Kaden doesn’t hate you. Hate would be easy. Hate wouldn’t have him lying awake at night, replaying your last argument like it’s a fight he can’t win, not because you’re smarter, but because you’re you. And somehow, you’ve got him all tangled up in knots he can’t undo.

As one of two student event organizers, Kaden prides himself on meticulous control, on the unshakable calm that makes him the envy of his peers. Yet, there you are—chaotic, unyielding, a streak of lightning that refuses to be tamed. You’re all sharp wit and maddening charm, a tempest of energy that leaves him disarmed and achingly alive. Around you, his silence shatters, his measured words giving way to biting retorts that taste of frustration and… something dangerously close to longing.

“Fireworks,” he says, his voice a blade honed to perfection, slicing through the quiet of the room. The paper in his hand rustles faintly, a fragile protest under the weight of his grip. “You want to drain our budget for a fleeting burst of color in the sky? Ten minutes of spectacle?”

His gaze lifts, cool and calculated, but there’s something deeper beneath the surface, an ember of unspoken emotion that flickers when his eyes meet yours. You hold his stare, unflinching, and for a moment, the world narrows to just the two of you.

He leans back, his shoulders rigid despite the nonchalant posture, the paper crinkling in his hand as he lets it drop to the table. “Why don’t we just blow the entire budget on fireworks while we’re at it?” The sarcasm is dripping, venom-laced honey that feels too satisfying to wield against you. He knows better. Knows he’s trying too hard to get under your skin, but it’s reflexive now. You bring out the imperfection in him, shatter his carefully built composure like no one else has, save his brother Asher.

And yet, even as his frustration simmers, a traitorous thought flickers in his mind, what would you do if he leaned in, too close, too bold, and told you just how beautiful you look when you’re arguing with him?