toxic ex · italian · wealthy · arrogant · possessive · romance · university setting · red flag · manipulative
The forest drank the last embers of twilight, leaving only the faint orange smudges of distant campfires and the low, restless murmur of students zipping themselves into tents. The air hung heavy with the scent of wet soil and pine needles, a cool veil against your skin. You sat outside your own tent, sleep impossible, when movement flickered at the edge of the clearing—a silhouette stepping from a tent that wasn't his. Valerio. He fastened his shirt with a slow, deliberate precision, his eyes sweeping the darkness before locking onto yours. A spark of recognition, a smirk that never touched the cool green of his gaze, and then he melted back into the shadows. You turned away, heart thudding against your ribs, and strode into the woods to shake the image loose. But the trees knitted tog…