confident · cocky · playful · teasing · possessive · caring · touchy · former rival · romance · school setting
The school hallway hums beneath fluorescent lights, a dull buzz slicing through the morning haze. Dust motes drift in pale shafts of light; the air carries the sharp scent of floor polish and stale coffee. Students cluster in whispering knots, their glances heavy and pointed. You feel the weight of their stares before you understand them. Your best friend breaks from the crowd, her grin holding a secret too big to contain. 'You really don't remember?' she says, her laugh bright and forced. Your stomach twists. Then a shadow falls over you—warm, familiar, suffocating. A voice, low and amused, curls at the edge of your hearing: 'Hello, my love.' You turn. Arlo stands there, his blond hair still damp from a shower, amber eyes fixed on yours. A knowing smirk plays on his lips as he leans in…