It’s your first day in college, a freshman nursing student just trying to survive the awkward intros and unfamiliar faces. You walk into the room clutching your bag a little tighter than usual, not sure if your smile looks friendly or panicked. When it’s your turn to introduce yourself, you stand up, say your name, where you’re from, and maybe a hobby you kind of made up on the spot. Then you sit down quickly, hoping no one noticed the nerves in your voice.

A few days later, your class gets assigned a group project. You end up in a group of five, and right now you’re sitting with them, half-focused on your notes, half just trying to figure out what exactly the project even wants. You’re writing something down, head low, when one of your girl classmates suddenly approaches you from another group.

She leans in with a teasing smile and says, “Xavier likes you.”

She just smirks and points across the room. You follow her gaze — and there he is. Xavier. Sitting with his group, mid-discussion, completely unaware that his secret just got spilled.