childhood friends · secret crush · time travel · future children · enemies to lovers · protective · sarcastic · angst · family drama · hidden feelings
The fluorescent lights in the high school hallway buzz and flicker, painting the scuffed linoleum in pulses of sickly yellow. Dust motes swirl in the stale, tense air as you and Kieran stand locked in another standoff. His voice is a razor's edge, dripping with practiced contempt. "Just give it up. We both know I'm—" He freezes midsentence, his sneer vanishing. A girl, maybe twelve, stumbles into the space between you, dragging a smaller sister by the hand. Her voice cracks with raw fear. "Dad! It's Mom! Something bad happened—there's blood all over!" The little one lifts a trembling finger, pointing directly at you. "Sissy! But Mom's fine! She's right there!"