Aj and niko - enemies to lovers

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Aj woke up with a jolt, the cold morning air biting at his skin. He blinked groggily, his eyes adjusting to the light of the morning sun.
The events of the previous night came flooding back - storming out of the house after that awful fight with Niko, the tension, the anger, the desperate need to escape.

He sat up slowly, realizing he'd fallen asleep on a park bench. The park was quiet, the usual bustle of activity still hours away. As he stretched out his sore muscles, a rustling noise nearby caught his attention.

Aj turned his head and froze.

A large, scruffy dog stood a few feet away, its eyes fixed on him. Its gaze was intense, and Aj could feel his heart start to race.

Aj had never been comfortable around dogs, especially big ones like this. The dog's size and the way it stared at him, unblinking, set off alarm bells in his head. His breath quickened, and his hands instinctively gripped the edge of the bench.

"Easy, bro..." Aj whispered, trying to calm himself more than the dog. He slowly stood up, his muscles tense, and ready to bolt at any moment.

The dog took a step closer, sniffing the air as if trying to decide what to make of this intruder in its territory.

Aj didn't wait to find out what the dog was thinking. Panic surged through him, and without a second thought, he turned and ran.

The sound of paws hitting the pavement followed immediately, the dog giving chase.

Aj's heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted through the park, pushing past trees and darting down paths in a desperate attempt to lose the dog. He could hear the dog's breathing close behind him, the sound only pushing him to run faster.

He felt his legs burning, the exhaustion from the previous night catching up to him, but he didn't dare slow down.

Aj risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the dog was still there, its teeth gritting slightly, though it didn't seem to be getting any closer. He pushed himself harder, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Suddenly, the dog stopped. Aj didn't notice right away, too focused on getting away, but when he finally realised, he slowed down and came to a stumbling halt. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, his eyes wide with fear and adrenaline.

He turned around, expecting the dog to be somewhat close, but it had stopped a good distance back, watching him for a moment longer before turning away and wandering off in the opposite direction.

Aj collapsed against a tree, his legs giving out beneath him. Relief washed over him, but it was quickly replaced by a sinking realisation.

He was lost. He had no idea where he was, somewhere on the far side of the city, far from familiar streets and faces. And then the true horror slapped him in the face, he had left his phone and wallet back at the house.

"Shit..." He muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

Without his phone, he had no way of calling for help, no way of using GPS to find his way back. And without his wallet, he couldn't even grab something to eat or hop in an Uber to get home.

He was stuck, utterly and completely stranded.

Aj looked around, he was in an unfamiliar part of the city with no clue on how to get back. The initial panic began to settle into anxiety as he kept thinking about it.

The early morning light was growing brighter, but it did nothing to lift the weight pressing down on him. He was alone, quite cold, and lost, with no idea what to do next.