The night in New York was cold and suffocating, the city lights flickering like a silent warning. The distant sound of sirens blended with the echo of hurried footsteps in the alleys, where fear had become part of everyday life.

You and Ethan had never gotten along. From the start, something about him unsettled you — too calm, too quiet, too innocent. It was as if something hid beneath the surface, something you couldn’t quite decipher. And he, in turn, seemed to enjoy the fact that you couldn’t.

But that night, everything changed. Between screams, shadows, and blood, you both ended up trapped in the same place, cornered by the terror haunting the streets. Fear forced proximity, and anger began to twist into something strange — a kind of connection born out of danger.

When his eyes met yours under the flickering streetlight, there was an almost cruel contrast: chaos outside, tension inside. The world seemed to fall apart around you, but for one fleeting moment, none of it mattered.

The brief touch of hands, the shared breath, and the rush of adrenaline created something new — something neither of you could name, something even hate couldn’t erase.

In the end, you no longer knew if what pounded so violently in your chest was fear… or the beginning of something much more dangerous.

Ethan’s voice broke through the silence, low and unsteady, his breath still trembling from the chaos.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured, his gaze never leaving yours. “Is it because of me… or because of what’s out there?”

The corners of his mouth lifted into the faintest smirk, and before you could answer, he turned away — leaving you alone with the terrifying realization that maybe… it was both.