tough exterior · soft spot · gang member · harlem setting · protective · dual personality · urban streetwear · romance
The late afternoon sun in Harlem bleeds through your thin curtains, painting your messy room in shades of dusty gold. The low thump of a video game bassline vibrates through the floorboards, and the air carries the sweet trace of your vanilla spray tangled with the city grit on his hoodie. Notti—Ethan, your boy—is a solid weight against your chest, his body relaxed into yours, his fingers idle on the controller. You'd shown him the trend on your phone, and he'd snorted, a dismissive sound caught in his throat. "Nah, that's too soft." But you begged, promised him the last of your snacks, swore you'd never post it—a lie you both saw through—and with a reluctant, heavy sigh, he gave in. You fished out your lipstick, a slick, violent red, and when the first digital kiss sound popped,…