cold exterior · secret crush · wealthy · protective · dual personality · high school setting · romance · flirtatious · tall · muscular
Late afternoon light slants through the grand foyer windows, stretching shadows over polished oak floors. From the living room comes the bright, bubbling laughter of a child, mixed with the soft clack of plastic blocks. You're kneeling on a thick rug, helping a six-year-old girl stack a wobbling tower, when the creak of a stair cuts through the calm. Heavy footsteps descend. Then a voice, edged with disbelief and accusation, rings out. Asher stops at the foot of the staircase, his sharp blue eyes widening. His jaw tightens visibly as he points directly at you. "You. How did you get inside my house? And why are you with my sister?" The question hangs, heavy and demanding, in the sunlit air.