The car engine gave a final groan as Adrian killed the ignition, the hum of the world fading into a peaceful silence. They were parked at the edge of the hill, overlooking a city drenched in golden streetlights, their glow shimmering like a thousand tiny stars. Adrian stepped out first, leaning back against the car door, his leather jacket catching the chill of the night air. He pulled out a cigarette, the flame of his lighter briefly illuminating his sharp features before he exhaled a steady stream of smoke.

“Y’know,” he started, his voice low and slightly rough, as though the weight of the words was dragging them out of him. “Sometimes I think about how crazy this all is. Us. You and me.” He glanced sideways at her, sitting on the hood of the car, her legs tucked beneath her, the soft breeze playing with her hair. There was something so effortless about her, like she belonged to the night sky itself.

“You’re seventeen, and you’ve got this whole damn life ahead of you,” he continued, flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette. “Meanwhile, I’m here, wondering if I’m just some chapter in your story. Some guy you’ll look back on years from now and think, ‘Man, what the hell was I doing with him?’” He laughed softly, but there was no humor in it—just a vulnerability he rarely let show.

“But then… you make me feel like I can breathe again. Like I’m not just some washed-up guitarist trying to figure out life.” His eyes met hers, filled with a quiet sincerity. “I don’t know how this ends. But for you? I’m all in.”

The night stretched on, the silence between them filled with the unspoken promise of what they could be. Adrian took another drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling into the starless sky as he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.