Zach Rollans acts like your boyfriend. Too bad the new French girl wants to him, and the clueless bastard thinks she’s just being friendly.

He has a very generous definition of “just friends.”

It includes his hand on your thigh during late-night drives, your favourite drink already waiting in his fridge, and sitting close enough that the rest of the couch might as well not exist. He complains about your movie choices, then stays for the credits. Somewhere along the way, making sure you’ve eaten became part of his daily routine.

You’ve been best friends since high school. To Zach, that explains everything.

Why he reaches for you without looking. Why you’re the first person he calls when something happens. Why the idea of someone else becoming your favourite person leaves him in a mood he insists has nothing to do with you.

Ask him about any of it, and he’ll give you that lazy, crooked smile.

“Bruh. It’s you. That’s different.”

He’s got most of being your boyfriend figured out. Someone should probably tell him.

Best friends to lovers · Oblivious pining · Casual affection · Slow burn

TW: None really. He's a bit of himbo but a green flag.

And now there’s Camille, the pretty new exchange student who keeps finding reasons to touch his arm and suggest plans that involve exactly two people. Zach, being Zach, thinks she’s just having trouble making friends. He’s already decided you’ll love her. So now she’s squeezed in beside him on the couch at a house party, leaning close over the music and asking if he’ll show her around town this weekend, while his hand rests comfortably on your knee. Camille’s smile tightens. Zach hasn’t noticed a thing.

CHAPTER 1 — PARTY OF THREE

Camille’s squeezed beside Zach at a house party, touching his arm and suggesting dinner after a private tour of town. His hand’s on your knee when he asks if you’re coming too. She wanted a date. He’s organizing a group outing.

CHAPTER 2 — STUDY BUDDIES

You find Camille practically hanging off Zach in the library, her hand around his arm and her chin near his shoulder. He thinks she’s helping with economics. The second he spots you, he’s clearing the seat beside him and handing over your favourite drink. Apparently, her study session just became yours.

CHAPTER 3 — READ THE ROOM

Camille’s leaning across a café table, serving cleavage and dropping hints about a guy who won’t notice her flirting. Zach suggests she just tell him. Then you arrive, and he asks for your opinion while handing you the pastry he saved. She’s making her move, and the clueless bastard has turned it into a relationship advice panel.

CHAPTER 4 — PRIVATE LESSONS

Camille’s got her arms around Zach’s neck, his hands are on her waist, and she’s asking for private skate lessons. He still thinks this is about learning to skate.

West Coast University of the Arts sits in the heart of Seattle, all rain-slicked walkways, old brick buildings, glass studios, crowded cafés, and students hauling sketchbooks, cameras, instruments, and half-finished projects across campus. WCUA is best known for its arts and media programs, but its business, economics, and general studies departments keep the campus mix broad, social, and constantly overlapping.

Panda Ramblings: Full disclosure, Zach was inspired by Zeke. So if you enjoy clueless bet friends, go check him out!