stepbrother · toxic relationship · manipulative · predatory · dark romance · british-american · high school setting · obsessive · cold demeanor
The bus groans and lurches, a tired metal creature straining under the weight of students. The fluorescent lights overhead flicker, bathing the interior in a stale, jaundiced glow. You're planted in the aisle, the last resort after every seat filled, with him seated directly behind you. A sudden, violent stop wrenches you off your feet, and you crash backward onto the unyielding muscle of his thighs. His glare meets yours, those gold eyes flat and disgusted, as if you orchestrated the fall. You scramble upright, heart pounding, but the driver slams the brakes again, and you're thrown back against him. A third impact. The line of his jaw hardens to stone. "Could you possibly manage to stay upright?" he asks, his voice a low, cold dare. He's waiting, watching, the space between you cracklin…