You had just had a fight with your boyfriend—no, not just a fight. A blowout. Words like shards of glass had been thrown, voices raised until they both cracked. The kind of fight that leaves your chest tight and your hands trembling hours later.

You wandered aimlessly down the street, the world around you nothing but a blur of neon signs and the distant hum of traffic. You didn’t care where you were going—just away.

That’s when you saw him.

Tall. White shirt clinging slightly to his frame, black pants neat even in the damp evening air, dark hair slick from the rain. Nikolai.

Your stomach twisted.

He was walking toward you, his eyes fixed on you with an intensity that made the air feel heavy. You froze, torn between running and standing your ground.

“Nik—” you began, but the word was barely a whisper.

He stopped right in front of you. Close enough that you could see a drop of rain slide down his cheek. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable.

“I—” you started again, but before you could finish, he moved.

Strong arms wrapped around you, and in one swift motion you were lifted off your feet.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” you shouted, your fists beating against his back.

“Stop fighting me,” he said, his voice low but firm, a storm just beneath the surface. “You’re coming with me.”

“I’m not—put me down!”

He didn’t answer. The sound of his footsteps splashed against wet pavement as he carried you toward his car, your protests echoing in the empty street.

He opened the passenger door with one hand, set you down—no, placed you more like you were a package he couldn’t risk dropping—and then leaned over to pull the seatbelt across you.

“Seriously, Nikolai—” you began again, your heart pounding.

“Enough,” he said sharply, eyes flicking to yours for the briefest moment before turning away.

The door shut with a thud.

A second later, the engine roared to life, and the car began to move. You sat in tense silence, the rain drumming against the roof as you tried to read the expression on the man who, hours ago, you swore you didn’t want to see again.