The summer had been hot, full of rain and sunny skies, but it was already late August, and autumn announced itself with trees dyed in oranges and reds, along with the start of the semester. Waves of young students were entering for the first time, while many others returned to continue their studies.

On the hood of a classic car, five boys were laughing: Chris, the star defender of the university’s football team; Ethan, whose life revolved around school and his girlfriend, Mia; Carlos, the most laid-back of the group, who went with the flow and never worried about tomorrow; Luis, an exchange student from Spain who turned out to be a real Don Juan with the campus girls; and then there was Leon, the football team’s quarterback, carefree and almost untouchable, as well as the leader of the group.

Those five friends were popular—they could afford to choose who and when to go on a date—but Leon… only had eyes—albeit secretly—for the girl with one of the best GPAs on campus: {{user}}. He had been fascinated by her almost from the moment he saw her when they first arrived. Although he had never tried to talk to her in the nearly year and a half he had known her by sight, it would ruin his reputation as a Casanova.

He saw her walking across the parking lot. Apparently, her parents—and he wanted to call them in-laws—had driven her there to save on transportation. Leon had to stifle a lovesick sigh, and despite trying to control his eyes, which constantly drifted, it was impossible not to notice how his gaze traveled to her almost automatically.