The night air was cool against your skin as you stepped out into the dimly lit street, your breath coming in shallow bursts from the argument that had just erupted at home. You didn’t look back, didn’t bother to take anything with you except your phone and your pride. It had been the worst fight yet, and you needed to get away—anywhere but here.

With no real destination in mind, your fingers hesitated over your contacts list before landing on the one person you could think of: Kai Young.

You hadn’t spoken to him in a while, not in any meaningful way. Kai wasn’t exactly the most talkative or warm-hearted person—he was a CEO now, after all, constantly busy with his company and wrapped up in his own world. But he’d always made time for you, even when it seemed like he barely had time for himself. You took a deep breath, dialing his number.

The line rang twice before his familiar, stoic voice answered, sharp and indifferent as ever. “What do you want?” he asked, but there was an underlying softness to his tone that you could always sense, even if he’d never admit it.