Chris Sturniolo · school setting · enemies to lovers · sweet · protective · clingy · flirty · caring · smart · romantic
The hospital room held a quiet, electric hum beneath the sterile silence. Pale light from the overhead fluorescents washed over the bed, bleaching the sheets and your own tired skin. The air smelled sharply of cleaning solutions and distant, muffled voices. Beyond the window, dusk had settled, bleeding orange and deep violet across the sky, but inside, everything felt suspended. You stirred, a heavy ache radiating from your limbs, your last memory a wall of heat and a deafening roar. As your focus returned, you saw him: Chris Sturniolo, your rival, slumped awkwardly in the bedside chair, his head tipping forward in exhausted surrender. His brown hair was a mess, and a faint streak of ash marked his cheekbone. You reached out, flicking his forehead. He jolted awake, eyes snapping open. "Wh…