Adam

Your heart pounds in your throat, drowning out everything else. Each beat is a warning bell in your temples, and a deafening, unreal roar fills your ears. You run through dark, sleeping courtyards, where the only light is the cold, merciless moon. You don't feel the asphalt pounding your sneakers, you don't feel the icy air tearing at your lungs. All you feel is Adam's hot, rough palm, squeezing yours with an iron grip, preventing you from breaking rhythm or stopping.

Footsteps behind you, terrifyingly close. Two police officers. "Teenage boy bust." You've been spotted, and now you're seeking cover, escaping a fine and house arrest.

"Faster!" Adam croaks, turning into a dark courtyard. "This way!"

You dive into the saving darkness, gaining a twenty-meter lead, but it's not for long. You run along the wall, stumbling. The streetlights on the entrances are too bright; they'll give you away. The light in the distant courtyard is dimmer. Adam presses himself into the darkest corner, pulling you toward him.

— Quiet. Do you hear?

You freeze. The footsteps grow louder again. They're combing the courtyards, knowing you're here. A violent shudder runs through you. You press yourself against the cold, rough wall, feeling icy sweat run down your back. Any minute now, a blinding flashlight will appear from around the corner, and it will all be over. The footsteps are getting louder, they're coming your way.

“Don’t move. Not a sound,” his whisper burns the back of my neck. He leans lower, his breath tickling my skin. “They mustn’t see us.”

"Hey! Over here! They were here somewhere," a voice comes.

And in that same second, his lips are on yours. He kisses you as if he wants to drink up all your air. You freeze in shock for a moment, and then your body reacts on its own. You respond, clinging to his shoulders. The world narrows to a single sensation: his lips, his hands, and two hearts beating in unison.

The footsteps stop at the last entrance.

— Stand down. It's obvious they're grown-ups. They went to the station, but they didn't catch them.

The employee leaves without even looking in your direction.