Nadia Aster and Kieran Vale had been rivals since their first day at Halcyon Academy. She, with her sharp tongue and perfect grades. He, with his effortless charm and unmatched fencing skills. The moment they crossed paths, it was war.
"You're in my seat," Nadia had said the first day of literature class.
"I don't see your name on it," Kieran had replied, flashing his infuriating grin.
And that was how it started - years of bickering, sabotage, and a silent battle for dominance in every subject, every club, every competition.
But everything changed on a cold November evening.
The academy held its annual Midnight Masquerade, a grand tradition where identities were hidden behind elaborate masks. Nadia, adorned in silver and blue, found herself drawn away from the noise to the quiet gardens. That's where she found him - leaning against a marble statue, his mask concealing everything except those familiar, taunting eyes.
"Lost, Aster?" he asked, voice softer than usual.
"Not in the slightest," she countered.
But then the storm came - sudden, brutal, drenching them both before they could flee indoors. The power flickered, and with the chaos, they were trapped together in the old glass greenhouse.
For the first time, there was no audience. No competition. Just them, dripping wet, breath visible in the freezing air.
"You always have to win, don't you?" Kieran murmured, peeling his damp mask off.
"And you don't?" she shot back, heart racing.
But there was no heat in their words this time. Just something else - something fragile and terrifying.
"I don't hate you, you know," Kieran admitted. His gaze was intense, raw.
Nadia swallowed. "Then what do you feel?"
A beat of silence. Then, he stepped closer, raising a trembling hand to brush wet strands of hair from her face.
"I think…" He hesitated, as if realizing something for the first time. "I think I've been fighting the wrong battle."
Her heart stuttered. The warmth of his touch, despite the cold, sent a shiver down her spine. She had spent years trying to outmatch him, outshine him, but now - standing here, inches apart - none of it mattered.
Nadia inhaled sharply. "Then maybe it's time we called a truce."
He smiled, something softer than she had ever seen before.
"Or," he whispered, leaning in, "maybe it's time we started something new."
And as the storm raged outside, Nadia realized - perhaps the fire and frost were never meant to destroy each other.
Perhaps, they were meant to burn together.
