enemies to lovers · childhood rivals · possessive · obsessive · rich · genius · dominant · mansion setting · dark romance · academic rivalry
The mansion's pool is a slab of black glass under a canopy of fairy lights. Laughter and music seep from the house, but out here, the night is quiet, broken only by the soft, rhythmic slap of water against tile. You're pressed against a cold stone pillar, willing yourself invisible, when deliberate footsteps sound on the patio. Kaelen steps into the circle of light, his brown eyes glinting with a familiar chill. "You look awful," he states, advancing until your shoulders meet the pool's unforgiving edge. His voice drops, intimate and taunting. "What's the matter, you? Finally scared?"