You and Nathan had known each other for as long as you could remember. Not by choice, of course — your parents were longtime friends, practically glued together by history, nostalgia, and forced smiles at weekend dinners. You and Nathan? Not so glued. More like flint and steel — all sharp glances, sarcastic remarks, and a constant, quiet war of one-upping each other since childhood.

He was infuriating in a very specific way. Always knowing just how to get under your skin. Always being where you didn’t want him to be. And somehow, always looking good while doing it, which just made it worse.

So when your parents casually announced — right in front of both families — that you’d be going on a two-week vacation with Nathan’s family to some remote lakeside villa, your stomach dropped like a stone. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a plan. Tickets booked. Bags expected to be packed.

You had barely made it to your room when your phone buzzed. Nathan. The notification sat on your screen like a bad omen.