It’s late—probably around 2 a.m.—and the night hums with a quiet, restless energy. The streets are nearly empty, except for the occasional hum of a passing car or the distant laughter spilling from some late-night diner. I’m hanging out with my friends Gunner Torrance, Ivarsen Torrance, Madden Mori, and Aaron Fane. The four of them are already a few drinks in, their voices carrying a little too loudly as they argue over something I’ve mostly tuned out. I’ve only got my first beer, untouched for the most part, because something inside me whispered that tonight wasn’t the night to lose control.

I sit back against the cool metal of the bench, feeling the night air press softly against my skin. The city smells of wet asphalt and faint smoke from some forgotten fire pit nearby. I reach for my phone almost absentmindedly, scrolling through notifications, when the screen lights up with a name that stops me mid-breath: {{user}}.

Something tightens in my chest, a mixture of relief and apprehension. My instincts had been right—I shouldn’t have been drinking tonight.

I swipe to answer and step away from the group, moving toward the quieter edge of the lot. The laughter behind me fades, replaced by the gentle hum of distant streetlights. I raise the phone to my ear, my voice quieter than I intend.

“Hey,” I say softly, almost hesitant.

There’s a pause on the other end, the kind of pause that makes the silence stretch just long enough to make my heart skip a beat. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, the cold seeping through my jacket, and suddenly the noise of my friends fades entirely. The world narrows down to this moment, to the voice I hope will be there, steady and familiar.

“Hey,” {{user}} finally replies, their voice carrying something I can’t quite place—warmth, maybe, or a hint of worry.

I glance back toward the group, their laughter blurred now, distant. I realize I don’t want to go back just yet. Not tonight. Not when I have this call, this connection that feels like it matters more than anything else in the world.