joke instead.
"Please," I scoffed. "I've always been tall. You're just finally noticing because I'm standing next to your ego."
He barked a laugh and shoved me lightly. "Shut up."
We climbed into the car.
The drive was quiet. Too quiet. Not the comfortable kind either. The suffocating kind. I stared out the window, mentally rehearsing every version of my confession.
Caleb, I like you. No, that sounds weak.
Caleb, I think I'm in love with you. Too dramatic.
Caleb, hypothetically, if your best friend fell in love with you-
I groaned internally.
Halfway through the drive, Caleb glanced at me.
"You good?" he asked. "Or are you mad at me about something?"
That snapped me out of it. I turned to him quickly. "What? No! Why would I be mad?"
"You're just... quiet."
I forced a grin and launched into some random story about Mrs. Janet's obsession with pop quizzes until he relaxed. By the time we reached school, I was back to being the loud, normal version of myself.
Or at least pretending to be.
It was our final year of high school. The last stretch. The beginning of the end.
And that was exactly why I had to tell him. I couldn't let graduation come and go with this still trapped inside me.
During Mrs. Janet's class, while she droned on about molecular bonds, I leaned toward Caleb.
"Meet me in the chemistry lab during recess," I whispered. "I have something to tell you."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Why do you sound like you're about to confess to a crime?"
"Just meet me," I muttered.
He studied me for another second before shrugging. "Fine."
The rest of first period was torture. I was sweating so much it looked like I had run a marathon. At one point, I seriously considered backing out. Pretending I'd forgotten. Setting the cake on fire. Faking my own death.
But no. I'd already come too far.
When the bell rang for recess, I grabbed the cake box from under my desk and bolted out of the classroom without looking back at Caleb. If I looked at him, I'd lose my nerve. I just had to trust he'd follow the plan.
Halfway down the hallway, I almost tripped over my own shoelaces. My body pitched forward-
-and strong hands caught me before I could crash into the floor.
Blue Jeremy.
Of course.
Everyone called him Blue Gem. Tall. Blonde. Blue eyes so sharp they almost looked artificial. The cliché kind of handsome that made girls lose common sense. A small crowd of them hovered around him now, batting eyelashes and asking him the dumbest questions just to hear him talk.
He barely ever did.
Blue was as cold as his name. Quiet. Detached. The kind of guy who looked at people-especially me-like they'd personally offended him by existing. Worse, he was the silent bully type.
The type who could corner you in the boys' bathroom, press you against the tiles, choke you just enough to scare you-and then walk out like nothing happened. And no one would believe you.
He and I had never liked each other. And that was putting it politely.
So when he steadied me instead of letting me crash face-first into the floor, I just stared at him.
His grip on my arm tightened briefly. His expression unreadable.
"Watch where you're going," he said flatly.
I pulled away immediately. "Thanks."
That was it. No time to analyze why he'd helped me. I had bigger problems.
I ran the rest of the way to the lab.
I made it to the chemistry lab and set the cake box carefully on the counter. My hands were shaking so badly I had to wipe them on my jeans. The room smelled faintly of chemicals and dust. It felt too quiet. Too serious.
I waited.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long.
The lab door creaked open, and Caleb walked in wearing that bright, easy smile that had ruined my life in the best possible way.
"So, Mason," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he approached me, "what's all this secrecy about?"
My heart slammed so hard against my ribs I was sure he could hear it echoing through the room.
Before I could spiral and lose my courage, I grabbed the cake and shoved it into his hands.
He blinked down at it, confused. "What's this for? It's not my birthday yet."
I gave him an awkward smile. "It's a welcome-back-home cake. I made it especially for you."
His eyes widened, genuinely surprised, and then his smile softened. "Oh my God, thanks, man. That's really nice of you."
He set the box back on the counter and lifted the lid.
And then he burst out laughing.
I winced.
The frosting was slightly crooked. The writing was... questionable. One of the letters looked like it had given up halfway through existence.
"You really outdid yourself, Mason," he said between laughs. "It looks very... professional."
I snorted despite myself. That sound-his laughter-was my favorite thing in the world.
He dipped his pinky finger into the frosting and tasted it, still grinning.
And that's when I knew.
This was it.
If I didn't say it now, I never would.
So before I could think. Before I could talk myself out of it. Before fear could strangle me—
I blurted it out.
"Caleb, I like you! No—scratch that. I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for a long time now. I can't keep hiding it anymore. That's why I asked you here."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Caleb went completely still.
Not blinking. Not moving. Like someone had turned him to stone.
One second passed.
Then another.
Each one felt like an hour.
"Caleb?" I asked, my voice shaking despite my effort to sound steady. "Say something. Don't just… don't just stay silent."
The moment the words left my mouth, something in him snapped.
As if a switch had flipped.
His jaw tightened. His nostrils flared. Without warning, he grabbed the cake box and slammed it onto the floor.
The sound echoed sharply through the lab.
The cardboard split open. Frosting and sponge exploded across the tiles. The smell of sugar suddenly felt sickening.
And just like that, everything I had been holding onto shattered along with the cake.