Alden Hart hated parties. Not because they were loud. Not because people were drunk and messy and impossible to deal with. He hated them because he always had to pretend. Pretend he liked the attention. Pretend he enjoyed the cameras flashing in his face. Pretend his smile was real whenever someone said, “You and your girlfriend look perfect together.” Perfect. That word followed him everywhere like a curse. Tonight was no different. Blackwood University’s annual party was crowded with rich kids, expensive perfume, and fake laughter echoing through the mansion walls. Alden stood near the kitchen counter with one hand in his pocket while his girlfriend talked to her friends beside him. He wasn’t listening. His eyes kept drifting somewhere else. To the boy sitting alone near the balcony. Dark clothes. Silver rings. Messy black hair falling over sharp eyes. A cigarette resting lazily between his fingers despite the no-smoking sign above his head. Keanu Vale. The kind of person Alden had spent his whole life avoiding. Dangerous people came with dangerous consequences. But somehow, Keanu looked back at him at the exact same moment. And for one second— Alden felt seen. Not admired. Not envied. Seen. It was uncomfortable. Worse, it was addictive. So Alden did what he always did when something scared him. He left. Or at least, he tried to. Because three hours later, while lying awake in his dark bedroom with the city lights bleeding through his curtains, his phone suddenly buzzed.

11:47 PM

Alden stared at the screen longer than he should have. He didn’t recognize the number. But somehow, the messages felt familiar. Sharp. Careless. Dangerous. His phone buzzed again.

Alden’s fingers froze above the keyboard. For a second, he could still hear the loud music from earlier. His girlfriend’s hand around his arm. The cameras flashing. Everyone calling them perfect. Perfect. He hated that word.

Seen 11:59 PM

Alden should’ve blocked the number right there. But instead

Typing...

Typing....

Typing...

He should’ve blocked him. Really. People like Keanu Vale only brought trouble. Everyone at Blackwood knew that. He was reckless, arrogant, always surrounded by rumors and cigarette smoke. Exactly the type of person Alden stayed away from. So why was his heart beating so fast? His thumb hovered above the keyboard. Then another message appeared

Alden frowned instanly

The atmosphere in Alden’s room suddenly felt suffocating. He sat up against the headboard, jaw tightening.

Seen 12:08 PM

This time, Keanu took longer to reply. Long enough to make Alden stare at the screen waiting for it. Long enough to make him realize he was waiting at all. Then...

Alden swallowed hard. Something about those words felt wrong. Too intimate. Too direct. Like Keanu wasn’t just flirting. Like he was already peeling pieces off Alden one by one. Before Alden could answer, another message came in.

Alden's stomach dropped

Confused, Alden slowly stood from his bed and walked toward the window. The city lights blurred beneath him from the twentieth floor of his apartment building. And there was Keanu leaning against a black motorcycle under the streetlamp across the road. Head tilted back. Cigarette between his lips. Phone glowing faintly in his hand. Waiting. Alden’s breath caught. His phone vibrated one last time.

— END OF CHAPTER 1 —

Alden knew he shouldn’t go. Everything about this situation screamed bad idea. Meeting a stranger at midnight? A stranger he barely knew? A stranger who somehow looked at him like he already understood every ugly thing Alden tried to hide? No sane person would go downstairs. But Alden still found himself changing clothes at 12:14 in the night. He hated that. His phone buzzed again while he pulled on a black hoodie.

Alden frowned

Typing...

Alden froze

His eyes darted around his empty bedroom like Keanu could somehow see inside.

Alden rolled his eyes, but his chest still tightened remembering it. The party. The loud music. The fake smiles. His girlfriend’s hand resting on his arm while everyone called them “couple goals.” And across the room there was… Keanu. Watching him. Not like everyone else did. Not with admiration. With curiosity. Like Alden was something waiting to break. His phone buzzed once more.

Alden stared at the message for a long moment.

Seen.

No reply after that. Which somehow annoyed him even more.

The elevator ride down felt painfully long. Alden kept checking his reflection in the metal walls, fixing his hair before immediately hating himself for caring. Why did he care? This was nothing. Just some reckless guy from a party. That’s all. The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. Cold night air hit his skin immediately. And there he was leaned against his motorcycle beneath the streetlamp exactly like before, cigarette hanging loosely between his lips. Black rings decorated his fingers. His dark hoodie sleeves were pushed up slightly, revealing faded bruises along his knuckles. He looked dangerous in a way that didn’t feel accidental. Keanu noticed him instantly. And smiled. God. Alden already hated that smile.

Keanu laughed softly.

Keanu took another drag from his cigarette before stepping closer. Too close. Alden could suddenly smell smoke, cold air, and something expensive underneath it all. It made his stomach twist strangely.

Alden looked away first. Which felt like losing somehow

The answer came too fast. Too honest.

Alden’s jaw tightened

Silence. A car passed somewhere down the street. Alden swallowed hard. Nobody had ever said something like that to him before. Because nobody ever noticed. Keanu noticed too much.

Keanu stepped closer again. Close enough for Alden’s pulse to start betraying him.

His eyes dropped briefly to Alden’s lips before meeting his gaze again.

Alden’s breath caught. And somehow… That scared him more than Keanu himself He looked away first. Again. The silence between them stretched strangely, thick with something Alden didn’t know how to name.

God, Alden already wanted to punch him

Alden opened his mouth to argue Then stopped. Because he had no good excuse. Keanu watched him carefully before laughing under his breath.

Alden immediately looked away again. Which only made Keanu grin wider.

The words hit harder than they should have. Keanu noticed. Of course he noticed. The teasing expression on his face faded just slightly. For the first time since meeting him, Keanu looked… serious

Alden’s chest tightened instantly

Because the truth was— He didn’t know why Keanu affected him this much already. Maybe it was the way Keanu looked at him without caring about his reputation. Maybe it was because Keanu never treated him like Blackwood’s perfect golden boy. Or maybe… Maybe Alden was just tired. Tired of pretending every second of every day. Keanu suddenly held out his cigarette pack.

That answer came too naturally. Too smoothly. Alden hated the way his stomach flipped hearing it. A cold breeze passed between them, making the trees above rustle softly. Keanu looked up briefly before glancing back at him.

Before Alden could react, Keanu stepped closer and pulled lightly at the sleeve of Alden’s hoodie. The movement was small. Barely anything. But Alden felt it everywhere. Their eyes met again. This time neither of them looked away immediately.

The air suddenly felt too heavy to breathe properly.

Alden swallowed hard.

Keanu looked at him for a long second. Then slowly leaned closer.. Close enough for Alden to feel his breath

That was the exact moment Alden realized he was already in trouble.

— END OF CHAPTER 2 —

2:43 AM

Alden couldn’t sleep after that. Not after Keanu leaned in close enough to make his heartbeat lose rhythm. Not after that stupid "guess" that Keanu whispered to him against the cold night air. So he did the only thing he could do to regain control. He went back upstairs without looking back. At least that’s what he told himself. Because the second the elevator doors closed, Alden immediately pulled out his phone. No new messages. Which was annoying. Embarrassingly annoying. Alden tossed himself onto his bed with a frustrated sigh, staring at the ceiling while memories replayed in his head like a punishment. “You look fake at parties.” “You’re lonely enough to keep answering my texts.” God. Who even says things like that? His phone suddenly buzzed. Alden grabbed it too fast.

Typing...

...

Typing...

Alden rolled his eyes hard enough to hurt.

Alden stared at the screen. His stomach twisted in the most irritating way possible. Before he could answer, another message appeared.

Typing...

...

Typing...

Typing...

Alden threw his phone beside him dramatically.

Somehow that made him smile. The realization disappeared instantly. Nope. Absolutely not. Alden Hart did not smile over boys with nicotine addictions and emotional issues. His phone buzzed again. Against his better judgment, he picked it up immediately.

Alden froze reading it

He slowly looked toward his apartment window. The curtains were still slightly open. And far below under the same streetlamp Keanu was still there. Looking up. Their eyes met from some floors apart. Alden’s breath caught instantly. Then his phone buzzed one more time.

Something warm and dangerous curled inside Alden’s chest. He hated how seen he felt around him. Hated it. But not enough to stop replying.

Alden swallowed hard. There was something lonely hidden beneath Keanu’s jokes. Something subtle. Something sad. And before Alden could stop himself he texted

Seen. No reply. For the first time since meeting him, Keanu took a while to answer. Long enough to make Alden wonder if he crossed a line. Then finally

Typing...

Keanu took a while to reply

The use of his name felt strangely intimate. Softer this time. Alden stared at the screen.

Seen. No answer. A minute passed. Then two. Alden frowned before standing from his bed and walking back toward the window. The streetlamp below was empty now. Keanu was gone.

That disappointed him more than it should have. His phone buzzed one last time just as he crawled back into bed.

Alden stared at the message for a long moment. Then slowly typed

At first he hesitated then He's typing again

Seen 03:07 AM

No reply after that

Yet somehow Alden fell asleep smiling anyway.

But his phone suddenly buzzed again. Alden grabbed it immediately. Then paused.

His eyebrows pulled together slightly before opening the message

Alden blinked. Another text came in.

Alden stared at the screen. Then another notification appeared on top of the chat. From Keanu.

For the first time tonight, Keanu didn’t sound teasing. No flirting. No sarcasm. Just serious. Alden looked back at the unknown messages. Then back to Keanu’s chat. A weird feeling settled in his stomach. Before he could reply— Another message from Keanu popped up.

"Tomorrow" Alden reread the word twice. Like Keanu already assumed there’d be a tomorrow for them. And honestly? That thought should’ve scared him more than it did.

— END OF CHAPTER 3 —