FATES COLLIDE

CHAPTER ONE

THE SHOW

Mia had already decided she was going home.

She had decided this approximately thirty-seven minutes ago, shortly after realizing that coming to the show had been a terrible idea.

The music was too loud.

The crowd was too much.

And the fact that she had spent the last ten minutes pretending to enjoy herself was beginning to feel exhausting.

She stood near the back of the hall, her arms folded loosely across her chest, watching people move beneath the colored lights.

Everyone seemed to know someone.

Everyone seemed to belong.

Mia didn’t.

She checked her phone again.

12:14 a.m.

Her friends had disappeared into the crowd almost an hour ago with a promise that they would “be right back.”

They had not been right back.

Mia sighed.

Typical.

She looked around again.

People were dancing.

Some were singing along to songs she barely knew.

Others were taking pictures, shouting over the music, or simply enjoying the night.

She couldn’t understand how everyone had so much energy.

Mia had tried.

She really had.

When they first arrived, she had smiled, laughed at her friends’ jokes, and even moved along with the music for a while.

But somewhere between the third song and the endless screaming, she had reached her limit.

She wasn’t even sure why she had agreed to come.

Actually, she knew.

Her friends.

They had insisted.

Just come.

You’ll have fun.

You never go anywhere.

It’ll be different this time.

Apparently, “different” meant standing in the corner of a crowded hall at midnight, wondering why she hadn’t stayed home.

She checked her phone again.

No new messages.

Of course.

Mia slipped her phone into her bag and looked toward the stage.

The performer was getting louder.

The crowd screamed.

Mia took one step backward.

Then another.

Maybe she could leave without anyone noticing.

She had already made up her mind.

She would find her friends tomorrow.

She would explain.

Maybe.

“Mia!”

She stopped.

Her friend’s voice came from somewhere inside the crowd.

Mia closed her eyes.

Of course.

She turned around just in time to see her friend waving enthusiastically from across the room.

“Don’t leave!”

Mia mouthed, I’m going home.

Her friend shook her head violently.

“Five minutes!”

Mia rolled her eyes.

Five minutes had apparently become the universal measurement for lying.

She raised five fingers and pointed toward her friend.

“Five?”

Her friend nodded enthusiastically.

Mia narrowed her eyes.

She didn’t believe her.

But she also knew that arguing from across a crowd was pointless.

She turned away again.

She returned to the spot where she had been standing, hoping to disappear into the background until her friends were ready to leave.

She stared at the stage without really watching it.

The lights flashed across the room.

Blue.

Purple.

Red.

Then darkness.

Then light again.

For a moment, she found herself distracted by the changing colors.

Almost peaceful.

Until someone screamed directly behind her.

Mia flinched.

“Nope.”

She shook her head.

Definitely going home.

“Hey.”

A voice came from beside her.

Mia looked over.

It was the guy standing next to her.

She hadn’t even noticed him there.

He was watching the stage with one hand in his pocket, looking surprisingly relaxed considering the chaos around them.

“Hey,” she replied.

He turned toward her and smiled.

Not the kind of smile people gave when they were trying to impress someone.

Just... amused.

“You good?”

Mia nodded quickly.

“Yeah.”

“That’s cool.”

He glanced toward the stage, then back at her.

“You look like you want to murder whoever brought you here.”

Mia stared at him.

“I don’t.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

He looked at the empty space surrounding her.

Then at the crowd.

Then back at her.

“Right.”

Something about the way he said it made her almost smile.

Almost.

She looked away before he could notice.

“You don’t like shows?” he asked.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Mia folded her arms tighter.

“I’m just tired.”

“Fair enough.”

He nodded toward the crowd.

“Too much?”

“Maybe.”

“Thought so.”

She looked at him again.

“You seem pretty comfortable.”

He shrugged.

“I’ve been to worse.”

“Worse than this?”

“Definitely.”

Mia glanced around.

“I don’t think I want to know.”

He laughed quietly.

For some reason, she found herself smiling this time.

It was brief.

Small enough that she almost didn’t notice it herself.

The guy didn’t comment on it.

Instead, he looked back toward the stage.

Another burst of music came through the speakers, followed by another wave of cheering.

He winced slightly.

“Okay.”

Mia raised an eyebrow.

“Okay what?”

“Maybe this is worse than I remember.”

She laughed.

A real laugh this time.

It surprised her.

The guy looked at her for a second, then smiled.

“There.”

Mia frowned.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

He shook his head.

“Forget it.”

She wanted to ask what he meant.

Instead, she looked toward the stage again.

“You came with friends too?”

“Yeah.”

“Where are they?”

He pointed vaguely toward the crowd.

“Somewhere in there.”

Mia nodded.

“Same.”

He looked at her.

“So we’re both abandoned.”

“I wouldn’t say abandoned.”

“Fair.”

He smiled.

“Temporarily misplaced.”

Mia shook her head.

“You’re weird.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

There was another pause.

Not awkward.

Just quiet.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.

They simply stood there, watching the show.

Mia didn’t know why she suddenly felt less uncomfortable.

Maybe it was because she wasn’t the only one standing around doing nothing.

Maybe it was because talking to him felt strangely easy.

Or maybe she was simply tired enough to stop caring.

She didn’t know.

And she didn’t want to think about it.

The guy glanced behind him.

“I should probably go before my friends start looking for me.”

Mia nodded.

“Okay.”

He took a step.

Then stopped.

“You know...”

She looked at him.

“You don’t have to enjoy it just because you came.”

Mia frowned slightly.

“Enjoy what?”

“The show.”

He smiled.

“Sometimes you can just be there.”

And then he walked away.

Mia watched him disappear into the crowd.

She didn’t know his name.

She didn’t know where he was from.

She didn’t know why he had bothered talking to her.

She only knew that, for the first time that night, she wasn’t thinking about going home.

Not yet.

She looked toward the stage again.

The music was still loud.

The crowd was still too much.

Nothing about the show had changed.

But somehow, she didn’t feel as bothered by it anymore.

Her friend waved at her again from across the room.

Mia waved back.

Then her eyes drifted toward the crowd.

She searched for him.

She didn’t know why.

She couldn’t see him.

Mia frowned.

For some reason, she found herself wondering who he was.

She quickly dismissed the thought.

It didn’t matter.

He was just a stranger.

And she wasn’t looking for anything.

Not now.

Not after everything.

She turned back toward the stage.

This time, she stayed.

Not because the show had suddenly become interesting.

Not because she had changed her mind about crowds.

She just wasn’t ready to leave anymore.

--

His name was Damian.

She would learn that soon enough.

But that night, he was just the guy who had noticed her standing alone in a crowded room.

And she was just the girl who had almost gone home.