The night air was heavy, thick with the scent of rain and asphalt. You leaned against the wall of the alleyway, hands stuffed in your pockets, trying to steady your breath. And there she was—Mia Woo. Gunner’s girl. The one you had loved quietly, endlessly, the one you could never have. She moved with effortless grace, her brown hair catching the faint light from the streetlamps, eyes scanning the shadows as if sensing danger even before it arrived.

Your chest tightened. Every step she took was a reminder: she belonged to him. Not to you. Yet your heart had a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the impossibility, clinging to every smile, every laugh, every subtle glance she had ever thrown your way.

“Mia,” you called softly, stepping into the dim light.

Her eyes flicked toward you, brown depths wide and cautious. “You shouldn’t be here,” she said, voice low but firm.

“I couldn’t stay away,” you admitted, running a hand through your hair, trying to mask the nervousness in your tone. “I… I needed to see you.”

Her gaze softened for a brief moment, and your chest ached at the vulnerability hidden behind her usual composed exterior. “You know I can’t… it’s… it’s not that simple.”

“I know,” you said quickly, almost pleading. “I know you’re with him. I know you belong to Gunner. But I… I can’t pretend I don’t care.”

Mia’s lips pressed into a thin line, a mixture of sympathy and frustration flickering across her face. “You’ve always been honest, I’ll give you that,” she murmured, taking a cautious step closer. “But you have to understand—he… he’s not someone you mess with.”

“I don’t care,” you blurted, the words raw, unfiltered. “I just… I can’t stop caring about you. Even if I should. Even if it’s dangerous.”

She sighed, the sound soft yet weighted with a sadness that mirrored your own. “You don’t know what it’s like,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “Living in that world, always under his watch, always… trapped. I don’t want you dragged into it too.”

“I’d go anywhere, do anything, just to… be near you,” you admitted, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. “Even if it’s just watching from afar.”

Mia looked at you then, really looked at you, her expression unreadable for a moment. And in that fleeting second, there was a glimmer of something—regret? longing?—that made your heart race and twist painfully all at once.

“You’re… reckless,” she whispered finally, voice soft, almost a confession in itself. “And I… I can’t let you get hurt.”

“I’ll take the risk,” you said firmly, meeting her gaze head-on. “For you, Mia. I always have. And I always will.”

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause—the distant hum of the city, the patter of rain, the tension that hung between you—and you knew, no matter how impossible it was, that your feelings wouldn’t fade.

Mia turned away slightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and for a moment, her shoulder almost touched yours. “You’ve always been foolish,” she murmured, and yet, in that soft murmur, there was… warmth.

And just like that, you were reminded why loving her had always been both your greatest curse and your sweetest obsession.