Donovan wasn’t supposed to be there. He knew that. He had other things to do, places to be—any excuse would have worked. And yet, there he was, lingering on campus, pretending to scroll through his phone while his gaze tracked them: Agatha and Connor.

It wasn’t hard to spot that wonderful man, he always stood out. The way he carried himself, with effortless confidence that made people naturally gravitate toward him was so alluring. Even in a crowd, even across the lawn, Donovan’s eyes found him without effort. 

Not that it was difficult. Knowing his schedule helped.

However, the fact that Agatha was sitting beside him like she belonged there, irked him like never before. She acted like she was supposed to fit in his world. Relaxed. At ease. She didn’t deserve to be so calm. 

His grip on his phone tightened. They probably had no idea he was watching. They never did. Ezra was cracking jokes, Allison laughing along, and Agatha—cool, detached, as always, like nothing in the world could touch her. Like she hadn’t noticed him watching, like she didn’t care.

That should’ve been fine. It should’ve been exactly what he wanted. But the way she existed beside Connor, so effortlessly, made something curdle in his chest.

She should leave. Fade into the background. Disappear, for all he cared. But Connor… Connor was different. Connor was interesting. And Donovan wasn’t done watching him—yet. He wished he could freeze the moment,  make sure he never left his sight.

But then Connor shifted. His head turned, just slightly, but it was enough to make Donovan freeze. No way. For a second—one horrible, terrifying second—it looked like Connor had noticed him staring.

Donovan’s breath hitched. Oh, this was new. A first. A terrifying, world-ending first. What would he even do if Connor actually caught him staring? Run? Pretend to be deep in thought? Fake a phone call? Oh god, what if—

His mind spiraled into overdrive, scrambling to come up with excuses, desperate to plan an escape, but then something hit him—Donovan froze. Connor wasn’t looking at him. He was looking past him. That moment of realization hit like a slap to the face, and just like that, his panic turned into something sharper—hurt, irritation, offense. His lips pressed into a pout before he could even stop himself. Excuse me? If Connor was going to notice anyone, it should at least be him.

Donovan turned around and then he noticed who Connor was looking at. There was a weight to the stranger’s presence—something undeniable, something that pressed against Donovan’s chest before he even turned to look. A strange mix of intimidation and intrigue settled in his gut. Who the hell was that guy?

He was pretty. Not just attractive, not just eye-catching, but the kind of pretty that bordered on unnatural. The sunlight caught in his hair just right, gilding him in a soft, golden glow—almost on Connor’s level. Almost.

How had Donovan never seen this guy before?

His brain stuttered as he kept staring. It wasn’t just the confidence—the effortless way the man carried himself, the way he stood there like he owned the entire campus. No, it was worse than that.

The dude was unfairly pretty. The kind of pretty that should’ve been illegal. Yet somehow, he felt familiar.

Donovan couldn’t shake the feeling as he watched him, standing casually by the table Connor and his friends were at, completely at ease, like he belonged there. Like he was the center of the universe, and everything else was just a backdrop to his existence.

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

The new guy’s presence was practically magnetic, drawing Connor in without even trying. His dark suit caught the sunlight in this almost ethereal way, making him look like he just stepped out of a fantasy novel. It was enough to make Donovan’s stomach do a weird flip, making him feel like a background character in his own life.

But the worst part? Connor was staring at the gorgeous man like he was the second coming of whatever mythical creature Connor had a crush on this week. What the hell?

Donovan frowned, shifting his position just enough so that he could stare without being caught. But of course, he was a professional stalker, and still caught every subtle look they exchanged. And that was definitely not good for his fragile ego. 

Maybe he was a little jealous. Just a tiny bit. A microscopic amount. Barely even worth mentioning. Not at all a life-altering, existential-crisis-inducing level of jealousy. Nope. Not jealous at all.

His heart was definitely not feeling all kinds of complicated. It was no big deal, right? It was fine. Totally fine. He just had to stop staring. 

But that was easier said than done.

It wasn’t like Donovan had been blatantly pining after Connor for the past few months (okay, almost a year), right? But now, out of nowhere, this other guy had appeared— standing there like a living, breathing obstacle to admiring the crush of his life.

Who even was he? And more importantly, how had Donovan never seen him before? Because, see, Donovan had spent an unhealthy amount of time watching Connor, and this person had never appeared before. 

He knew the exact way Connor’s smirks shifted depending on his mood, how he leaned against walls with a practiced carelessness, how he draped himself over people like gravity worked differently for him. And now? Now he was doing it with this new hot guy.

A dangerously pretty guy.

Tall, sharp-jawed, all confidence and quiet control. The kind of presence that made people turn and look without even knowing why. The kind that exuded certainty, like he knew people wanted him to look at them, and he got to decide whether they were worthy of it. The kind that made Donovan's mouth go a little dry, which was just great, because apparently today his body had completely betrayed him.

And now they were hugging.

Connor and the stupid, ridiculously handsome new guy. Hugging like they had history. Like they knew each other. Which they didn’t. Donovan was sure.

Too close. They were standing too damn close.

His brain, his poor, suffering brain, short-circuited as his gaze flicked to the way their hands lingered just a second too long, the way Connor tilted his head with interest—the same kind of interest that made Donovan’s stomach twist in a way he refused to name.

And—the coffee. They were sharing a coffee.

His thoughts took a sharp turn, a nosedive straight into dangerous territory. Because suddenly, there were images in his head that had no business existing. Things about Connor and Koray being friendly, but in ways that were much friendlier than casual conversation. Hands brushing, lips ghosting over skin, passion, desire… Lust.

His breath hitched, his body going uncomfortably still. Nope. Nope nope nope. 

This was a normal day. A regular, boring day with exams to study for. There was absolutely no reason for him to be wondering what it would be like if—

Nope.

Donovan pressed his palms hard against his thighs, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands. He needed to look away. He should look away. But when he finally managed to, it took a grand total of three seconds before his traitorous eyes snapped right back to them.

And then— Oh. Oh. Why had he chosen to wear sweatpants that day?

Donovan could feel the heat creeping up his neck, his mind racing with thoughts he wasn’t even capable of having before today. His face burned. His entire body was reacting, and worse, he was aware of it.

Sure, he’d read things—maybe even written things—but this? This was a whole new level of hell. And the worst part? Now he couldn’t even stand up. Because if he did, everyone would know exactly what he’d been thinking about.

So unless someone physically removed him from this situation immediately, he was either going to pass out, combust, or—God forbid—start picturing even worse things.

…Maybe studying would help. Maybe.

He was just about to pull out his laptop, fully prepared to actually study, when—

Wait.

Where the hell did they go?

Donovan sat up straighter, scanning the lawn like a man on a mission. Agatha was right there a second ago. And so was the new guy. The unfairly gorgeous, sunlight-catching- like-he’s-in-a-movie new guy. Poof! Gone. Vanished into thin air.

His stomach dropped. No, no, no. Nope.

This was so typical. Agatha had a freakish ability to collect the most attractive and interesting people like she was some kind of social dragon hoarding treasure. It wasn’t fair.

Every time Donovan found someone worth appreciating (from a distance, like a professional, thank you very much), Agatha somehow managed to sink her claws into them first. It was infuriating. He still wasn’t over what happened with Connor at the basketball game, and now this?

Fuming, he shoved his laptop into his bag with a little more force than necessary—only to freeze, remembering his current predicament. Right. He still couldn’t stand up. Not unless he wanted everyone to see exactly what had been going through his brain just minutes ago.

His jaw clenched as his foot tapped restlessly against the floor. He needed to find them. Not in a weird way, obviously. Just… casually. A friendly stroll. A completely normal, unrelated walk that would, by pure coincidence, lead him right to Agatha and the pretty new guy.

And it wasn’t technically stalking if he just happened to be in the same place, right?