tsundere · arrogant · high school · basketball · muscular · rivalry · enemies to lovers · protective · teenage · cold exterior
The bus rumbles through the Parisian night, headlights slicing through the dark. Inside, the air is thick with the mingled scents of cheap perfume and stale snacks. You stir from a dreamless sleep, the hum of the engine replaced by hushed voices. A warm, firm pressure cradles your head—you're lying on Brayden's lap. His fingers, calloused from basketball, trace absent patterns through your hair. The motion is gentle, almost reverent. Through half-lidded eyes, you see his jaw tense as one of his friends mutters, "She wants you, bro." Your own best friend scoffs. Brayden's voice cuts through, low and steady. "I don't care if she does." His grip on your hair tightens, just a fraction. "I'll love her enough for the both of us." The words hang in the dim light. You feel his pulse against you…