Love. Lust.

OBSESSION

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee welcomed Nicole as she walked into the cozy campus café, the bells on the door tinkling cheerfully. Chatter and laughter echoed off the brick walls from groups of students typing away on laptops with steaming mugs. She spotted Nora waving at their usual corner table and headed over.

“His name is Dave and he’s pretty much the hottest guy on campus,” Nicole gushed as she settled into the plush leather chair across from her best friend. “He’s a senior and quarterback of the football team. With those captivating blue eyes, rock hard abs, and sexy tousled hair, he's like a Greek god!”

Nora nodded politely, though her skepticism shone through. She absentmindedly stirred a spoon in her black coffee, the metal clinking against the ceramic mug.

"I don’t know, Nic,” she said doubtfully. “Dave has quite the player reputation. Are you sure you really know him beyond those parties and rumors?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Oh, I’m sure that’s exaggerated. Once you actually get to know the real Dave, I bet he’s seriously the sweetest guy."

Nora raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Well, my friend Jen said he completely ignored her in public when they hooked up last semester. Only paid her attention late at night when he was...in the mood."

Nicole waved her hand flippantly. "Okay, maybe he used to be like that. But people change! I’ll be the one to finally bring out his sensitive side.”

*******************

Truthfully, Nicole barely knew anything concrete about Dave besides gossip. She first noticed him strolling casually into her Intro Psychology class ten minutes late, his purple football jersey tight across his broad shoulders. When he flashed that million dollar grin at the professor, showing off a perfect set of white teeth, Nicole felt her heart skip a beat, struck by his easy confidence.

From then on, Nicole started paying closer attention to Dave around campus. She’d watch him practice on the field, admiring the effortless spiral of the ball from his muscular arm. The smooth cadence of his voice leading team chants gave her tingles. At parties, the way he commanded attention with his bright blue eyes and buddy-buddy charisma made Nicole weak. She imagined what it would feel like to be the sole focus of that magnetic gaze.

She had also started scrolling endlessly through Dave’s i********: photos late at night in her dorm, examining every detail. Shot after shot showed him lounging poolside surrounded by bikini-clad girls...laughing with solo cup aloft at crowded parties...posing smugly in the gym to highlight his bulging biceps. His whole feed portrayed a glamorous, adventurous lifestyle Nicole found herself longing for.

She imagined walking around campus on Dave's arm as his girlfriend, soaking up the admiration and status of being the “it” couple. Maybe behind those cocky blue eyes and playboy exploits there was a deeper, more thoughtful guy waiting for the right girl to unlock his hidden romantic side. Nicole thrilled at the idea of being the one to tame the untamable heartthrob.

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“Girl, you are absolutely boy crazy!” Nora laughed as she entered their dorm room later that day to find Nicole curled up on her bed gazing dreamily at Dave’s i********: yet again.

Nicole quickly hit close on the app, sitting up with reddened cheeks. “What? No I’m not!” she protested weakly.

Nora just smirked knowingly as she dropped her book bag on the floor and sank onto her own neatly made bed. “Mmhmm...so you haven’t been obsessively analyzing every detail of his posts and photos for the past hour?”

“Maybe a little,” Nicole admitted with a dramatic sigh, flopping back against her pillow. “But you have to agree those soulful eyes and rock hard bod are swoon-worthy!”

“Keep your heart in check, girl,” Nora advised, though her tone was kind. “You’re falling fast for someone you’ve never even spoken to.”

As much as Nicole valued Nora’s wise cautions, she couldn’t shake her breathless draw towards Dave. As she gazed at a photo of him glancing coyly at the camera, blue eyes glinting mischievously, she felt certain there were hidden depths beneath that cocky exterior. And she would do whatever it took to uncover the real Dave behind the superficial façade. After all, who could resist a modern day Romeo just waiting to be understood?