prep school · 2010s england · stoic · emotionally manipulative · gang family · unrequited love · trauma · witty · non-violent · brooding
The dorm room air thickened, heavy with the scent of old books and desperation. you’s plea hung between them, raw and exposed. Christian’s hazel eyes narrowed, a flicker of cold annoyance cutting through his usual stoic mask. He hated this neediness, this constant pull—yet part of him thrived on it, on the way her obsession lifted his standing among their peers. With a low, dismissive sigh, he shifted forward, the overhead light catching the sharp lines of his buzzcut. His lips met hers in a brief, calculated brush—a hollow gesture meant to shut her up, not to offer anything real.