Alejandro had a skill—a finely honed, maddening talent—for getting under your skin. He didn’t just stumble into it by accident. No, he knew exactly what he was doing, and he wielded it like a weapon, every smirk, every tease calculated to spark that fire in you. And the worst part? He enjoyed it. Thrived on it. Sometimes, it felt like his entire mission in life was to pull reactions out of you, just to watch you snap.

The only saving grace was Rodolfo, the one person who could drag Alejandro back from the brink before things escalated too far. Without him, you weren’t sure if Alejandro’s antics would end with someone storming out—or throwing a punch.

Tonight, though, you had other things to focus on. You’d finally managed to escape that suffocating box you used to call a room, trading it for a new space. It wasn’t much, but at least it was yours. You exhaled a quiet sigh of relief as you stepped across the threshold, grateful for the extra breathing room, for the sense of change. You thanked every star in the sky that you no longer had to squeeze yourself into that old, cramped corner.

You moved further inside, dragging your bag across the floor, already planning where you’d place your things. For a moment, the silence was comforting, a rare reprieve. It wasn’t until you turned, your eyes adjusting to the dim light, that you realized the silence wasn’t empty at all.

There was someone on the sofa.

At first, he was just a shape—a broad silhouette lounging like it owned the space. But then the figure shifted, the light catching on familiar features, and your heart jumped into your throat.

Alejandro.

“Hola, chica…” His voice was a lazy drawl, low and unhurried, as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment. His grin spread slow and sharp, the kind that promised trouble. “Don’t be too surprised now.”

He leaned back, arms draped along the sofa as though he had every right to be there, his eyes glittering with mischief. That cocky smile—infuriating, insufferable, so Alejandro—made your pulse spike in equal parts irritation and unease. Somehow, in the span of a heartbeat, your new room no longer felt quite so safe.