Page 70 of The Boyfriend Zone

Their team won handily, celebrating each point with increasingly elaborate high-fives that seemed to involve more and more physical contact as the game progressed.

"Look at them," I murmured to Lucas as we stepped outside for some fresh air. "They fit together so well when they stop fighting it."

Through the window, we could see Zach and Nate in the kitchen, standing close as they washed dishes together—Zach washing, Nate drying. Even from this distance, their body language told the story: the casual way they bumped shoulders, the lingering glances, the way they leaned toward each other as they talked.

"Five bucks says they're still arguing about something totally inconsequential," Lucas laughed.

"No bet," I replied. "That's just how they communicate. It's weirdly sweet, actually."

As the night wound down, the four of us ended up walking back to campus together. Lucas and I deliberately fell behind, giving Zach and Nate space to talk privately. From our position a few yards back, I could see Zach gesturing animatedly while Nate listened, his arms crossed but his expression open rather than defensive.

"Think they're working it out?" Lucas asked quietly.

"I hope so," I replied. "Zach's been miserable all week. He really likes Nate, even if he's terrible at showing it."

When we reached Nate and Lucas's apartment building, Zach surprised us all by leaning in to press a quick but deliberate kiss to Nate's cheek before stepping back with a nervous smile.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked, trying and failing to sound casual. "For coffee?"

"Yeah," Nate nodded, a blush spreading across his face. "Tomorrow."

As Zach and I continued toward our place, he maintained a studiedly neutral expression until we were out of earshot. Then he turned to me with wide eyes.

"I kissed him," he whispered, sounding shocked at his own actions. "On the cheek, but still. In public. In front of people."

"I saw," I confirmed, fighting a smile. "Very smooth."

"Was it weird? It felt weird. But also good?" Zach's usual eloquence had abandoned him completely. "He didn't run away, so that's something, right?"

"Definitely something," I agreed, clapping him on the shoulder. "And for what it's worth, I think you're good for each other. When you're not being idiots about it."

Zach's expression turned serious. "I told him I was sorry about canceling. Explained that I was freaking out, not because I'm ashamed of him or anything, but because I've never felt like this before and it scares the hell out of me."

"And?"

"And he said he gets it," Zach replied, a note of wonder in his voice. "That he pushes people away with sarcasm when he's scared of getting hurt. That we're both disasters, basically, but maybe we could be disasters together."

"That's oddly romantic, in a very Nate way," I laughed.

"Right?" Zach grinned. "We're taking it slow. Figuring it out as we go. But at least now we're actually talking about it instead of pretending it's not happening."

The things worth having rarely came easily. They required courage, vulnerability, the willingness to risk failure and rejection. To let someone see the parts of yourself you usually kept hidden.

Chapter 22: Lucas

"I am not going to another hockey house party," I declared, focusing intently on my laptop screen and the half-written essay that was due in approximately eighteen hours. "Some of us have finals to study for."

"Exactly why you need a break," Ava insisted, perched on the edge of my desk with the determined expression that meant resistance was futile. "All work and no play makes Lucas a dull journalist."

"I'm perfectly fine with being dull," I countered. "Dull finishes assignments on time and graduates with honors."

"Dull also misses out on the social experience of college," Nate chimed in from his position sprawled across my bed. "Come on, Lucas. One night of fun won't tank your GPA."

I looked between my two friends, their expressions varying degrees of pleading and mischievous. "Why this party, specifically? There are dozens happening this weekend."

Ava and Nate exchanged glances that immediately raised my suspicions.

"It's at the hockey house," Nate admitted. "Zach and Tristan are throwing another huge holiday thing before everyone heads home for break."

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