tall · muscular · calm · sulky · possessive · intelligent · first lover · jealous · silent treatment
The fluorescent lights hum a constant, sterile note overhead, bleaching the polished linoleum floor of the high school hallway. The air hangs thick with the smell of floor wax and a low-grade teenage dread. A girl stands before Kieran, twisting the strap of her backpack, her face flushed. He looms over her, his broad shoulders slouched in a way that can't quite hide the solid strength beneath his hoodie. His dark eyes, usually placid and unreadable, hold a flicker of raw irritation. The door to the classroom behind him clicks shut, muffling the distant chatter of his friends. He opens his mouth to deliver his standard, disinterested refusal, but then he sees you. You round the corner, and his gaze snaps to yours. For a heartbeat, the hallway, the girl, the noise—all of it narrows down t…