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GILLIAN ANDERSON photographed by Cass Bird for L’Oréal

ELIZABETH LAIL via @ garethbromell Instagram

BELONT CAMELI as GARRETT GRAHAM OFF CAMPUS 01.01 'The Deal'

STEPHEN KALYN Off Campus 1.05

Ash breathes out trying to find his chi or something. Tryna align his chakra so he doesn't freak out on Micah right now. Their rooming arrangements had been planned heavily in the group chat before they hooked up because they had been delegated to the hoe room. Their friends knew what the two of them got up to most weekends out. Ash has never once beat the for the streets allegations. Ash knows the second the liquor hits his tongue he's gunna want Micah and will have the excuse of being a little tipsy to touch him. "Your horoscope said you'd say that." He points out just to be annoying. Ash's gaze drops right to Micha's chest shamelessly. "Good kind of crazy." He murmurs thoroughly distracted. "Oh you just work out for the birds to look? Not me?" He crosses his arms over his chest before letting them fall the second Micah is in the bathroom. Ash falls onto the bed and screams into the pillows. He knows exactly what the others doing and Ash is debating whether he needs to go in there and suck him off. It would make him feel better for sure but he can't get his locs wet. A shower cap while sucking dick is not sexy. He sits up in bed and starts gathering his locs in one hand before tying a rubber band around them to keep them off his shoulders. He avoids the mirror as he slips into the bathroom. "What you doing? You ain't want me like that Micah." Ash huffs like he's really put out as he gets undressed. He stares at the other through the glass like he's irritated. "Don't get my hair wet."

Micah was desperate to cool off, all of the banter with Ash and the tension between them were starting to get to him. Even though he was a teasing asshole just moments ago, he didn't really think Ash would take the bait and join him in the bathroom. He let the shower run and his hands were placed on the tiles, his body still tense and rigid. He tried to focus on his breathing and push down the thoughts of that drunken night with Ash. But before he could really collect himself the other slipped into the bathroom, his locks up in a rubber band as he began undressing himself. "You don't know what I want."he scoffed but there was a smirk of amusement on his lips. "Can't make any promises."he said about the hair and opened up the shower door enough to grab Ash by his arm and pull him flush against him. "It's a bit of a tight space in here, hope you don't mind."

That was just the thing -- Julian knew what he wanted. In an ideal world, their relationship would be what it always had been: a secret. In a perfect world, he wouldn't feel like shit for snuffing Enzo's flame and keeping him in the dark. At work and to the world, they'd be colleagues -- good friends at best -- but in private they'd be in love. The world wasn't ideal, not for Julian at least. Julian worked his jaw. "I know," he said. "I can't keep taking up space in your life if I'm not ready to tell the world my truth. There's consequences that come with that that are just..." Julian trailed off. His thoughts wandered to his family, religious zealots that they were. He thought of his friends, if they could even be called that. What would they think of him? He thinks of himself -- what would he think of himself if he admitted the truth out loud? "I don't know what to do..."

"You will suffer the consequences either way."Enzo then said. "The only difference now is you don't know what they will be if you do come out and speak your truth."he retorted. "It wasn't easy for me, either."he then looked his way. "I'm my father's only son, after I was born, four sisters followed. And I struggled for a long time, tried to date girls, to fill in this perfect picture my father had of me. But I was on the edge by the time I was in college and I had to tell them. I had to save myself, even though he didn't take it so well at the start. Today we have a great relationship and all he wants is for me to be happy."Enzo explained, not sure if his story would do much but he did share it anyway. "Alas, if you're happy the way you are right now, I can't do much about it. I'm not going to force anything or give ultimatums. I will just... remove myself from the situation. Because I know what I want and what I don't want."

Isaiah's breath caught somewhere in his chest at those words. God, that only made this harder. The fear hadn't gone anywhere. If anything, it felt bigger now that the decision was becoming real. His hands were already trembling, fingers curling uselessly into the fabric of Enzo's shirt as though holding on was the only thing keeping him upright. The second Enzo agreed, though, without hesitation, without conditions, something inside him cracked. Isaiah let himself fold into the embrace completely. His forehead pressed against Enzo's shoulder, eyes squeezing shut as he buried himself there. For a moment, he just sat in the safety of his boyfriend's arms, breathing him in, trying to calm the storm rattling around inside his ribs. He was terrified. Terrified of the conversation. Terrified of what people would say. Terrified of what might change afterward. But he knew. He knew this was the right thing. For himself. For Enzo. For the future they deserved. A shaky laugh escaped him, followed by a breath that sounded suspiciously close to breaking. "You always make it sound so easy," he murmured against his shoulder. His arms tightened around Enzo's waist, holding him closer. "I don't feel like I've got this." Isaiah swallowed hard and finally lifted his head enough to look at him. His eyes were glassy, vulnerable, every ounce of fear written across his face. "But I think I want to try." His voice cracked slightly. "I don't wanna keep hiding." The admission sat between them for a second before Isaiah leaned forward again, resting his forehead against Enzo's. "I love you too much to keep pretending." His thumb brushed across Enzo's side, still shaking. "I wanna live my truth." The words came quietly, but there was something steady beneath them now. "And I wanna do it with you and for you."

Enzo knew it wasn't an easy decision, he's been there before. But, he had hope that with him by Isaiah's side, it will go smoother. He could only hope that the rest would be seen. But the fact his love wanted to fight for them and their future, that he wanted to come out and be truthful to who he really is meant the world to him. Right now, though, it was all about Isaiah and making him feel as relaxed as possible. Holding him tightly in his embrace, he didn't mind one bit that his shirt was getting all wrinkled underneath his firm grip, anything for his boyfriend to feel at least a bit secure and steady. "That's probably because i'm the calm one right now."Enzo said with a light chuckle, about making it sound so easy, when he knew it really wasn't. "But you do, baby, you do got this. Just by saying you are willing to do it, you are already taking control."he mused softly. As Isaiah finally lifted his gaze to look at him, Enzo offered him a small, sympathetic smile, it did hurt him to see this distraught, but it would get better with time and his support. He let him speak, Enzo's eyes starting to glisten as well as his heart swell with love and adoration towards him. "Words can't describe enough how happy all of this is making me - that you want this, us, and to live your truth. I'm happy for both of us, but mostly you. It'll be alright, okay? I love you."he murmured and let his lips connect with Isaiah's, a gentle and loving one in hope it'll calm down his nerves further.

Ivy's smile remained firmly in place as she shook John's hand politely, playing the part perfect of the friendly, former classmate and nothing more. "Nice to meet you, John." Ivy said easily, though she couldn't ignore the strange relief that settled in her chest as he excused himself, causing a bit of guilt to gnaw at the bottom of her stomach momentarily. Once he was out of earshot, her shoulders became less tense and she relaxed a bit more. "A couple of weeks ago," she answered, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Long enough for my mom to complain I'm already working too much and for half the town to find out." A soft laugh escaped her slightly. "I figured I'd run into you eventually. I just didn't think it would take this long," she admitted. There was a warmth in her voice that hadn't been there before. "You look good, Vi."

Her gaze followed John, leaving the two of them, before going back to Ivy. She knew her so well that it didn't escape her how the other visibly relaxed once the boyfriend was out of their personal space. Listening to her answer her question, Viola nodded and bit the corner of her bottom lip. "Always such a workaholic. It won't kill you to relax a little."Viola mused with a kind smile. "Yeah, I've heard you were back, I was just so busy with work and clients, I thought we might bump into each other. Like at the supermarket or something, you know?"she shrugged. "Thank you, Ivy - so do you. Paris obviously did you good, you look different. Good kind of different."she said.

Ash sucks his teeth as he contemplates how easy it was for Micah to read him down. Instead of folding he just rolls his eyes. "In your dreams." Obviously he's been fucked up since they hooked up but he isn't going to openly admit that. Ash isn't exactly the prude of their friend group. Most nights out he kisses their friends cheeks goodbye before heading home with his fling of the night. When it had been Micah it had meant something else entirely even if he was a little drunk. "I was just trying to figure out what was wrong with you!" Ash explains as if that makes perfect sense. It does make perfect sense to Ash he has all of his friends birth charts in his phone. He glances at Micha's full hands before it lifts back towards his face, "oh my god just go ahead. You're driving me crazy."

"Yeah, whatever."Micah chuckled and shook his head as the other rolled his eyes. The tension was very much present and he felt it more as they were now in the hotel room. Perhaps he could have switched with someone else from their friends group but that might raise some questions. And maybe Micah just wanted to be alone with him, see how things are gonna go from there. "I'm perfectly alright, thank you very much, don't need any damn horoscope to say that."he shrugged. "Good or bad kind of crazy?"he asked with a slightly teasing undertone. Taking off his shirt and exposing his defined abs, he threw shirt onto the floor and grabbed a clean towel from the bed. "And stop looking at my perfect body, you creep."he continued to tease before moving to the bathroom. "I might take a while, so..."he pursed his lips and shrugged, leaving the door slightly open as he got inside and turned the water on before starting to get naked.