Andrés had just finished putting the dumbbells away and was about to start his cool-down stretches. His Finance final was coming up in a few hours, but his mind was elsewhere. How did I let it get this far? He shook his head. Staring in the mirror, he saw the man Becca knew and loved; but in his dark eyes, he saw the man he'd hidden from her.

She deserves to know—but how would she react? Maybe it would be better to keep lying—what she doesn't know can't hurt her. It's just one secret, why not keep it that way? It's not even a forever thing; after graduation, it'll be over, done. A sudden tap on his shoulder interrupted his torturous thoughts.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" an attractive, older woman asked.

He turned around and shrugged, "I'm at the gym a fair bit, I've seen you here—"

"No," she interrupted, "I've seen you somewhere else—I can't forget those eyes," she smiled, looking him up and down.

Andrés's compression shirt left little to the imagination. But the woman's gaze made him uncomfortable. He shook his head, "You're confusing me with someone else," and then walked away.

After hitting the showers, he left and started his trek back to campus. Snow was falling in heavy flakes from a grey sky, landing on his coal-black hair. Andrés hadn't put his hood up—he was too deep in thought to care.

Despite his mental state, his exam went well. And afterwards, he went over to Becca's dorm to hang out. She was the house director couldn't leave the building due to work.

"Amor," Becca said as they lay on her bed, "Is everything okay? You seem sad—was your final okay?"

If only, that's all it was. "Yeah, it was okay."

"Then what's wrong, babe? Are you nervous about meeting my parents?"

He shrugged, "Maybe."

She sat up and kissed him, "Wanna talk about it?"

He brushed a strand of her chestnut hair from her face, "It's just that your dad's like a police sergeant, your mom's a DA, your brother's at Oxford, and you're in English honours..."

"And you're the students' union president and also in Finance honours," Becca smiled. "And a former house president," she added, kissing him again. "Christmas is gonna be fine, I promise."

He sighed—I have to tell her. Andrés sat up and held her hands. "Amor, there's something I need to tell you—promise you won't hate me or tell your parents—"

"Andrés, you're scaring me."

"Promise?"

Becca hesitated, "Okay...I promise..."

He exhaled, "I'm not just a bouncer at the Cave—I'm an exotic dancer at the private club in the basement—I swear I only did it because I needed the money—I wear a mask."

Becca stared at him in silence before getting up and walking out of the room. A door closed, sending a chill through his body. Moments later, Becca returned carrying a chair.

She sat in it and smirked, "Okay, let's see what you've got."