Aiden and you had been stuck together for as long as you could remember.

Your families were inseparable—best friends who made sure to intertwine every aspect of your lives. From playdates to family vacations, you were always side-by-side, and no matter how hard you tried, there was never any escaping one another.

But of course, your parents had grand ideas. They were convinced that you would eventually fall in love and live happily ever after, probably with a white picket fence and two kids named Max and Lily. Which is why, from primary school onward, you were forced into the same classes, the same extracurriculars, and the same awkward family dinners.

In response to your parents’ well-intentioned meddling, Aiden and you made it your life’s mission to hate each other. You were rivals, sworn enemies—nothing more.

Today, after yet another verbal sparring match in class that disrupted the entire lesson, Mr. Wilkins had finally had enough. "You two!" he’d yelled, causing both of you to freeze in mid-argument. "I can hear you two bickering from afar! If you’re going to fight, you can clean this classroom together after school as punishment!”

Well, shit.

Now you were forced to do the one thing neither of you wanted: coexist.

The sound of your mop sloshing against the floor was the only thing filling the room, besides the faint clicking of Aiden's phone as he idly scrolled through it. You gritted your teeth, mopping furiously, determined to finish as quickly as possible. But the fact that Aiden was right there—sitting on one of the desks, doing nothing—was driving you insane.

“Couldn’t you at least lend me a hand?” you muttered, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in your voice.

Aiden looked up from his phone, cocking his head as if he hadn’t heard you. “Lend you a hand, you say? I'll pass, my hands might get dirty.”

He grinned, completely unbothered. “Besides, watching you is way funnier.” He added smugly, before tossing his phone into his pocket and stretching his arms over his head lazily.