Calculus has always been my best subject, but with everything going on in my head lately, I couldn't focus. Especially after what happened between Gabriel and me. Why do I keep feeling so different whenever I see him? It's not the same disdain I usually felt because he was competition. No, this was... something else. Something warmer.

After he saved me from being hit by that car, I realized he cared—because why else would he save me? When he wrapped his arms around me, my heart pounded so fast it felt like it might explode.

If I'm developing feelings for him, does that make me like him? Fluid? Or... gay? The thought terrified me. Even though it's already 2026 and the SOGIE Equality Law was passed last year, there are still people out there who cling to the belief that being gay is wrong—a sin.

Trust me, I know. My cousin came out ten years ago and was excommunicated. She hasn't attended a family gathering since. Even when she tried to go to our grandfather's funeral, she was ostracized so cruelly that she had a mental breakdown and needed therapy. From what I overheard from my gossiping aunts, she now lives in Thailand, happily married to a woman she met on vacation there.

The idea of enduring the same ordeal horrifies me. I wouldn't survive the disappointed stares from my perfection-obsessed father and his irritating wife.

"Why did you bring me here, to Castle View?" I asked, opening my eyes and staring at the horizon. This place haunted me. I doubted I'd ever escape the memories it held.

Gabriel smiled softly. "I figured you could use an escape."

An escape? Here?

I remembered everything that happened here vividly—the day someone I loved was abducted right in front of me. "My older brother was taken here." My voice wavered as I pointed to the left, where rose bushes now grew.

"Oh shit..." Gabriel muttered, poking my arm nervously. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize. You couldn't have known."

Just as I said it, a spark raced through me like lightning. I glanced down and froze. His hand was resting on mine. His gigantic hand was warm, and though I wanted to pull away, I couldn't.

His face held something I'd never seen before: sincerity.

Am I really starting to see him differently?

For the first time, I noticed how much his smile reached his eyes before his lips. How flawless his skin was. How he wasn't just a golden retriever in a human body, but something... more.

He gave my hand a light squeeze, and I didn't know how to react. All I knew was that my dislike for him had softened into something else—something unfamiliar.

"I won't ask any more questions about your brother," he said gently. "I know it must be hard to talk about."

"Thank you." I tried to smile, though it probably looked more like a grimace.

His eyes widened in mock surprise. "Wow, Lorenzo Garcia is saying thank you and smiling at me? This is a whole new world."

He leaned in closer, and I caught the scent of his skin—warm, clean, and comforting. My breath hitched, and before I could stop myself, I let out an embarrassingly loud hiccup.

He laughed, and the sound was rich and contagious.

"It's not funny," I muttered, my face burning with embarrassment.

Still chuckling, he threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. Then he reached out and pinched the tip of my nose. "You're so fucking cute."

If this had been any other time, I would've snapped back with something snarky. But right now, everything felt... different. Like my life was being rewritten by someone who actually wanted me to be happy.

"Hey," Gabriel nudged me.

I looked at him, confused.

"Wanna walk down that trail?" He pointed to a rose-lined pathway leading to a fountain. Around the fountain, vibrant flowers bloomed in every color.

Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand again, sending my heart into overdrive. He gently tugged me toward the trail, the mixed scent of flowers filling the air. My nose itched from the pollen, and my rhinitis threatened to act up, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

As we walked deeper into the woods, a flicker of unease crept into my chest. "Where are you taking me?" I asked nervously.

"Somewhere special," he replied cryptically.

"Please don't hurt me," I whispered, unable to hide my fear.

He stopped abruptly, his face etched with surprise. "What? Hurt you? Lorenzo, I'd never..."

I shrank back a little, but he held onto my hand firmly.

Then, to my utter confusion, he ruffled my hair. "You're such a silly boy. Why would I ever hurt you? I can't even hurt a fly."

His smile was so warm and genuine that my anxiety eased. "Then why the woods?" I asked, glancing around at the tall trees and wilting wildflowers.

He smirked and leaned closer. "Just wait for it."

Moments later, a soft golden glow appeared in the distance. At first, it was just one, then two, then dozens. Fireflies. They multiplied by the hundreds, their light bathing the dark woods in a magical golden hue.

"Welcome to Firefly Meadow," Gabriel whispered in my ear.

I turned to him, stunned. His dark brown eyes reflected the fireflies' glow, making him look almost otherworldly. Ethereal.

"Do you like it?" he asked softly.

I wasn't sure if he meant the fireflies or... him.

"I'll take that as a yes," he murmured, his voice low and teasing.

Before I knew it, we were standing chest to chest—or more accurately, my face was almost level with his chest because of how tall he was.

"Hey, Lorenzo," Gabriel said, his voice barely audible over the hum of fireflies. "Can we be more than friends?"

His words sent a shiver through me. My body moved on its own, nodding before my brain could catch up.

"Seriously?" His voice was filled with surprised joy.

Seeing him so happy made something inside me soften. Gabriel had managed to reach the deepest part of my heart, tugging at strings I didn't know existed.

As he leaned in, my heart raced faster than ever. When his lips brushed mine, everything else disappeared—time, space, the world itself.

His lips were soft and warm, moving against mine in a way that made me forget how to breathe. When his tongue brushed my bottom lip, I parted my mouth instinctively, letting him deepen the kiss.

It was everything I'd never dared to dream of.

When he finally pulled away, breathless and smiling, I bit my lip nervously.

"Wow," he whispered, his eyes locking with mine. "That was something..."

*****

"Am I your first kiss?"

I couldn't answer him—not truthfully, anyway. If I told him yes, he'd never let me live it down.

Even as he pedaled towards my house, soaked to the bone, he wouldn't let up. Rain poured in sheets, drenching us and turning the streets slick, but he didn't seem to care.

"C'mon," he pressed, his voice cutting through the steady patter of rain. "Just answer. I want to know."

"No," I lied, keeping my voice as steady as I could.

He stopped pedaling abruptly. The sudden halt made the bike wobble, and I had to grip the seat to keep from sliding off. When I glanced at him, his face was frozen in disbelief.

"What are you doing? Do you want us to get completely soaked out here?" I asked, irritated but secretly panicked.

Instead of answering, he climbed off the bike and tugged me off as well, his fingers warm even through the chill of the rain. The bike clattered to the ground, forgotten.

"Gabriel, what the hell—" I began, but my words dissolved into the cold air as he stepped closer, his hands pulling me toward him. "What are you doing? We're going to get—"

Before I could finish, his lips crashed against mine.

It was like the rain stopped falling. No, it didn't stop—it simply became a background hum to the wild pounding of my heart. His lips were soft, yet there was an urgency in the way he kissed me, as though he needed to know something only this moment could answer.

I froze at first, completely overwhelmed. But then, without even realizing it, I leaned in. The world blurred until there was only him—his lips, his warmth, the faint citrus scent of his soap mixing with the damp air.

I wanted him to go deeper, to kiss me until I forgot how to breathe, but he pulled away just as suddenly as he'd begun. His forehead rested against mine, rain dripping from his hair and tracing his jawline. He was looking at me with those dark, mischievous eyes, but beneath the grin tugging at his lips was something serious, something searching.

"Why—why'd you do that?" I stammered, unsure if I meant the kiss or the fact that he stopped.

"I was testing something," he said matter-of-factly, blinking water from his lashes.

"Testing what?"

"Whether you were telling the truth." He smirked before leaning in to plant another quick, featherlight kiss on my lips. It sent a shiver racing down my spine. "And guess what?"

"What?" I asked, trying—and failing—not to sound breathless.

"I know you're lying."

I felt my stomach flip. "What makes you say that?" I tried to sound annoyed, but my voice came out softer than I intended.

He shrugged, his grin widening. "I just know." Then, with maddening confidence, he winked at me.

"You're delusional," I muttered, wiping my glasses against my shirt—a futile attempt, given how wet everything was.

"And you're in denial," he teased, poking my cheek with his index finger.

"I don't—"

"Shh." He silenced me with a single finger pressed against my lips. "Like I said, Renzo, stop being in denial."

There it was again—that stupid nickname. I hated it. At least, I thought I did. But right now, the way he said it made something flutter in my chest.

"Admit it," he urged, his voice soft now, almost pleading. "You like me."

I swallowed hard. His gaze was intense, pinning me in place as though he could see right through me. My lips parted, but the words caught in my throat. After what felt like an eternity, I bit my bottom lip and nodded, my cheeks burning despite the rain.

Gabriel's entire face lit up. He whooped loudly, spinning in place before shouting to the empty street, "Renzo likes me! He fucking likes me!"

"Stop it!" I hissed, fighting back laughter as I tried to shove him. "People will think you're insane!"

He stopped spinning, his hands finding my cheeks as he grinned at me. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he leaned in and kissed my cheek, his lips lingering just long enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"Just so you know," he murmured, his breath warm against my skin, "I like you too. A lot."

END OF CHAPTER