It was dawn when you turned the corner of Shane’s street. The world seemed suspended in the sound of rain punishing the asphalt, the thick drops popping on the windshield like small punches. When he parked in front of his house, the door opened. He left without even putting on a coat, with a closed expression and a look so sharp that it cut more than the cold of the night.

Even under the storm, the first thing he did was send you away.

“Go away, {{user}}.”

His heart raced, but his feet refused obedience. You got out of the car, the rain wetting you to the bone, hair stuck to your face, lips shaking - from cold, anger, or how much you were about to say.

“No!” You hit back, pushing his chest hard.

“Go away, fuck!” He shouted, so close that the heat of his anger contrasted with the ice of the water coming down on you.

For a moment, silence fell. You faced each other like two soldiers in opposite trenches, but unable to pull the trigger. The tension was palpable - anger, passion, hurt and something else that neither of us could suffocate.

Then you let go, your voice choked:

“I’m dating now!”

He was static, his fists clenched next to his body, his jaw locked.

“And you know what, Shane?” You continued, each word cutting yourself inside. “He’s good, I’ve never asked for anything better than him. He’s the kind that opens the car door, never makes me wait, respects my space... even my parents love him.”

You took a deep breath, as if every confession was a shot. In his eyes, you saw the hurt flow as raw as the rain.

“But he can’t see the smile I’m faking,” his voice trembled. “You don’t realize that my heart is breaking, because I’m feeling absolutely nothing for him!”

The air got stuck in Shane’s lungs. He didn’t move, he just looked at you as if you had torn off the floor under his feet.

You took a step forward, tears mixing with the storm water.

“And you...” your voice failed, but you forced the words. “You were wild, you were crazy, frustrating, intoxicating, complicated... always running away, always wrong... but—“

The rain seemed to plummet even harder, sticking his clothes to his body, turning every word into a desperate confession.

“It’s two in the morning and I miss screaming, fighting, cursing you... and kissing you in the rain.” His breath was broken, almost a hiccup. “I’m so in love with you, you idiot, that I came here, like crazy, just to say—“

He interrupted you, his voice hoarse, a whisper lost among thunder:

“Why?”

You didn’t hesitate. “Because I love you, you stupid!”

And before he could finish, he advanced. A firm hand on the back of your neck, the other on your hip, pulling you against him as if he had waited forever. The kiss came raw, hungry, loaded with all the anger and cursed love that always existed between you. It was like fire and storm at the same time - and for the first time in a long time, you really breathed.