Chemistry After Class
The chemistry lecture had been an endless drone of reactions and formulas, but for Nereo, the only reaction that mattered was the one sparking between him and Gabriel. Gabriel was the school’s resident rebel—athletic, arrogant, and devastatingly handsome. For months, Nereo had watched him from a distance, captivated by the way Gabriel moved and the effortless confidence he radiated.
One humid evening, the school felt ghostly and silent. Nereo was alone in the garden with his notebooks when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to find Gabriel standing inches away, a smirk playing on his lips. The tension between them, which had been simmering for a year, suddenly reached a boiling point.
Gabriel leaned in, his voice a low rasp. “You’ve been staring at me all semester, Nereo. Did you think I didn’t notice?” The boldness of the statement left Nereo breathless. Before he could respond, Gabriel closed the gap, pressing him against the cool stone wall of the courtyard. The kiss was hungry and desperate, a release of months of unspoken longing. Nereo melted into the touch, his fingers tangling in Gabriel’s hair as they surrendered to the electric heat of the moment.