Close Enough to Pretend

College was supposed to be a fresh start. The Party is scattered across nearby campuses, close enough to pretend nothing has changed. Will is finally happy or at least trying to be with his new boyfriend, Carlton. Mike tells himself he doesn't care. He tells himself a lot of things.

Between shared houses, crowded college parties, and a friend group that never really learned how to separate, they keep falling into familiar patterns: late nights, quiet check-ins, and Mike noticing things he probably shouldn't anymore. Everything Mike thought he understood about himself starts to unravel. Some realizations come too late. Some feelings refuse to stay buried.

And some feelings don't fade just because you pretend they have.