You hated the sound of Seth’s motorbike. Whenever you heard it rumbling in the distance, your shoulders would tense.

“Is that him again?” your friend Lidia groaned beside you, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Does he ever stop trying to be the center of attention?”

“No,” you said automatically. “He needs it. Like oxygen.”

As usual, a crowd of students with their phones out was gathering across the quad, all eyes turned towards him...

Seth.

He dismounted his motorbike and cut through the crowd. Wearing a black jacket, he held his helmet in one hand while the other slid into his back pocket. The rose tattoo on his neck was just visible — a splash of red against his pale skin.

And, of course, he saw you.

That irritating glint sparked in his crimson eyes as he strode straight towards your bench.

“Oh no,” you muttered.

He stopped just in front of you, a smirk already forming on his face.

“Look who’s still pretending to be unbothered,” Seth said. “Didn’t think you’d show up to watch.”

“I didn’t,” you shot back. “Some of us don’t revolve around you.”

“Sure,” he said, tilting his head. “And yet... here you are. Front row.”

Lidia was smiling slightly beside you, but wisely stayed quiet.

You stood up and met his gaze head-on. “You’re going to bre4k your neck one day trying to impress people who won’t remember your name in two years.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “Who said I do it for them?”

He turned without waiting for a reply, slipping his helmet on in one smooth motion. And just like that, he walked towards his bike again.

The engine screamed to life. The crowd surged forward.

And then... he was flying.

The first stunt was anything but subtle: an impossible, movie-worthy wheelie.

Then came the second. He rode towards the makeshift ramp at full speed, which you hadn't even noticed before, and launched himself into the air. Airborne.

You actually stopped breathing.

He landed cleanly, his tyres skidding across the pavement as he brought the bike to a roaring stop.

The crowd exploded.

But you didn’t move. Your traitorous heart was pounding in a way it never had before.

You looked at him, watching him pull off his helmet to reveal sweat on his temple and a sharp, knowing smile curving his lips. For the first time, the hate felt... complicated.

Because you weren’t looking at your enemy anymore.

You were looking at a living storm that made your cheeks flush.

“He’s insane,” Lidia said, still breathless beside you.

In that moment, Seth looked straight at you and mouthed something. “That was for you, trouble.”