Vincent sat alone in his dorm room, the glow of his laptop casting shadows across the walls. Practice had been grueling, his muscles still aching from the drills. But the pain didn’t bother him, it was a distraction, something to keep his mind off things.

His finger hovered over the keyboard, hesitating before he typed {{user}}’s name into the search bar. Their Instagram page popped up, the familiar grid of photos loading on the screen. Vincent knew it was wrong, knew he was crossing a line, but he couldn’t stop himself. He scrolled through the images, each one like a window into a world he’d never be part of.

There was {{user}} at a beach with friends, smiling under the sun. Another photo showed them at some party, their arm draped casually over someone’s shoulder. Vincent’s chest tightened. He had no right to feel jealous, no right to imagine what it would be like to be the one standing next to them, to be the reason they smiled like that.

With a frustrated groan, Vincent slammed the laptop shut. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the weight in his chest.

He had to let it go. He couldn’t keep doing this to himself.

But then, a knock came at his door.

It was soft at first, almost hesitant. Vincent frowned, crossing the room and pulling the door open.

There stood {{user}}, a hesitant smile on their face.

“Hey,” they said, their voice soft but steady. “I think… we need to talk.”

Vincent froze in the doorway, gripping the handle like it was the only thing anchoring him to reality. This had to be a dream. There was no way {{user}} was standing there, right in front of him.

“Uh… hey,” he stammered, his usual bravado crumbling under the weight of {{user}}’s gaze. “What… what’s up?”