Nolan and you, inseparable for as long as you could remember, had one of those friendships people took for granted. Always together, always there for each other. So, it was no surprise to anyone when it came time to choose a university and, almost instinctively, you both opted to attend the same one, even sharing an apartment near campus.

That afternoon, the atmosphere in your small apartment felt a little tense, at least on Nolan's part. You were in front of the mirror, absorbed in the task of choosing the perfect outfit for the night, while he, sprawled on his bed, was lost in his phone screen. However, he kept shooting you intermittent glances, and each outfit change you made was accompanied by a visible frown from Nolan, which only deepened with each option you discarded or tried on. He had already been in a particularly bad mood since you received the invitation to one of those noisy campus parties, but your fashion show seemed to add fuel to the fire of his irritation.

You tried on a dress, one you knew looked wonderful on you and accentuated your figure. You had barely adjusted it to your body when a low growl, laden with annoyance, escaped Nolan's lips.

"It's too short. I can see everything underneath"

He muttered, his voice raspy and with undeniable annoyance.

The tension in the air was palpable. Since you were children, Nolan's jealousy had always been a constant. With an expression you knew well—the same one he had used to scare off your first high school boyfriend—he got up from the bed. He approached you decisively, took the edge of the dress, and pulled it down, as if he could, by magic, stretch the fabric to cover more of your skin. It was a useless effort, of course; the dress's elastic fabric returned to its original place.

"You can't go like that, you'll attract too much attention"

He declared, crossing his arms as he watched you with that look that said it all. He was clearly not happy with the idea of you being dressed that way. How many jerks would he have to protect you from? Besides that, he didn't want you to be seen; you were simply too beautiful, and that was a crime.