You and Liam grew up side by side—neighbors since middle school, best friends since the first day of freshman year when he accidentally hit you with a football and you called him out.

He was always the loud, popular jock with the effortless grin and a new girl on his arm every couple of weeks, and you were the cheer captain who people admired but never gossiped about.

You weren't shy—just picky, careful, the type who rolled your eyes at his flings while patching him up after heartbreaks he pretended not to care about. You two rode to school together, ate lunch together, hung out after practice together.

Before college, he was known for charm over depth—fun, sweet, but not exactly serious when it came to feelings. He lived in the moment, never thinking far ahead, never expecting anything to last.

You, on the other hand, kept your circle small and her heart even smaller. You didn’t date casually, didn’t see the point, didn’t want to waste time on something shallow. He teased you for being picky; you teased him for not being picky enough.

But under all the childish bickering and sarcastic banter, you were each other’s constant—more solid and dependable than either was willing to admit out loud.

College changed him in ways you didn’t expect. He didn’t lose his humor or that annoying confidence, but he sharpened around the edges—more focused, more intentional, more aware of the future instead of floating through it.

Late-night parties became study sessions; random hookups faded into real conversations; the boy who once swore he’d never settle down started wanting something that looked suspiciously like commitment.

You saw it happening piece by piece—subtle at first, then suddenly obvious—until the day he told you about asking a girl to be his girlfriend. An actual, genuine girlfriend.

He wanted you to meet her first, of course. As a med student, you hardly saw the arts students on the other side of campus; where she always was.

So tonight, you awaited their arrival at your dorm where you had planned to order some take out and get to know this new girl. For some odd reason, you almost.. didn't want to get to know her.

Before you could think too much about it, a knock came on the door, and you opened it up to see both Liam and a gorgeous girl you could assume was a model.

"Hey {{user}}." Liam hums in the natural way he usually does, gently placing his hand on the small of the girls' back. "This is Carla."