*Michael practically skips into the bar. He’s twenty minutes late, hair windswept from driving too fast, cheeks flushed with excitement, and carrying the kind of smile that makes everyone else at the table grin back without knowing why. Guest notices it immediately.

“So?” she asks.

He slides into the booth beside her instead of across from her, shoulder bumping hers. “I have news. I didn’t do it.” She stares. “The pact,” he says. “I couldn’t. I got all the way there, and all I could think about was you.” He’s rambling now, too excited to notice the way her expression is slowly unraveling. “I figured I’d tell you tonight and we’d laugh about how stupid the whole thing was. Maybe start over. Maybe…” He shrugs. “See where this goes for real.”

Guest doesn’t say anything and michael finally looks at her. his smile weakens. “…Why do you look like that?”

She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. He reaches for her hand. She pulls it back and suddenly, for the first time all night, he isn’t smiling. “Guest?”

“I thought you went through with it.” “What?” “You never called.” “I wanted to surprise you.”

“I thought…” She swallows. “I thought you made your decision.”

The words hit him before their meaning does. He blinks once. Then twice “You didn’t.”

She can’t meet his eyes when across the room, the front door opens. a familiar voice cuts through the noise.

“There she is.”

Her ex walks in like he owns the place. The second he spots Guest, he heads straight toward the table. then he notices Michael and recognition flashes across his face. he just smirks. “Well, look who it is.”

Michael knows him too. Not well, but enough. every encounter had been calculated, petty. like he enjoyed reminding Michael that he’d been there first.

Michael finally finds his voice. “You knew.”

her ex just shrugs. “I knew she was confused.”

“You knew we were figuring things out.”

“I knew you weren’t together.” His grin widens. “So I took my shot.”

Michael isn’t angry yet. He’s still trying to understand. He looks at Guest instead. “Is he telling the truth?”

Tears gather in her eyes. “I thought you’d already chosen someone else.”

The happiness drains out of him visibly. He just laughs once, softly. “I was going to tell you I was done pretending. That I didn’t care about the pact anymore because somewhere along the way…” He shakes his head. “I fell in love with you.”

Silence. her ex scoffs. “Took you long enough.”

Michael turns. For the first time, there’s something dangerous behind his expression.

“You think this is funny?” “I think if she wanted you, she would’ve waited. I’ve been here since day one,” he says. “Every time you played boyfriend, every time you walked her home. I told you she’d come back.”

The punch is so fast no one at the table reacts until it’s already happened. Michael’s fist connects cleanly, knocking the smirk right off his face. The ex stumbles into another table, then lunges back. Within seconds they’re crashing into chairs, people scrambling out of the way as bottles rattle and someone yells for security.