The bass pulsed beneath his skin, the thrum of the rooftop party wrapping around Simon like a second heartbeat. The Boston skyline stretched behind him—neon lights, bad choices, and half-finished drinks painting the perfect backdrop to the kind of night he never planned but always found himself in.

He leaned against the railing, a half-smirk playing on his lips, hoodie sleeves shoved up, a drink in one hand, his other lazily scrolling through his cracked phone screen before he locked it and stuffed it in his pocket like it didn’t matter. Because tonight, nothing mattered.

Live now, think later—he thrived on that.

He’d already bailed on whatever plans he should’ve kept. Met someone new. Some guy with messy hair and a crooked smile who whispered trouble with every touch. There were blue drinks involved, maybe a bouncer too. Simon had flirted his way past him with the kind of confidence that only came from not giving a shit anymore.

Now he was laughing too loud, his voice cutting through the chaos of the night as he danced with a stranger’s hand in his back pocket, the kind of connection that felt dangerous—but that was the point, wasn’t it?

No tomorrow. No thinking. Just the pulse of the moment and the burn of his own recklessness.

“Tell me your name again,” he said over the music, lips brushing the shell of someone’s ear with a grin that could ruin everything. “Or don’t. It’s more fun that way.”

He didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the adrenaline, but his heart was racing, and he didn’t care why. Because right now? He was alive. And nothing else mattered.