Hostile Affection

Disclaimer This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. ___ Synopsis To Troye, life is meant to be taken seriously—there is no room for recklessness, no space for mistakes. Raised in a family admired by many, he has always carried the weight of perfection, bound by expectations that leave no room for failure. Then he meets Nicco, a free-spirited, happy-go-lucky man who lives by his own rules, unbothered by the opinions of others. He chases joy without hesitation, embracing life’s unpredictability with open arms. Two souls, worlds apart. But could love truly bloom between hearts that beat to such different rhythms? ___ Prologue Troye’s POV I hadn’t moved in minutes. My frappe sat untouched, condensation pooling on the table, but my stomach couldn’t take even a sip. The café hummed around me—clinking mugs, the lazy rise and fall of jazz, snippets of laughter from other tables—but all of it blurred, like sound trapped under water. My knee wouldn’t stop bouncing. My fingers drummed against it restlessly, a beat too fast, too loud. My chest tightened again, that familiar weight pressing down until it felt like breathing took effort. My family’s name carried a gravity I could never escape. Generations of them had been excellent—more than excellent, really. Excellence wasn’t an achievement in the Mondejar household. It was the minimum. I’d grown up knowing that failure wasn’t a stumble you got up from. It was a stain. Permanent. Unforgivable. And tonight, the board exam results would decide if I’d stained the name. “Hey, Troye. Are you okay?” Kiana’s voice reached me through the haze. Her brows were drawn together, eyes soft with worry. “Yeah, seriously,” Kent said, elbowing me lightly. “You’ve been zoning out since we got here.” I dragged the corners of my mouth upward, but the smile felt weak, like cardboard bending under rain. “I’m fine. Just thinking.” They knew what that meant. Of course they did. We’d all walked into that same testing room weeks ago, sweat on our palms and futures on the line. We were all waiting for the same verdict tonight. “It’s the results, isn’t it?” Kiana asked, setting her drink down. I didn’t even bother with denial. “I’m scared I didn’t pass.” Kent groaned, rolling his eyes in exaggerated fashion. “Here we go again. Out of the three of us, you’ve got the highest chance. Come on, man, think positive.” I wanted to believe him. I wanted to inhale that certainty like oxygen. Instead, the pressure in my chest only grew. “I hope you’re right,” I muttered. The café shattered with a squeal so loud I nearly jumped. Heads turned. A girl in the corner was standing halfway out of her chair, phone in hand, bouncing with glee. “The results are out!” The words dropped like a stone into my stomach. “Oh my God,” Kiana whispered, eyes wide. “Kent, open your laptop. Hurry.” My heart sprinted. My pulse drummed in my ears, each beat too sharp, too frantic. Kent’s fingers fumbled on the keyboard, then steadied, flying across the keys. Seconds later, his eyes lit up. “Holy crap—I passed!” he shouted, nearly knocking over his drink as he jumped up. Relief radiated off him like heat. I tried to soak some of it in, but it slipped through me, leaving only the knot in my gut. “Congrats, Kent!” Kiana squealed, then clutched his arm. “Okay, now mine. Check mine!” Her hands were clasped as though she was praying. A few tense seconds, then Kent beamed. “Kiana, you passed too!” Her gasp was so sharp I almost felt it cut the air. She snatched the laptop, eyes darting across the screen, then squealed. “Oh my God, I really did!” They hugged, laughing, relief flooding every line of their faces. And me? I sat there, smile plastered on, heart unraveling. “Check Troye’s name,” Kiana said breathlessly, cheeks still pink from excitement. “I’m sure he passed too.” “Don’t,” I snapped. Too loud, too sharp. I pushed back my chair, the scrape grating in my ears. “I’ll… I’ll check it later. I need to go.” “Troye, wait—” Kent called, but I was already heading for the door. The café air gave way to the warm night, but even that felt suffocating. My legs carried me fast, almost running, until I reached the car. My pulse pounded against my throat as I slammed the door shut, trapping myself in a bubble of silence. Hands shaking, I unlocked my phone. Browser. Official website. Name typed in. One minute. Two. The screen stared back at me, blank of my name. Empty. I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat stayed. “Fuck.” The word came out broken. I flung the phone onto the passenger seat and pressed my forehead against the steering wheel. Breath came shallow, too quick, like my lungs couldn’t hold air anymore. I’d failed. Failed the exam. Failed my family. Failed the name I carried. The phone lit up again. My father’s name flashed on the screen, buzzing and buzzing. Then messages piled in. Group chats. Professors. Friends. Each one felt like another hand tugging at me, waiting for the confirmation they assumed was coming. Congratulations, Troye. You did it. Except I hadn’t. I killed the screen with one press. Powered it off. Let the silence close in again. I needed space. I needed air. I needed to disappear. Not tonight. Not like this. The thought rose wild and reckless inside me, so fast it left no room for reason. I jammed the key into the ignition and twisted. The engine roared to life, loud, raw, a beast matching the storm inside my chest. My foot slammed down on the accelerator. I didn’t care where I was going. Away. Just away. Maybe forever. “I’m such a disappointment,” I muttered, teeth grinding together. “I just want to die…” The world streaked past the windows in smears of trees and lampposts. The speed pressed me back into the seat, the vibrations rattling through my bones. My head pounded with every heartbeat, every curse I swallowed down. And then— The brakes failed. Panic clawed at me, sharp and sudden, but the car was already veering. My grip on the steering wheel tightened until my knuckles burned, but it was useless. The curve ahead loomed too sharp, too close. The tires screamed, the car spun, and in a heartbeat, metal collided with wood. The impact ripped the air from my lungs. My head cracked forward. Darkness slammed into me. When my eyes fluttered open again, everything was blurred. Blood dripped hot down my forehead, into my eye, over my cheek. My body slumped, heavy and foreign, against the steering wheel. “Man, are you okay?! Stay with me! I’m calling an ambulance—hang on!” The voice was distant, muffled through the fog. I saw hazard lights flashing, a figure struggling with the crumpled door, their face just a smear of light and shadow. Then arms pulled at me, strong and urgent, dragging me free. Pain seared through me like fire, but I couldn’t fight it. Couldn’t do anything. I tried to hold onto the face above me, to keep it in focus, but the world tilted, and the darkness swallowed me whole again.