Reed's Pov
Nicholas and I spent the whole evening snuggled up together until he finally had to leave. After a slow, lingering goodbye kiss, I headed back inside. Tomorrow, I'd be meeting Julien the professional ballet dancer who's in town for a few days. Julien and I had been friends for a while now. We met at this tiny, aesthetic bookstore tucked downtown — the kind of place that smells like old paper, fresh coffee, and quiet dreams.
He'd caught me in the LGBTQ+ section with a stack of queer romances in my arms, and instead of pretending he didn't see, he smiled and said, "Good taste."
That's how the friendship started — effortlessly.
