Chapter : THE DAREDEVIL

The city never really slept, not for Aiden. At night, when most people hid under blankets and locked doors, he claimed the streets as his kingdom.

The motorcycle thundered beneath him like a wild animal straining at its leash. Wind whipped against his face, burning his skin, and he welcomed it. He leaned into the sharp turn, the tires screeching against the asphalt, and laughed — a loud, reckless laugh that echoed into the emptiness.

Aiden was a storm in human form. Where others flinched, he dared. Where others hesitated, he accelerated. If life offered him a risk, he embraced it without a second thought. People called him fearless, a walking daredevil, a boy who never backed down from danger.

But to Aiden, it wasn’t about showing off. It was about feeling alive. Every second on the edge was a reminder that he was burning brighter than the rest of the world.

He pulled to a stop near the old stone wall on the corner street. There she was — Emma. Waiting, like always.

Emma sat cross-legged on the wall, sneakers tapping idly against the stone, her ponytail swaying slightly in the night breeze. She wore an oversized hoodie, the sleeves pulled over her hands, and she was frowning — the kind of frown that came from waiting too long.

“You’re late,” she said, as if it was a daily ritual.

Aiden tugged off his helmet and shook his messy hair free. “Wasn’t late. The world just runs too early.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “You mean you were busy trying to get yourself killed again.”

He grinned, leaning his bike against the wall. “Admit it. You’d miss me if I did.”

She gave him a look — half annoyed, half soft, the kind of look that only best friends could exchange. “You’re impossible, Aiden. One day, you’re going to push too far.”

“And one day, you’ll realize that’s the only way I know how to live,” he replied, his voice lighter than the weight behind his words.

Emma sighed but didn’t argue further. She never could. Instead, she scooted over, patting the space beside her. He climbed up onto the wall, the two of them sitting shoulder to shoulder, legs dangling into the empty street.

This was their place. Their tradition. Nights spent talking about everything and nothing. Dreams they knew might never come true, secrets they sometimes whispered, silences they often shared.

Emma glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His face was always alive with energy, his smile crooked, his dark eyes sparking with mischief. He was the kind of boy who belonged in stories, the kind you couldn’t forget even if you tried.

She envied that about him. How he carried himself like he owned the world. How fear never seemed to touch him.

“Why do you do it?” she asked quietly.

“Do what?”

“Ride like that. Live like that. Like you’re… chasing something no one else can see.”

Aiden leaned back on his palms, staring at the stars scattered across the night sky. For a moment, the laughter slipped from his face. Then it returned, softer this time.

“Because standing still feels like dying,” he said.

Emma looked at him, puzzled by the weight in his voice. She opened her mouth to ask more, but stopped. With Aiden, some answers were meant to remain mysteries.

Instead, she bumped her shoulder against his. “One day, you’ll slow down. You’ll see the beauty in not running all the time.”

He chuckled. “And one day, you’ll jump on the back of my bike instead of nagging me about it.”

Their laughter mingled in the night air, warm and easy. For everyone else, they were just best friends. But sitting there, under the blanket of stars, something deeper stirred — something neither of them dared to name.

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