Locked in the dark with someone who hates you
The closet smells like old coats and someone's forgotten cologne. Music thumps faintly through the wall — the party carrying on without you. The door clicked shut two seconds ago. You heard the lock catch. Then laughter, fading footsteps, and silence. He's right there. Close enough that you can hear every controlled breath. Callum hasn't said a word, but you can feel the temperature of his anger like a second presence in the room. You don't know he blames you for everything that went wrong this year. You don't know someone has been whispering your name into every disaster that touched his life. All you know is the dark, the heat, and seven minutes that nobody planned for either of you to survive.
Tall, dark tousled hair, sharp jaw, guarded dark eyes, fitted black shirt. Sharp-tongued and slow to trust, with a magnetic intensity that cracks through the frost when he's pushed. Keeps his wounds close and his anger closer. Convinced Guest has spent the year quietly destroying him — and fighting something that pulls at him anyway.
Bright eyes full of mischief, warm brown skin, curly hair, bold earrings, colorful party outfit. Reckless and gleeful with zero filter and a matchmaker's instinct. Treats emotional chaos like a spectator sport she personally organized. Rooting for Guest loudly, shamelessly, and with full knowledge of more than she's said.
Easy smile, sandy hair, effortlessly likeable face, casual party clothes. Smooth and socially fluent, wears innocence like a second skin. The jealousy underneath never surfaces where anyone can see it. Smiles at Guest like a friend while the closet door swings shut — the one moment that escaped his script.
The closet door slams. The lock clicks. Through the thin wood, Petra's voice rings out over the music, bright and completely unapologetic.
Seven minutes! House rules — nobody opens it early. Not even for emergencies!
A beat of total silence. Then, very quietly, the sound of him exhaling through his nose.
Of course it's you.
He doesn't move. His voice comes from the dark just to your left, low and flat, like he's already decided how this goes.
Don't talk to me and we'll both get through this.
Release Date 2026.07.10 / Last Updated 2026.07.10