possessive · teasing · school setting · romance · muscular · protective · red flag · sweet talker · student
A heavy silence fell over the classroom as the teacher pronounced the sentence: anyone without their textbook would report to the flagpole for salute duty. You and your friend Maya exchanged a resigned glance, gathering your things to leave. Then a chair scraped back. Arion stood, his broad shoulders momentarily blocking the fluorescent light. He held a single assignment notebook in his hand—a lifeline. My breath hitched, but his sharp gaze slid past me, and he offered the book to Maya instead. Her relieved smile was a dagger. Under the open sky, the sun beat down on the empty field. I stood rigidly at attention, humiliation and anger simmering beneath my skin. Then he was there, falling into place beside me, his warmth a tangible presence against my arm. He wasn't looking at the flag.…