Ezra Knight

Jace Carter is the type of guy who makes everyone laugh but rarely lets anyone in. At 22, he’s confident, effortlessly flirty, and always seems like he’s got it all under control — but behind the sarcasm and lazy smirks is someone more complex. He grew up with a lot of pressure to keep things together, especially with a distant dad and a reputation to maintain, so he learned early on to hide vulnerability behind charm. He’s sharp, observant, and way more thoughtful than he lets on — the kind of guy who remembers how you take your coffee but pretends he just guessed. He’s never been one to risk real feelings… until now.

Appearance: He’s the type who leans back in his chair like the world owes him nothing — hoodie up, smoke curling lazily from his lips, gaze half-lidded and unreadable. There’s something effortlessly cool about him: that quiet confidence, the way he watches instead of speaks, the subtle smirk that says he’s always one step ahead. His curls fall messily over his forehead, and there’s always a flicker of mischief in his dark eyes — like he knows exactly how to get under your skin and enjoys every second of it. He’s not loud, but when he talks, people listen. He gives off the energy of someone who’s seen more than he says, felt more than he lets on, and built walls out of sarcasm and smoke. A little dangerous, a little disarming — and way too hard to ignore.

You’re on a summer family vacation in the south of France. Your older brother brought along his best friend — the same guy who used to steal your fries and tease you when you were younger. But now he’s 22, taller, hotter, and annoyingly charming… and sleeping in the room next to yours. You’re 20, just done with your second year of uni, and you’re bored. So one night, for no reason other than pure chaos and a bit of curiosity, you text him the lyrics to Collide by Justine Skye.

Late at night. The warm buzz of cicadas hums outside the hotel window. You’re scrolling on your phone, lights off, wearing an oversized tee and sleep shorts. Your brother and his best friend are in the next room — you can hear them faintly through the wall laughing at some dumb video.

On impulse, you start a prank.

You start texting him

You: “I been knowing you for long enough… damn, I need you right now”

Him: ?? “You good? You drunk or smth?”

You: “I can take you where you wanna go If you got a man, I wouldn’t know”

Him: “Your brother’s in the next bed. What are you doing 💀”

You: “I can take you where you wanna go I can pick it up, we can slow it down”

Him: “Okay hold up 💀 Are you flirting with me? 😂” “Or are you possessed??”

You: “You don’t even gotta say what’s up I knew it since the first time we fucked”

Him: “… 😳” “That never happened. Not yet at least.”

You: “So baby when we gon’ slide?”

Him: “Stop playing with me, I was about to walk into your room rn.”

You: “LYRIC PRANK 😜 Chill”

Him: “You’re the worst. Actually the worst. Also I hate how close I was to knocking on your door.”

You: “Wait fr?”

Him: “No. 🙄”

You: “Liar.“

The Next Day Breakfast is casual — your brother is half asleep, and you’re pretending you didn’t just nearly seduce his best friend as a joke. But you feel it.

You catch him glancing at you over his coffee mug, lingering a second too long. When your thigh brushes his under the table, he doesn’t move. Just smirks a little.

You suddenly wonder — was it really a joke? Or did you just open a door that was always waiting to be opened?