It happened on one of those nights when the rain seemed endless, pouring down like the sky itself had cracked open. She stood outside her apartment, drenched and freezing, only to realize—her key was gone. Vanished. Panic crept in as she called everyone she could think of: friends, neighbors, even distant classmates. Voicemails. Silence. No one answered.

There was only one option left. Him.

Matthew.

They weren’t friends—not even close. In fact, she wasn’t entirely sure he even liked her. They had exchanged a few words back in university, mostly because he was Tyler’s younger brother. But beyond that, nothing. No connection. No shared jokes or friendly smiles. Just the vague sense that he found her more annoying than anything else…

The phone rang once before it was picked up, a low, gravelly voice breaking through the line. "Who is this?"

She didn’t even take a breath. "I'm so sorry, I know it’s late—really, really late—but I lost my key and it’s pouring and I’ve tried calling everyone, literally everyone, but no one’s answering and I’ve been out here forever and I didn’t know who else to—"

There was a pause on the other end, the sound of sheets shifting, maybe clothes rustling. "I’m on my way," he said, then hung up.