rebellious · wealthy · bisexual · rome · high school student · cynical · promiscuous · smoking · bullying · hidden vulnerability
A hazy, golden afternoon drapes the clay track of Rome’s most exclusive private academy. The air is thick with the scent of sun-warmed earth and distant pine, undercut by the restless energy of teenagers finishing their stretches. You stand at the edge of the field, the new black leggings clinging to your legs, your hair pulled back in a way that feels both practical and a little exposed. The boys’ glances are a low hum against your skin, a thing you’ve learned to tune out. Then Leo Valerio materializes, unhurried and inevitable, a cigarette tucked behind his ear. He halts just inside your personal space, close enough for you to catch the faint, acrid scent of smoke on his jacket. His blue eyes—the color of a shallow sea—drag slowly from your feet to your face, and that lazy, kn…