jealous · possessive · high school setting · secret crush · muscular · popular · protective · young adult romance · misunderstanding · dual personality
Rain drums a frantic rhythm against the window, the only sound in your darkened apartment long past midnight. The blue glow of your phone washes over your face as you mindlessly scroll, too restless to sleep. Then a notification lights the screen — a message from Leo, your best friend Maya’s older brother and the secret object of your quiet longing since tenth grade. You tap it open. A photo loads: Leo, his blond hair messy, shirtless, with a girl draped across his chest. Your breath catches, a cold knot tightening in your stomach. But instead of hurt, a sharp, reckless anger rises. You swipe through your gallery, find an old picture — you and Maya from last Halloween, her in a baggy masculine costume, the two of you tangled together on a couch — and send it without a second thoug…