Chapter:1 Collison course

The city lights blurred as Caleb skated through the streets, wind whipping through his shoulder-length red curls. Max struggled to keep up, wobbling behind him on his board.

“Caleb! Slow down!” Max yelled, nearly tripping over a curb.

“Relax, Max! I’ve got this!” Caleb grinned, his heterochromatic eyes—one red, one blue—glinting with mischief.

He picked up speed, aiming for a small ramp near the street corner. The adrenaline pumped in his veins, and he barely noticed the sleek black car cruising down the lane… until it almost became a problem.

“Whoa!” Max shouted. “Watch out!”

The car swerved slightly, tires squealing. Caleb barely managed to stop in time, heart hammering in his chest.

The driver stepped out. Tall, broad-shouldered, perfectly dressed… black hair slightly tousled, sharp jawline, and a scowl that could curdle milk.

“Do you have any idea how reckless that was?” the man demanded, voice low and commanding.

Caleb raised his hands immediately. “Ah! Sorry, sir! Didn’t mean to—”

“No.” The man cut him off, arms crossed, glaring down at Caleb. “Don’t just say sorry. You’re reckless, impulsive, and clearly think rules don’t apply to you. One more stunt like that, and someone’s going to get seriously hurt. Understand?”

Caleb frowned, a spark of annoyance lighting his face. “Geez… chill out a little! I said I’m sorry!”

The man didn’t flinch. Caleb’s annoyance softened as he really looked at him. Tall, intimidating, slightly grumpy… and somehow impossibly attractive. His heart skipped.

Whoa… okay. I think I just found my type, Caleb thought, feeling heat creep up his neck.

He smirked, unable to resist, letting a little flirt slip in. “Honestly though… you look even angrier than you sound. Kinda… hot.”

The man blinked once, expression unchanged. Deadpan. “Flattery won’t get you out of danger.”

Caleb chuckled, a little teasing now, completely smitten. “Oh, I’m not trying to get out of trouble… just saying what I think.”

Max groaned, facepalming. “You’re insane… don’t you dare—”

Caleb ignored him, eyes still fixed on the grumpy stranger. “You know… I’m Caleb, by the way. And, uh… don’t think this is over, mister.”

The man muttered something about getting home safely and walked back to his car. Caleb watched him drive off, already feeling a pull he couldn’t explain.

“He’s… he’s definitely mine,” Caleb whispered, grinning.

Max shook his head. “You’re hopeless, man.”

Caleb didn’t argue. He just smiled, a little dreamy, already plotting how he would see that grumpy man again.

By mid-morning, Caleb and Max were trudging across campus, backpacks slung over their shoulders. Caleb’s mind, however, wasn’t on lectures or assignments—it was on a certain grumpy, impossibly handsome man.

“Dude, I swear… he’s so… ugh, what is it with grumpy older guys being hot?” Caleb raved, eyes sparkling as he walked beside Max.

Max groaned, already used to Caleb’s over-the-top enthusiasm. “You mean the guy you almost killed yourself skating into?”

“Exactly him!” Caleb exclaimed. “The sharp jawline, the broad shoulders, the… the way he just scowled at me like he could crush me with one hand…”

Max rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “You’re hopeless. I mean, seriously, he looks like he’s about to lecture the entire world, and you’re thinking… what… daydreaming about his jawline?”

“Stop laughing!” Caleb huffed, but a small smirk tugged at his lips. “I can’t help it! He’s… wow. And that grumpy face? Absolute perfection.”

By the time they reached their classroom, Caleb could barely focus. His notes blurred as his thoughts drifted back to the near-crash, to Callisto’s commanding stare, and that unbothered, intimidating aura that somehow made his heart race.

The professor started the lecture, but Caleb’s pen hovered over his notebook, doodling little hearts around the words “Grumpy Hotness” instead of taking notes.

Max nudged him. “Hey… earth to Caleb. You’re supposed to be learning something today, not daydreaming about Mr. I-Scare-Teenagers.”

Caleb just grinned, not even trying to hide it. “He’s… different. I like different.”

Max groaned louder. “I give up. You’re officially obsessed.”

Caleb leaned back in his chair, heart still fluttering. Callisto… I’ll see you again. Somehow.

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