WANTED A FLING BUT IT'S A NIGHT

CHAPTER 24 (NOT ONLY US)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The return to campus was quieter than expected. The glow of the trip still lingered in Asher's smile, but something unspoken danced between all four of them. Jude and Zane had spent more time together than anyone expected, and though they tried to hide it, their energy had shifted.

Asher was the first to notice. He nudged Rhett playfully as they unpacked Asher's stuff together in the hostel. "Have you seen the way Jude and Zane look at each other lately?"

Rhett raised a brow. "You mean the long stares and the sudden silences? Yeah. I noticed."

"Something happened on that trip."

"You think they... you know?"

Asher laughed. "I don't know. But they shared a room. And Zane hasn’t stopped smiling since,and Zane left with Jude after class before you came to pick me up.I guess he is at Jude's place"

Rhett smiled widely "Then let's go see them".

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Meanwhile, across campus, Jude sat on the stone railing of the music building, his fingers absentmindedly strumming his guitar. Zane leaned beside him, his voice unusually soft.

"I had fun. At my room. At the trip."

Jude glanced at him, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Same. I didn’t think you'd even want to hang out with me."

Zane rolled his eyes. "You're not that unbearable."

"Gee, thanks."

They both laughed. Then silence settled in again, heavy and charged.

Zane shifted. "So what are we, Jude? Sneaky links? Just friends with... occasional heat?"

Jude set the guitar down. "I don’t do labels. But I know I feel better when you’re around. I know I liked waking up next to you."

Zane didn’t respond immediately. He looked out at the campus, his thoughts miles away. "I don’t want to get hurt, Jude."

Jude reached over, brushing his knuckles against Zane’s hand. "Then let’s not play games. Let’s just be real. With each other."

Zane turned to him, eyes searching. And in that moment, the tension melted. Jude leaned forward and kissed him, soft and unhurried.

It wasn’t like Rhett and Asher’s kiss—full of heat and history. This one was cautious. A question wrapped in a promise.

When they pulled away, Jude whispered, "No pressure. We move at our pace."

Zane nodded slowly. "Okay."

Their fingers found each other naturally. Intertwined. Safe.

From the distance, Rhett watched them from a hallway window, a small smirk forming. "Guess we’re not the only messy lovers in this story."

Asher joined him. "Looks like love is starting to bloom all over campus."

Rhett glanced at him. "Even with all the storms coming?"

Asher took his hand. "Especially then."

The sun dipped low behind the clouds, but the light on the horizon still lingered. A calm before the storm. A whisper before the thunder.

And in that pause, there was peace.

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