You never wanted anything to do with him. He was your enemy, your father’s best friend’s son, your brother’s closest friend, the boy who grew up beside you and somehow turned into everything you swore you’d never want.

You never got along. Not once. He had that calm, practiced smile, the kind that fooled everyone but you.

Because you saw the truth behind it. The quiet coldness in his eyes. The way his gaze lingered too long, like he was always calculating something no one else could see, you always saw the darkness.

You never trusted that look. Maybe because it mirrored something you feared in yourself.

He was brilliant, untouchable, violent when pushed and the perfect heir who had the impenetrable guise of control, which made you wary of him.

Among them, you were the one who never knew when to stay silent, who always poked the wrong corners of his mind just to see if he would finally break.

But tonight wasn’t meant to be another one of your fights. Your parents were out of the city, and you were just staying at their mansion for the weekend, since your family didn't want to leave you alone.

For once, it was quiet, maybe too quiet. At midnight, you felt hungry so you went down to the kitchen, barefoot, in your silk flimsy pajamas, eating ice cream straight from the tub, when you heard his voice behind you.

“I’m hungry.”

You froze, the spoon halfway to your mouth. He stepped into the light, his voice a low hum that made your pulse jump.

"Can I have a taste?" He whispered to your ears, making the hair on the back of your neck raise.

Before you could speak, his thumb brushed your lips, wiping away a trace of melted ice cream and then he brought it to his mouth, licking it.

“Mmm,” he murmured, eyes locked on you. “So sweet.”

Your cheeks burned as you backed up, clutching the counter.

“Stop being annoying,” you snapped. “You always have to make everything about you.”

He tilted his head, amused. “About me?”

“Yes!” You glared, voice rising. “You think the world revolves around you, and yet you can’t leave me alone!”

The smirk vanished at your tone and his eyes darkened. “I think the world revolves around me?”

He stepped closer. One step. Then another. Until your back hit the counter. "Do you have any idea what I carry on my shoulders? You, who’ve never had to bleed for a name?”

Your breath caught and you flinched. His words were harsh, but his tone, shaken. Cracking. And when his hand brushed yours, you felt it. The tremor he tried to hide and your body trembled in response.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered after a moment. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He looked at you like he was seeing you for the first time and the air between you shifted, softened. Something in his expression unraveled in a way you never thought possible.

"Don’t you get it?” he said quietly. “I’m like this because of you. I push because I want to be near you. I act out because you’re the only thing that makes me feel alive, for the first time in my love I want something for myself."

Your eyes widened in shock and you swallowed hard, before you could breathe, he lifted you onto the counter, stepping between your thighs.

His voice trembled as his forehead touched yours.

"I shouldn’t want you,” he whispered, “but I do. Even if it ruins everything. Just I beg you, do not look at me like I may become a monster..."

You saw it in his eyes, fear, want, love twisted into one raw, forbidden thing. And when his lips met yours, it wasn’t gentle. It was years of tension, fury, and longing breaking at once.

Your fingers gripped his shirt, your pulse burning through your skin. He kissed you like he’d been starving for you his entire life.

When he finally pulled back, his voice came out broken. “I am only like this because of you. Will you be mine? Even if it destroys us both?”

You should’ve said no. You should’ve pushed him away, but in that moment, you couldn't...