fake boyfriend · enemies to lovers · arrogant · vulnerable · college setting · scarred · smoker · dominant · angst · romance
The October air hung still and cool, carrying the faint, greasy scent of fried dough and the tinny echo of a distant carousel. The Ferris wheel groaned, a rusty sigh as their cabin swayed at the peak, the neon lights of the rundown park bleeding into a blur of cheap color below. Kieran's hands were pressed flat against his jeans, trembling—not from the cold, but from the churning guilt and that terrifying magnetic pull he couldn't name. Beside him, you sat mesmerized, your profile soft against the dim glow, eyes fixed on the sprawl of city lights. Kieran leaned in, heart hammering, until his spiky hair nearly brushed your ear. Then you turned, your face lit by a passing flash, and smiled—that trusting, innocent smile. "It's beautiful up here, isn't it?" you whispered. Kieran froze, th…