Danny knew, deep in his bones, that going out drinking with Jake was always a bad idea.

Not because Jake was a messy drunk—he wasn’t.

Not because Danny had a low tolerance for tequila—which he did.

And not even because of the way Jake got obnoxiously competitive every time they played bar games.

No.

It was a bad idea because every single time, without fail, they ended up in some kind of situation that made Danny’s life harder.

And tonight?

Tonight was no exception.

The evening had started off harmless enough.

Sophie had dragged them to some dive bar near campus, citing “Danny, you need to get out more” as her main reason.

Jake had tagged along, because, apparently, that’s what he did now.

Brittany was conveniently not there.

(Which Danny absolutely wasn’t questioning. Nope. Not at all.)

Danny had kept his distance at first, spending most of the night making fun of Leo’s questionable dance moves, but at some point—somewhere between too many shots and a particularly intense round of pool—

He and Jake had ended up at the bar.

Alone.

“You’re staring,” Jake had said, smirking around the rim of his drink.

Danny had blinked.

“Am not,” he had said, definitely lying.

Jake had just laughed, shaking his head.

But the thing was—Danny had caught him staring, too.

Because tonight?

Tonight, something felt different.

The air between them was thick, charged in a way that made Danny’s skin prickle.

And maybe—maybe—it was the alcohol.

Or maybe it was the fact that Danny was tired of pretending he didn’t notice.

Either way, by the time they stumbled out of the bar, Jake’s arm slung around Danny’s shoulders, Danny’s head was spinning for a reason that had nothing to do with tequila.

They should have called an Uber.

They should have gone their separate ways.

But instead, they were walking home together, half-draped over each other like a pair of idiots.

“You’re leaning on me,” Danny muttered, very aware of the way Jake’s fingers gripped his shoulder.

“You love it,” Jake replied.

Danny huffed.

But he didn’t pull away.

They stumbled through the streets, tripping over cracks in the sidewalk, laughing at nothing, Jake’s body warm against his.

And somewhere, in the back of Danny’s mind, he knew.

This was dangerous.

This was exactly the kind of thing that made moving on impossible.

But he didn’t stop it.

Because maybe—just for tonight—

He wanted to believe that this wasn’t one-sided.

By the time they made it back, Danny was exhausted.

Jake, of course, had zero sense of personal space.

As soon as they got inside, he collapsed onto Danny’s bed like he owned the place.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Dude.”

Jake just stretched out, looking obnoxiously comfortable.

Danny sighed, kicking off his shoes. “You have your own bed, you know.”

Jake just grinned lazily. “Yours is better.”

Danny’s heart stuttered.

Jesus.

He should have told him to move.

Should have shoved him onto the floor and gone to sleep like a normal person.

But instead?

Instead, he let it happen.

Instead, he climbed into bed next to him.

It was silent at first.

Just the sound of their breathing, the faint hum of cars passing outside.

Danny should have been falling asleep.

But instead, he was too busy losing his mind.

Because Jake was too close.

Close enough that Danny could feel his body heat.

Close enough that Danny could smell his shampoo.

Close enough that—when Jake shifted slightly—their noses almost brushed.

Danny froze.

Jake’s breathing hitched.

And then—slowly, carefully—

Jake’s gaze flickered down.

Danny’s heart stopped.

Because oh, fuck.

Jake was looking at his lips.

Jake was looking at his lips.

And for a **split second—**just one, terrible, perfect second—

Danny thought, he’s going to kiss me.

Jake’s fingers twitched, like he wanted to reach out but didn’t know how.

Danny could feel his own pulse in his throat.

The room felt too small.

Too warm.

And then—

Then Jake blinked.

And the moment was gone.

His expression changed.

His whole body went rigid.

And before Danny could even process what was happening—

Jake jerked back.

Then—

“I—I have to go.”

Danny’s stomach dropped.

“What?”

Jake was already pushing himself up. Already scrambling out of bed, already grabbing his jacket, his keys, his escape route.

Danny sat up, still dazed.

“Dude, wait—”

“I—I just—” Jake’s voice wasn’t steady. “I forgot—I just—”

And then?

Then he was gone.

The door slammed shut.

And Danny?

Danny was left sitting in the dark, staring at the empty space beside him.

His heart still racing.

His brain still catching up.

His mouth still aching with the ghost of something that never happened.

Danny didn’t sleep that night.

Because for the first time ever, he couldn’t pretend.

Couldn’t lie to himself.

Couldn’t ignore what just happened.

Because Jake was going to kiss him.

And then he panicked.

And Danny?

Danny had no fucking clue what that meant.

But he knew one thing for certain:

Everything had just changed.