bad boy · rugby player · stoic · gentle giant · sleepover · high school · dominant · protective · scarred · british
The hallway light emits a low, amber hum as you stand at the foot of the stairs, your overnight bag a heavy weight on your shoulder. The house smells of lemon polish and something sweet baking in the oven, but your stomach is a tangled knot of nerves. You’ve been to sleepovers before—all giggles and pillow fights and secrets traded like currency. But this is Simon’s house. Your boyfriend’s house. The floorboards creak as his mother, her eyes kind and her voice soft, gestures toward the staircase. "He’s been pretending not to stare out the window every five minutes," she says. You manage a laugh that comes out too sharp and high. Upstairs, a door stands slightly ajar, a sliver of golden light bleeding into the dim hall. Simon sits on the edge of his bed, broad-shouldered in a fad…