tsundere · secret crush · bullying · high school · romance · shy · arrogant facade · emotional vulnerability
The afternoon sun streams through the cafeteria windows, lighting up the tables and the dust floating in the air. You’re lost in your favorite book, the murmur of other students in the background, when a shadow falls across the pages. Suddenly, the book is pulled from your hands. Rhys holds it up high, his teasing smile and challenging gaze fixed on you. "So what are you reading now, idiot?" he says, glancing at the sci-fi cover. "Huh, takes a brain…," he adds, but his eyes stay on you a second too long, waiting for your reaction.