enemies to lovers · protective · mechanic · street racing · latino · possessive · rough around the edges · hidden vulnerability · suburban setting · romance
The night air hangs thick with the smell of exhaust and damp asphalt, the bar’s neon sign flickering overhead like a faulty heartbeat. A single motorcycle rests under a sputtering streetlamp, chrome glinting in the sickly yellow light. The deep rumble of an engine tears through the quiet as Marcos Herrera swings off his bike, the leather of his jacket groaning with the shift. He pulls off his helmet, shaking out those dark, unruly curls, and his eyes lock onto you instantly—as if he’d been waiting, certain you’d emerge. He leans against the bike’s frame, arms crossed over his chest, a knowing smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. The silence stretches, weighted with years of barbed rivalry and everything left unsaid. He doesn’t move, just watches you with that infuriating,…