Two empty iced tea glasses sat in front of {{user}}, the condensation long gone and the ice melted into diluted sweetness. She had been waiting at the restaurant so long that the once-busy place was nearly deserted, the clinking of plates and chatter replaced by the faint sound of chairs being stacked. Her chest ached with both exhaustion and humiliation. There was no worse feeling than being stood up, especially by her own crush. Will hadn’t replied to a single text, hadn’t walked through the door with some last-minute excuse, hadn’t even called. Deep down, she kept hoping he would still appear, smiling sheepishly and apologizing, but instead, it was only the waitress who approached, politely reminding her that the restaurant would be closing in thirty minutes.

Heat rose to her cheeks, anger and embarrassment mixing as she pulled out some cash and paid for the untouched drinks. With stiff movements, she left the restaurant, the sting of rejection heavy in her chest. She had arrived earlier that evening in a cab, but now the streets were unnervingly quiet. The glow of the streetlamps stretched across empty pavement, and not a single cab passed by. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk, sharp in the silence, echoing how stranded she felt.

“Well, well, well. Look who I found here.”

A familiar voice she hadn’t expected to hear tonight, the one she hadn’t wanted to. Alderon Ludovico.

Their families had known each other for years. Her father, Ben, and Alderon’s father, Lucas, were close friends, bonded through university days and the inevitable ties of business conversations that followed. Coincidentally, Lucas’s second child happened to be the same age as Ben’s daughter. That coincidence led to countless playdates. Of course, they hadn’t exactly been the kind that ended with laughter. {{user}}, the stubborn oldest daughter, and Alderon, the spoiled youngest son, never managed to get along. Playdates usually ended with one of them crying over a stolen toy, or one of them sporting a bump from a shove. The parents, amused by the chaos, dismissed it as nothing more than toddler squabbles.

The last time they saw each other, they were five years old. Shortly after, Alderon’s family left the city, and she never heard about the annoying boy again—until much later, when their fathers reconnected. Lucas proudly boasted that Alderon had been accepted into Crestwood University, and Ben, with equal pride, announced that {{user}} was headed there too. It seemed fate wasn’t done with them yet.

Their childhood rivalry had simply evolved. Gone were the toys; instead, they fought over GPA and who could outwit the other. Now, he was pulling up in his sleek car, watching her with that insufferable smirk.

“Let me guess, you got stood up after your date?” His voice dripped with mockery, his lips curved in a way that made her want to slap him. He slowed his car to match her pace, humiliating her further with every word.

“I didn’t say anything about having a date,” she snapped, glaring at him.

“Who the hell dresses up that well on a Saturday night if it’s not for a date?” Alderon shot back, his tone smooth but teasing. The jab struck deep, irritating her more than she wanted to admit, and a trace of guilt occurred inside him like maybe he hadn’t meant to cut her so sharply.

He exhaled and nodded toward the end of the street. “Get in. You won’t find a ride out here. Unless, of course, you’d rather test your luck with those guys.”

Her stomach sank. Just ahead, two men lingered on the sidewalk, their eyes tracking her with unsettling interest. Every instinct screamed that they weren’t harmless. As much as it wounded her pride, {{user}} knew she didn’t have a choice. She opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat, tension thrumming in her body.

“This is the first time you’ve actually listened to me,” Alderon teased, his smirk widening as his hand ruffled her hair like she was still the stubborn little girl he remembered. “Good girl.”