Playing with Fire

🎬 Prologue | Spark

— Chuck —

The second Colton's name popped up on my screen, I knew he was calling in a favor.

And with Colton, a favor never meant something simple like a ride or a beer. I wish it did... It meant commitment. It meant me, somehow, getting tangled up in something I probably wanted no fucking part of.

But Colton had been there for me more times than I could count, and I owed him. Big time. I owed him more than just a favor; I owed him an apology I would never get right...

Ever since the night I'd accidentally burned his shop down, my shitty electrical skills finally catching up to me, guilt had been eating me alive.

It didn't matter that Colton and his dad Jerry forgave me—hell, that Colton was still my friend at all was a miracle. But no matter what he said, the shop going up in flames was on me. And to top it all off, I had been a coward about it. It was all the most embarrassing, shameful event of my goddamn life.

He was my best friend in the entire damn world and I nearly ruined everything for him. How was I supposed to make up for that?

"Hey, Chuck," he'd said when I answered my phone, his voice a mix of casual and coaxing. "I need your help with something... It's for a good cause."

I grunted in response, already sensing where this was headed. "What's the catch?"

He chuckled. "No catch, dude. Just a little organization help... We're planning a charity motorcycle rally for the community center, and I think you'd be perfect for it. Giving back to the community, you know? I've been wanting to do this forever, dude! You've got the connections, and you know how to keep things on track..."

I knew a setup when I heard one. "No catch, huh... And who's 'we'? Whose planning this with you, you dragging Hudson into this?"

There was a pause—a hesitation that made my gut twist with suspicion. Then he said it: "Carlos."

I nearly hung up right there.

Carlos Garcia was the last person I wanted to work with. He was all sunshine and smiles, like he'd waltzed straight out of a damn cheesy commercial, always showing up with his bright ideas and a pep talk even if you didn't want one.

He worked at a plant nursery with Hudson, who was dating Colton, so I was stuck running into him more often than I cared for. Carlos and Hudson had gotten pretty close, best friends even, so he was my equivalent in this group dynamic. I was stuck with him.

The nursery was his sanctuary—a little green slice of paradise filled with potted herbs, succulents, and fairy lights that somehow made it feel like a different world entirely. Carlos thrived there, in the middle of all that calm and growth. Me? I preferred the steady rumble of a motorcycle engine. I didn't give two shits about what herbs were used in my sandwich.

Carlos was the kind of guy who couldn't resist turning everything into a project. Always finding excuses to 'beautify' things or lend a helping hand, whether it was designing an over-the-top plant display or baking some vegan dessert for the staff that I couldn't even pronounce.

And don't get me started on the way he could make friends with anyone—laughing too easily, touching your arm like it was second nature, like he hadn't just met you two seconds ago. He was all frills, and I liked my life no-nonsense.

Also, he was hot as fuck, and he knew it. Always wearing tight little shorts whenever we did our group hikes... Taking his shirt off for no reason... Trying to take my shirt off.

He purposely annoyed the living shit out of me.

"You gotta be kidding me," I said. "Carlos, the plant guy? The one who keeps finding stupid fucking reasons to bend over? And making fun of me every goddamn time I look—"