Jake Carter was a mess.

Not just a forgot-my-assignments-due-tomorrow kind of mess.

Not even a left-my-keys-in-the-fridge-again kind of mess.

No.

This was full-blown, existential, spiraling-into-the-void level mess.

Because three nights ago?

Jake kissed Danny.

And now, Jake had no idea what the hell to do about it.

So, naturally, he did the only logical thing he could think of.

He ran.

Jake did not go home.

Because home meant facing Danny.

And Jake was absolutely, one hundred percent, not ready to do that.

Instead, he crashed at his brother’s apartment.

“You look like shit,” Aaron said the second Jake walked in.

Jake grunted. “Thanks.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “So? What happened?”

Jake dropped onto the couch, face first.

“Nothing,” he mumbled into the cushions.

Aaron snorted. “Right. Because you always show up at my place looking like you just had an emotional breakdown for fun.”

Jake groaned.

He could already feel the judgment radiating from his brother.

Aaron, unfortunately, had known Jake his entire life, which meant he could see through all his bullshit immediately.

“Spill,” Aaron said, sitting on the arm of the couch. “Did you kill a man? Get expelled? Accidentally join a cult?”

Jake turned his head slightly. “Would any of those be easier than my actual problem?”

Aaron thought about it. “Depends on the cult.”

Jake sighed.

Then—after a long, painful pause—he finally muttered:

“I think I’m in love with Danny.”

Aaron didn’t react at first.

Then—

“Pfft.”

Aaron burst out laughing.

Jake scowled. “Dude.”

Aaron grinned. “I mean, yeah, obviously.”

Jake blinked. “What?”

Aaron gave him the look. The one that said ‘you’re an idiot, but I love you anyway.’

“Jake,” Aaron said, shaking his head, “you’ve been in love with Danny since, like, high school.”

Jake stared.

Because.

What.

WHAT.

“Are you—” Jake sat up, heart pounding. “Are you fucking serious?”

Aaron grinned. “Painfully.”

Jake shook his head. “No. No, that’s—”

Aaron cut him off. “Dude, you steal his clothes like a clingy girlfriend. You act like a pissed-off husband every time he talks to another guy. You literally sleep in his bed more than your own.”

Jake froze.

Because—

Okay.

Maybe that sounded bad.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Jake, you kissed him at a party in front of everyone. What part of this is new information to you?”

Jake ran a hand through his hair.

“I just—” He exhaled sharply. “I didn’t think—I never—”

Aaron waited.

And finally—finally—Jake admitted it.

“I didn’t think I could be into guys.”

Aaron’s face softened.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s kind of what denial does to you.”

Jake swallowed.

Because—fuck.

Fuck.

He had spent years telling himself he was straight.

Years ignoring things. Pushing down thoughts. Dismissing feelings.

And now?

Now, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Aaron clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Well,” Aaron said, standing up. “Congratulations, little bro. You might be bisexual.”

Jake groaned. “Don’t say it like that.”

Aaron grinned. “Would you prefer ‘welcome to the team’?”

Jake threw a pillow at him.

Jake did not move from the couch.

He spent the entire day staring at the ceiling, reliving every moment of his life that suddenly made way too much sense.

Like that time in high school when he caught himself thinking about how Danny’s hands looked when he played guitar.

Or that time he got annoyed when Danny had a crush on someone else.

Or the fact that every single time he dated a girl, it always felt like something was missing.

Jake sat up so fast he got dizzy.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

Aaron, from the kitchen, snorted. “You okay there, bud?”

Jake turned, wild-eyed. “Dude. I think I’ve been repressing this for years.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Wow, you think?”

Jake flopped back onto the couch, groaning.

Aaron walked over, holding a cup of coffee.

“Well, now that you’ve caught up with the rest of us,” he said, handing Jake the cup, “what are you gonna do about it?”

Jake took a sip. Immediately regretted it.

“Jesus, how much sugar did you put in this?”

Aaron grinned. “Enough to give you a crisis about something other than your sexuality.”

Jake glared.

Aaron clapped him on the back. “Look, I get it. It’s a lot. But you need to talk to Danny.”

Jake stiffened.

“No.”

Aaron frowned. “Jake—”

“Nope.” Jake stood up, avoiding eye contact. “Not happening.”

Aaron sighed. “Dude, you kissed him.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, and then I ran away.”

Aaron threw up his hands. “Exactly! You can’t just disappear forever. He’s gonna think you regret it.”

Jake’s stomach twisted.

Because—did he?

No.

That was the thing.

He didn’t.

Not at all.

But—

But what if he fucked everything up?

What if Danny didn’t want him back?

What if—

Jake shook his head.

“I just need some time,” he muttered.

Aaron sighed deeply.

“Fine,” he said. “But not too much time.”

Jake ignored the way his chest ached.

Because he wasn’t ready.

Not yet.

By the third day, Jake finally admitted that he couldn’t hide forever.

Mostly because Aaron was threatening to kick him out.

“You stink,” Aaron had said. “And I refuse to let my apartment become your emotional avoidance cave.”

So Jake showered, stole one of Aaron’s hoodies, and finally left.

He wasn’t ready to talk to Danny yet.

But he knew he couldn’t avoid him forever.

Because Danny?

Danny deserved better than this.

And for the first time in his life, Jake was ready to stop running.