ALEX'S POV:
The night was cold and heavy with rain as I made my way toward my apartment. My footsteps echoed against the soaked pavement, the drizzle soaking me straight through, but I didn't care. My mind was elsewhere—spinning with a thousand thoughts I couldn't piece together—until a scream tore through the air like a knife.
I froze.
It was close. Too close.
Without a second thought, I took off running, my heart thudding wildly in my chest. The streets were almost empty, the flickering streetlamps casting shadows that twisted and danced with every step. Rain pounded against my back, soaking my hoodie as I sprinted through narrow alleyways, barely registering the cold.
When I turned the corner and entered a dim alley, I saw her. June.
She was backed up against a brick wall, trembling, cornered by three men. Her eyes were wide with terror, lips parted but unable to speak. One of the guys stepped closer, his greasy voice slithering through the air.
"Come on, pretty girl. No need to be shy. Let us take care of you tonight."
Another one laughed as he loomed over her. "Too beautiful to be out here alone…"
I felt something snap inside me.
Everything in me froze for a moment—then burned. My chest tightened with a pressure I hadn't felt in a long time. The scene—her fear, their faces, the twisted laughter—it all brought back memories I'd buried. That same feeling of being cornered, powerless. Back then, I was the one trembling. The one being mocked.
Not tonight.
My fists clenched so tight I felt my nails dig into my palms. My breathing slowed. The air grew still around me. And then I stepped forward.
"Let. Go. Of her."
They turned toward me like I was nothing. Like I was just some kid playing hero.
The biggest one laughed. "Who the hell are you supposed to be, pretty boy?"
"Yeah," another jeered. "Is she your girlfriend? Gonna fight us for her?"
The third one grinned, pulling out a short metal pipe. "Look at this little knight in shining armor."
Their voices didn't faze me. I took another step forward, keeping my voice calm, low, but sharp enough to cut glass.
"Walk away. Before you regret it."
They didn't listen.
Of course they didn't.
"Get him," the leader snapped.
The one with the pipe came at me fast, swinging wide. But I was faster. My body moved on its own—instinct, training, fury.
I ducked under the swing, stepped in, and slammed my elbow into his throat. He choked, gagging. I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and smashed his head against the wall. He dropped like a stone.
Another came at me from behind. I spun and drove my knee into his gut. He doubled over, and I brought my fist up hard into his chin. He flew back into a pile of garbage cans with a crash.
Two down.
The leader stared at me, his face twisted with rage. He flicked open a switchblade, and I saw the glint in the dim light.
"You think you're tough, you little shit? I'll cut that pretty face open."
He lunged at me, slashing, wild and reckless.
I was already moving. Sidestepped. Grabbed his wrist mid-strike. Disarmed him with a twist, letting the knife clatter to the ground.
Then I smashed my forehead into his nose. Heard the crack. Felt the blood spatter.
I lost control.
Everything I'd held in—every ounce of pain, anger, fear, humiliation—exploded. My fists pounded into his face, over and over. I don't even remember how many times. I just remember the blood. On him. On me. On my shirt. My hands.
He was barely conscious by the time I stopped.
The rain poured harder, washing some of the red from my knuckles. I was gasping, my body trembling from the sheer force of what I'd unleashed. My heart beat so hard I thought it might explode.
And then I turned.
June was still there.
Frozen. Her hands covered her mouth. Her eyes locked on me—not with relief.
With fear.
She was shaking, and when I stepped toward her, slowly, gently, reaching out my hand, she recoiled.
"It's okay…" I said, trying to soften my voice. "No one's going to hurt you."
She shook her head. Her face had gone pale. "D-Don't… don't touch me."
"June, please…" I begged. "It's over. You're safe now."
"Stay away from me!" she screamed. Her voice cracked—and the tears finally came. "Don't come near me!"
Then she ran.
Just turned and disappeared down the alley, her sobs echoing through the rain like a haunting melody I couldn't chase.
I stood there.
Alone.
Staring at the spot where she'd been.
The rain kept falling, soaking me through. I looked down at my hands—bloodied, shaking. I looked at the men lying around me. Broken. Bruised.
I saved her. I protected her.
So why did she look at me like I was the monster?
The rain washed the blood off my fingers, but it couldn't wash away the guilt.
She was the only person who ever made me feel like I mattered. The only one who showed me care—even if I didn't love her the way she loved me. But I did love her.
Just… not romantically.
I really did love her in a platonic way.
And now?
I was standing alone in the dark, broken, with nothing but silence and blood between us.
I stood there in the rain, fists still trembling, blood dripping from my knuckles, washed away slowly by the downpour. But the stain wasn't just on my hands—it was inside me, deep and heavy.
She ran from me.
June—my June—the only person who ever made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I wasn't completely alone in this world. She looked at me like I was a monster.
I didn't love her the way she wanted me to. I couldn't. But I loved her all the same—in the only way I knew how. She mattered to me more than anyone. She was the only one who saw me, who cared, even when I didn't deserve it.
And now…
Now she was gone, swallowed by the shadows and the storm, and all I had left were my raw fists and a hollowness clawing at my chest.
I'd saved her.
But at what cost?