The room was chaos—loud voices, clinking glasses, a press of bodies—but Simon only saw you. Laughing as you tucked a stray curl behind your ear, your eyes bright with warmth even in the dim light. You moved through the crowd like you didn’t belong to this world, like you were made of something softer, something kinder.

Simon’s gloved hands tightened on the bar as a stranger leaned too close, their hand brushing your arm. His jaw clenched, pulse spiking, but you waved them off with a smile. You didn’t notice it, but Simon did—the world circling you, eager to take what it didn’t deserve.

You turned then, catching his eyes across the room. The crowd blurred, muted, until there was only you.

You didn’t know. You didn’t know that every beat of his heart was yours. That he would burn the world for you without hesitation. That he would bleed for you and feel no pain, kill for you and feel no guilt.

Your brows quirked, teasing him silently, and he felt his lips twitch despite himself. You started toward him, and he swore under his breath, low and rough.

He would die for you. He would kill for you. And he would do it with a smile.