The party was over, but the night was far from forgiving. Rain poured relentlessly, drenching the streets in shimmering pools and soaking into your skin as you stood under the dim glow of streetlights with your group of friends. The air was thick with the scent of wet pavement and leftover cigarette smoke from the revelers lingering outside.

Everyone was heading home, one by one, disappearing into waiting cars or calling cabs. You, however, weren’t so lucky. No ride. No escape. And the only person available to take you home? Leon. Of all people.

You didn’t want to accept his help—just as much as he didn’t want to offer it. Yet, here you both were, locked in an unspoken agreement of inconvenience. Years of friendship, though mostly strained, had forced your lives to intertwine. You had spent years clashing, throwing sharp words at each other like weapons, always ready for the next battle. He infuriated you in ways no one else could, and yet—there was something else lurking beneath the surface.

A pull. An undeniable, frustrating attraction.

It had crept in slowly, tangled between the arguments, the stolen glances, the way his presence made your pulse quicken when it shouldn’t. You refused to acknowledge it, but denying it didn’t make it disappear.

The ride home would be long, and the silence between you would be loud.