Colliding flames.

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(SONG RECOMMENDATION: I FOUND BY AMBER RUN)

MIGUEL'S POV.

This wasn't happening.  

For all I knew, Seth was straight. I didn’t want to be some dumb-ass experiment for Seth Mallory of all people. But my body betrayed me. I leaned into his kiss, my hands gripping the fabric of his shirt as though that connection was the only thing tethering me to reality. A shaky gasp escaped my throat as his tongue ran over my lower lip, and he kissed along my pulse points, his lips leaving a trail of heat that burned against my skin.  

“Fuck,” I muttered, the word barely audible, my voice unrecognizable to my own ears. It was hoarse, desperate, as my hips instinctively grinded harder into him.  

“Hot!” a loud voice echoed from somewhere behind us, accompanied by a sharp whistle.  

My stomach dropped. Two women and a man stood just a few feet away, smirking and laughing as they shamelessly watched us. Shame flooded my body, swift and overwhelming, chasing away the brief moment of reckless bliss. I pushed myself away from Seth like he’d burned me, my body trembling as the remnants of whatever euphoric haze we had been caught in shattered.  

“Need help getting a room?” one of the women teased, her voice laced with mockery as she started walking toward us.  

“Fucking fuck off!” Seth snapped, his usual cold, condescending tone now edged with an unfamiliar sharpness that made my stomach twist. There was something dangerous in his voice, something that warned the onlookers not to push their luck.  

But I wasn’t waiting to see what would happen next. My face flushed hot with humiliation, and my hands were trembling. I stumbled back, my body recoiling from the weight of what had just happened. Why was I acting so needy? Why was I even here?  

I had just been dumped.  

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Embry—my supposed boyfriend—had outed me to Seth, a guy who had spent years making my life a living hell. And worse? Embry had been hooking up with his girlfriend behind my back. The universe wasn’t just tossing me a middle finger—it was laughing in my face while doing it.  

“Hey! Wait!” Seth called after me, but his voice only made my panic worse.  

I turned and bolted, my feet pounding against the pavement as I ran, desperate to escape. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my chest tightened with the weight of emotions I couldn’t process yet.  

I ducked into a back alley, the shadows wrapping around me like a suffocating cocoon. My heart hammered against my ribcage, so loud I thought Seth might hear it if he was still following me. I glanced back. He wasn’t there.  

Relief should have come, but instead, there was a pang of something else—disappointment? God, what was wrong with me? I didn’t want to be alone. Not now.  

But Seth?  

No.  

I shook my head, pushing the thought away as I straightened up, trying to catch my breath.  

Then, an arm grabbed mine, yanking me back, and a startled scream tore from my lips.  

“Fuck! Don’t creep up on me like that!” I shouted, ripping my arm free and stumbling back. My heart raced as I stared at him, anger and fear warring inside me.  

“Wait. Fine, I won’t touch you,” Seth said, raising his hands in mock surrender. He took a cautious step back, his face oddly calm despite the tension crackling between us.  

“Two more steps,” I demanded, my voice shaking as I tried to glare at him, though my resolve was already crumbling under the weight of his gaze.  

Seth smirked. Not the cruel, mocking smirk I’d come to expect from him, but something sharper, more calculated. It was infuriatingly appealing, and I hated that I noticed.  

“Fine. Okay... fuck... fine,” he groaned, taking two exaggerated steps back, his hands still raised as though surrendering to some unseen force.  

I should have felt relieved, but instead, the tension only thickened. His lips parted like he was about to speak, but I didn’t wait to hear whatever he had to say.  

I turned and ran again, my feet carrying me as far from him as they could.  

I slammed the door of my house behind me, leaning against it as I tried to steady my breath.  

Through the window, I could see him standing on the sidewalk across the street, his shoulders tense, his fists clenched at his sides. He didn’t move closer, but his presence alone was enough to unsettle me.  

I turned away, letting the curtain fall back into place before stalking up to my room. The door clicked shut behind me, and I bolted the lock.  

My roommate wasn’t home. Thank God. I didn’t think I could handle anyone else’s bullshit tonight.  

I sank onto my bed, my hands shaking as I dragged them through my hair. I closed my eyes, trying to shove down the storm of emotions building inside me.  

But it was no use.  

Rage hit first—a fiery, all-consuming anger that left my chest heaving and my hands trembling. He lied to me. Embry fucking lied to me. Was I just some quick fix for him? Someone to fuck when he needed an outlet?  

Pain followed, sharp and unforgiving, cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. Tears blurred my vision, and before I could stop myself, I lashed out, knocking over the lamp on my bedside table. The crash echoed through the room, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more.  

I slammed my fists into the desk until my palms stung and blood smeared against the wood.  

“Fuck!” I growled through gritted teeth, tucking my knuckles between my lips to muffle the sound.  

---

Embry and I had started casually, two guys who understood each other’s struggles, who didn’t need to come out to anyone. It had been freeing for a while.  

But with time, the lines blurred. We spent more time fucking than talking, and I started to realize that maybe he didn’t care for me as much as I let myself believe.  

I was desperate, though. I’d been tired of playing the perfect golden boy, the one who smiled and put up with everyone’s shit.  

And then there was Embry. He was flawed, yes, but he was there. I clung to the attention he gave me because it was better than being alone.  

I should have seen the signs. The canceled plans, the excuses. But I ignored them. I didn’t want to admit it was falling apart.  

And then I found out about her—Seth’s girlfriend.  

Seth.  

Why the fuck did he care? He’d spent years bullying me, tearing me down every chance he got. And now he wanted to swoop in and play protector? No. Fuck that.  

But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. About the kiss. About the way his body felt against mine, the way his gaze lingered on me like he could see right through me.  

---

Swallowing hard, I stormed into the bathroom and washed the blood from my hands. My reflection stared back at me, pale and shaken, but beneath the fear and anger was something else—a longing I couldn’t explain.  

I grabbed my car keys. I needed an outlet. Something to drown out the chaos in my mind.  

The rink would do.  Before I did something stupid, like call Seth mallory my sworn enemy and cry into his arms