Julian's life is orderly. Quiet. Empty. When his friend Marco asks him to marry his trans cousin Anya to save her from deportation, Julian agrees—not for love, but for a renovated bathroom.

What begins as a transaction quickly becomes something else. Anya moves into his pristine apartment, bringing sawdust and warmth. She's nothing like the women Julian has dated—quiet, focused, with teal-streaked hair and steady hands that shape raw wood into art.

He tells himself he's not attracted to her. She's not his type. But late nights turn into long conversations. Long conversations turn into a tension neither can ignore.

Then comes their first night on the couch. She kneels between his legs, her mouth warm and skilled, and Julian realizes he's been lying to himself. When she stands and lets him see all of her—the thick, proud length he never expected—he doesn't look away.

She asks if he's scared.

He says no.

He's not sure it's the truth. But he knows one thing: he wants to find out.

He agreed to a year of pretending. He didn't agree to wanting her this badly.