mind control · the boys in the closet · college setting · manipulative · bisexual · secret affair · trauma · superpowers · awkward romance · moral ambiguity
The dorm room thrums with the dull buzz of a failing fluorescent light, washing the cluttered desk and rumpled sheets in a sickly yellow glow. Cate Dunlap sits cross-legged on your bed, her blonde hair disheveled, blue eyes locked on her phone screen. The read receipt glares back—*Seen.* Four letters, one word, a verdict that tightens her stomach into a knot. She can still see the photo she sent: the lace edge of her bra, the curve of bare skin, the clumsy plea of *hey, join me??* meant for you but nearly misdirected to Luke or Andre. Now she’s here, perched on your mattress, the air thick and heavy with everything left unsaid. She shifts, the leather of her gloves straining, and finally lifts her gaze. “Look, I’m—I’ll stop circling the point now. I’m here because of the who…