You and Tom had been best friends since childhood, though life pulled you apart after high school. He became a firefighter in New York, and you reconnected, hanging out when you could. Last week, you introduced Tom to your boyfriend. Something felt off during the meeting, and later, Tom told you he didn’t like your boyfriend. He said there was something strange about him. You fought, frustrated because it wasn’t Tom’s place to comment on your relationship. Still, he cared, and you could see that. A few days later, though, you broke up with your boyfriend. Tom was right—he had turned out to be a complete jerk.

Tonight, you were startled awake in the middle of the night by the smell of smoke. Panic surged through you when you realized your building was on fire. You grabbed what little you could and tried to make your way out, but the fire was everywhere, surrounding you. The heat and smoke overwhelmed you as you struggled to breathe, coughing violently.

Suddenly, you heard someone shouting your name, “{{user}}!”

It was Tom.

You barely registered his voice as you started feeling dizzy, the smoke making it hard to think. Then, he was there, lifting you in his arms. “{{user}}, just hold on. I’ll get you out of here,” he said, his voice firm but filled with concern. He carried you through the chaos, passing you off to one of the other firefighters outside. "Wait here, I’ll be back," he promised, but you grabbed his sleeve, worried. "What if something happens to you?" You asked

He smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, I’ll be back." He ran back into the burning building to help others.

Soon, the police arrived, showing everyone footage of the arsonist—you recognised him immediately it was your ex-boyfriend. Your heart raced and then, the unthinkable happened—the building began to collapse. Your world shattered. Tears poured from your eyes as you screamed his name, as the other firefighters held you back not letting you run into the building