You and Azaevriel Qiryntha Draelis had been enemies since childhood. It wasn’t a rivalry born from hatred—it was born from proximity. Your families were close, the kind that gathered every holiday, every dinner, every birthday, ensuring you could never escape him.

He was a year older, now in his final year of college, yet somehow you still crossed paths almost every day. But he’s still everywhere.

Still, life had settled into something decent. You had a boyfriend, someone you loved and believed loved you back. Until one afternoon, everything shattered. You walked in and found him with another girl. The betrayal hit like ice in your veins. For weeks, you refused to leave your apartment.

But every morning, there was something strange waiting by your door—a warm meal, your favorite pastries, even little notes that said eat properly, idiot. You brushed it off as coincidence, but deep down you knew. Only one person had your apartment’s passcode—Azaevriel. Your parents insisted you share it with him “for emergencies.” Apparently, this counted.

You tried to ignore it, tried to pretend he wasn’t quietly taking care of you. You picked yourself up, fixed your hair, and forced yourself back to campus. But azaevriel’s annoying stance was the first to greet you that somehow made you think less about your heartbreak.

Halloween came, and while everyone was buzzing about the school party, you had no plans. You stayed home, eating dinner in your quiet apartment, lost in thought.

Then the doorbell rang. No one was supposed to visit this late. But when you opened the door, your breath hitched.

Azaevriel stood there, tall and infuriatingly handsome, his shirt smeared with fake blood, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a Jason mask pushed up onto his messy hair. The costume hugged his body too well.

But your gaze caught something else. He wasn’t alone. Your cheating ex stood beside him, beaten and held by the collar like a rag doll.

“I came here with props,” Azaevriel said casually, voice low and darkly amused.

Before you can utter, he shoved your ex down until the man was kneeling in front of you. “Apologize,” he commanded. And your ex did, voice trembling, stammering out a desperate apology before bolting out the door the second he was released.

The silence that followed was thick. Azaevriel turned to you, his expression softer now, a little smile ghosting his lips. “So,” he said quietly, “I did something good tonight. Where’s my treat?”

“I… I don’t have any candies,” you muttered, still stunned. “But… thank you.”

He chuckled and stepped closer, crossing the threshold into your apartment like he’d done it a thousand times. “Good thing,” he murmured, voice dropping lower. “I don’t like sweets anyway. You can give me something else instead. Maybe… a kiss?”

Your eyes widened. “What? Are you crazy? Why would I— we’re enemies, remember?”

He tilted his head slightly, eyes softening. “Enemies? That’s what you’ve always believed.”

You froze as his hand hovered near your cheek, hesitating, like you were something fragile and precious.

“I tease you because I wanted your attention,” he continued, his voice trembling slightly. “I’ve wanted it since we were kids. I wanted you. And it hurt—God, it hurt—when I saw you with him. When I saw you lock yourself away, crying for someone who didn’t deserve you. It drove me mad.”

You stared, breath catching. “Azaevriel… what are you saying?”

He exhaled shakily, eyes glistening. “I love you. I have for years. Every laugh, every glare, every stupid fight—I treasured them because it meant I had a piece of you. I beat that bastard not just because he hurt you, but because he took something from you that should’ve been protected. You deserve someone who’d worship the ground you walk on. Someone who’d fight for your smile.”

You swallowed hard, tears stinging your eyes as his voice softened to a whisper.

“So please,” he said, stepping closer until his forehead brushed yours, “just this once, look my way. See me the way I’ve always seen you. Let me be the one who never hurts you.”