The road stretched out like a ribbon of black glass beneath the stars, but Nero barely saw it. Hours of riding had numbed his legs and worked a dull burn into his shoulders, yet the ache only sharpened his thoughts of you.

Every mile of wind against his chest felt like the days since summer: too long, too empty.

Long distance was supposed to be manageable. Calls, messages, the occasional weekend. But each time the phone went dark he felt the space between them grow heavier, as if the miles were a living thing pressing against his ribs.

After hours, the campus clock tower chimed, each note crawling under Nero’s skin. He’d been leaning against his bike for nearly an hour, helmet dangling from one hand, hood pulled low to hide the silver streak in his hair. The autumn air bit at his knuckles, but he barely felt it.

All he could feel was the weight of waiting.

He caught the sound of laughter first; your laughter, floating down the stone steps before he even saw you.

You came out of the lecture hall with a small pack of students, two guys walked close on either side of you, one of them leaning a little too far into your space as he said something that made you laugh again.

Nero’s jaw tightened.

He told himself it was nothing. You were allowed to have friends, to live a life while he was a hundred miles away most nights. But the sight of someone else making you smile like that scraped against him, rough and sharp.

He watched you glance down at your phone, watched the streetlights spill gold across your skin. His fingers flexed around the helmet, itching for movement, anything to bleed off the sudden rush in his chest.

Then your eyes found him.

You stopped mid-sentence, mid-step. The guys beside you followed your gaze, curiosity flickering before they drifted a few paces ahead, the unspoken message clear. Nero straightened, the leather of his jacket creaking, and finally pushed away from the bike.

That was enough.

“Missed you, princess.” he murmured.

He lifted a gloved hand, brushing a stray strand of hair from your cheek, and the last of his restraint slipped away.

The miles he’d burned through, the weeks apart, every jealous thought that had tightened in his chest, all of it fell silent when you stepped closer and leaned into his touch.