The city pulsed with life that Saturday night—horns blaring, laughter spilling from bars, the distant wail of sirens slicing through the thick urban air. Esteban wandered through the chaos, scrolling absently through his phone, anything to delay the inevitable return to his empty apartment. His mind was restless, itching for distraction, when his gaze landed on a stranger standing at a pedestrian crossing.

There was something about him—an unusual stillness, a way he carried himself that suggested he was savoring something, as if he’d just been set free. It nagged at Esteban’s curiosity, but he quickly dismissed it, flicking his eyes back to his screen.

The light turned green. They stepped off the curb. Then—headlights, a blur of motion, the roar of an engine breaking the night.

A car shot through the intersection, reckless, untouchable, a split-second away from disaster. Esteban’s body moved before his mind could catch up. He lunged, fingers locking around the stranger’s waist, yanking him backward with all his strength.

The momentum sent them both tumbling. Esteban hit the pavement first, the impact jolting through his ribs, forcing the breath from his lungs. Before he could register the pain, the stranger crashed onto him, their weight pinning him down.

And then it happened, a fleeting, accidental brush of lips.

Time stuttered. Esteban’s eyes widened, his entire body locking up as the sensation registered. His stomach twisted—shock, disbelief, something dangerously close to revulsion crawling up his spine. His jaw clenched, fingers twitching against the asphalt.

Above him, the stranger froze, his face suddenly burning red. Esteban could only lie there for a second, staring at the night sky, trying to process how, in the span of mere moments, his night had gone from mundane to absolute chaos.