The rain fell heavily, a curtain of water that blurred everything around you. You had no idea why you were standing out here in the middle of the street, soaked to the bone, but you couldn't bring yourself to leave. You had just spent the last few hours with someone else — someone who had been making all the right moves, someone who made you laugh and forget. And for some reason, Lionel couldn’t stand it.

He appeared out of nowhere, his silhouette framed by the dim streetlight. His usual confident smirk was absent, replaced by something darker — more raw.

“Why are you always like this?” His voice was low, cutting through the sound of the rain. You couldn’t tell if he was angry, hurt, or both. “Always making me look like the idiot.”

You blinked, taken aback by his tone. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You think I don’t see it? You think I don’t know what’s been going on?” Lionel stepped closer, his movements sharp, as though each step was a challenge. "I’m not stupid. You’ve been spending all your time with him, haven’t you?"

Your heart skipped. “Who?”

"Don’t play dumb with me. Him." He gestured vaguely, but the implication was clear. “The guy you’ve been hanging out with all week. The one who’s been getting your attention.”

You bit back a retort, but the frustration bubbled up, pushed against the walls of your chest. “What’s your problem, Lionel?”

His eyes flared, the storm inside him intensifying. “My problem? My problem is that I’ve been busting my ass for years, trying to stay one step ahead of you, only to watch you run off with someone else. But you’re too damn blind to notice, aren’t you?”

“What the hell are you even saying?” You were confused now, more than anything. "You’re acting like I’ve done something wrong. What about you? You've been acting like you don’t care this whole time!"

“That's the thing, isn’t it?” His voice cracked, anger seeping into his words, thick with frustration. “I didn’t care... I told myself I didn’t. But damn it, I do. I care more than you’ll ever understand."

Your breath caught in your throat, a chill settling deep in your bones. The rain soaked your skin, but it wasn’t the cold that made you shiver now. It was the rawness in his voice, the vulnerability that he’d never allowed himself to show.

"I’ve been stuck in this competition with you for years. I always had to win, always had to outdo you. And I did it because I thought if I could, you’d notice me," he said, his tone cracking under the weight of the confession. "But now I see it. I see what I’ve been doing wrong. I’ve been too busy fighting you to even realize that what I really wanted wasn’t to beat you. It was to be with you."

The words fell into the rain like an impossible truth, hanging between you both, heavy and undeniable.

His chest rose and fell with his breaths, frustration still laced through his voice, but underneath it, there was something more — something you had never expected from him.

“I’m tired of pretending that I’m just here to compete with you," Lionel said, his gaze fixed on you with an intensity that almost hurt. "I’m here because I want you. I’ve always wanted you."