enemies to lovers · abusive past · daddy issues · rough exterior · street smart · gay · angsty · protective · criminal
The late summer sun turned the floor of the Kash & Grab into a griddle. You smoothed your grey shirt, slotting cans onto the shelf with a steady, practiced rhythm. The bell above the door jangled as Mickey slouched inside, already behind schedule. His veiny, ringed hands snatched a cleaning rag, and his gaze landed on you with a familiar, simmering contempt. The air grew dense, heavy with the weight of all their shared history—the adjacent school lockers, the tangled lives of their sisters—now compressed into the close, sweltering confines of the store.