The days after the fight blurred into a gray haze. Alex called in sick to work on Monday. He told his boss it was a stomach bug, but the truth was simpler and uglier: 

he couldn’t face anyone. Couldn’t sit in meetings pretending his world hadn’t cracked open. Every time his phone lit up, his heart lurched—hoping it was Dami, dreading it was Marcus.

It was never either. Marcus had gone radio silent. No texts, no calls, no angry follow-ups. Just cold, complete absence. Their family group chat stayed quiet except for their mother asking about weekend plans. Alex left her messages on read.

Dami’s silence hurt worse. No late-night texts. No songs shared at 3 a.m. No knock at the door with rain in his hair and hunger in his eyes. 

The apartment felt too big, too empty. Alex kept finding traces of him anyway—a guitar pick under the couch, the faint scent of his cologne on the pillow Alex refused to wash. 

Each discovery twisted the knife deeper. By Wednesday, Alex threw himself into the only thing he could control: work. He stayed at the office until the cleaning crew arrived, perfecting renderings until his eyes burned. 

The curved-glass building that had once excited him now felt hollow. Jordan noticed the change during a review meeting. “You okay, Alex? You seem… off.”

Alex forced a smile. “Just tired. Deadline pressure.” 

Jordan didn’t push, but his concerned look lingered. Alex hated how kind it felt. He didn’t deserve kindness right now.That night, alone on his couch with a half-eaten microwave meal, Alex finally broke and opened his music app. 

He searched Dami’s name. The viral song from weeks ago—the one Dami had written in the raw aftermath of their fight—popped up at the top of the results. 

It had gained thousands of streams since the blow-up.Alex hit play. Dami’s voice filled the apartment, rough and aching: “You lit the match, I let it burn

Now I’m choking on the smoke, can’t unlearn

Every touch, every lie, every secret flame

Left me standing in the ashes, calling your name…”

Tears slipped down Alex’s cheeks before he could stop them. 

He listened to the whole song twice, then a third time, curled on the couch with his knees to his chest. The lyrics painted their story in painful clarity—the rain-soaked first kiss, the stolen hours, the jealousy, the fear. Dami had poured everything into it, naming the fire without ever saying Alex’s name.It went semi-viral in indie circles.

 Comments flooded in: This song destroys me. Whoever she is, she broke him. Raw as hell. No one guessed it was about a man. No one guessed it was about them.

Alex turned the volume up until the neighbors might complain, letting the pain wash over him. This was what was left: cold ashes and a song the world could hear while the two of them suffered in silence.

Thursday brought the family text he’d been dreading.

Mom: Sunday dinner at 5. Everyone coming. Marcus says he’ll be there. You too, mijo?Alex stared at the screen for ten minutes. 

He typed “I’m busy” three times and deleted it each time. Finally, he sent:

Alex: I’ll try. 

He didn’t go. Instead, he drove aimlessly around the city until midnight, ending up at the dive bar on 7th where he and Dami had first kissed in the alley. 

He sat in the back booth alone, nursing a whiskey and remembering the way Dami’s knee had pressed against his under the table. 

The memory felt like pressing on a bruise. His phone buzzed. Unknown number. He almost ignored it, but something made him open the message.

It was a link to Dami’s newest upload—a stripped-down acoustic version of the viral song, recorded live in what looked like his tiny apartment. No caption. Just the video.

Alex watched it in the dim bar light. 

Dami looked wrecked. Dark circles under his eyes, hair messy, voice cracking on the high notes. He sang directly into the camera like he was speaking to one person.

“I’m sorry for the fire

Sorry I couldn’t stay

You deserved the truth

Not the mess I made…” Alex’s vision blurred. He closed the app, paid his tab, and drove home in silence.Friday was worse.He ran into Marcus at the gym—the one they both used near their parents’ neighborhood. 

Marcus was mid-set on the bench press when Alex walked in. Their eyes met across the room. Marcus racked the bar with a clang and stood, wiping sweat from his face.

For a moment, neither spoke. 

Then Marcus shook his head. “I can’t even look at you right now.” Alex’s throat closed. “Marcus, please. Let me explain—”

“Explain what? How you lied to my face for weeks? How you fucked my best friend behind my back?” Marcus’s voice stayed low, but the anger vibrated through every word. “I trusted you. Both of you. And you turned it into some secret soap opera.”

People were starting to glance over. 

Alex stepped closer, keeping his voice down. “It wasn’t planned. We fought it. But the feelings—they’re real. I love him.”

Marcus’s laugh was bitter. “Love. You’re twenty-Seven and suddenly you know what love is better than I do? After everything I’ve done for Dami? After treating him like a brother?”

Tears stung Alex’s eyes. “I never wanted to hurt you. Or him. But hiding it was destroying us.”

“Yeah, well, congratulations. Now it’s destroying everyone.” Marcus grabbed his towel and water bottle. “Stay away from me for a while, Alex. And tell Dami if he shows up at family dinner, I’m walking out.”

He left without another word. Alex skipped his workout and went home to an empty apartment that no longer felt like home. Saturday night, he broke. He dialed Dami’s number. It rang four times before going to voicemail. Alex didn’t leave a message. 

Instead, he opened their old text thread—the one he’d never deleted—and typed:

Alex: I heard the new version. It’s beautiful. And it hurts like hell.

Alex: I miss you. I’m sorry everything exploded.

Alex: Tell me you’re okay. Even if it’s a lie.

The message stayed on “delivered.” No read receipt. No reply.

Alex stared at the screen until it went dark, then curled up on the couch with the pillow that still smelled faintly of Dami.

The flame had burned bright and fast. Now only cold ashes remained—scattered, stinging, impossible to sweep away.Two weeks of silence stretched into what felt like forever.

Alex went through the motions: work, gym, polite texts to his mother claiming he was “swamped.” Inside, he was hollow. 

The secret that had once felt like warmth now left him shivering in the ruins.He didn’t know if Dami was hurting the same way.

He only knew the fire had consumed them both.And neither seemed able to rise from the ashes.