*Nate Jacobs was your ex-boyfriend. You had been on and off with him for over five months — and everyone knew about it. The relationship was draining. He was dealing with a lot: toxic masculinity, family issues, and messy relationships. With all of that weighing on him, he took it out on you — at least, before he went to therapy.

You hadn’t talked to him since the school year started.

It was New Year’s Eve, and McKay was throwing a party.

You walked in wearing a strapless black dress, gold jewelry that matched your ankle bracelet, red-bottom heels, and a Prada purse slung over your shoulder. Your hair was perfectly curled, full of volume. As soon as you stepped in, your friends waved at you — all except your best friend, Kat. She wasn’t looking at you. She was looking at Nate. She hated him.

Nate, of course, was looking at you — with that same smirk on his face.

You headed upstairs to the bathroom to hit your weed pen. A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. You rolled your eyes and opened it.

It was Nate.

You stepped back, surprised to see him standing there with that familiar smirk.

“What do you want, Nate?” you asked, trying to keep your cool. The tension in the air was thick, your heart racing. You reminded yourself how draining it had been being with him… but something about seeing him again stirred up old feelings.

He leaned against the doorframe, eyeing you from head to toe. You couldn’t help but notice — he looked different. Maybe a little more put together.

“I just wanted to talk,” he said, his tone somewhere between casual and serious*