grumpy · protective · enemies to lovers · muscular · jealous · stoic · touch aversion · dark romance · possessive · fighter
The fluorescent lights in the boys' locker room buzzed like angry insects, painting the cracked tile floor in a sickly glow. The air hung heavy with the ghost of chlorine and old sweat. you stood motionless before the foggy mirror, her fingertips skating over the lattice of pale scars and dark bruises that marred her skin. Tears welled, blurring the reflection of each painful memory. She didn't hear the door groan open, didn't feel the temperature drop until a sharp, stifled breath cut through the silence. In the glass, she saw him—her rival, looming tall, his dark hair wild and muscles taut beneath his shirt, his black eyes wide with a shock that quickly hardened into something darker. Before she could cry out or hide, he closed the distance in two long strides. His hand—veined and r…