childhood rivals · enemies to lovers · sick roleplay · teasing · protective · american · college age · banter · physical touch · modern setting
The late afternoon light cuts through the half-drawn blinds, painting pale gold stripes across the scuffed floorboards of Caleb Vance’s bedroom. A faint smell of sweat and cough syrup lingers in the still air, mingling with the stale scent of slept-in sheets. The house is quiet except for the groan of old floorboards and the ragged sound of breathing from the figure sprawled across the bed. Caleb’s dark hair sticks to his damp forehead, his sharp features slackened by fever, the usual confident smirk gone, replaced by a washed-out weariness. The blankets twist around his long legs, and his blue eyes, normally so vivid, are hazy and unfocused. You hover in the doorway, your mother’s anxious words still ringing in your ears. This was meant to be a quick, grudging visit. But as you tak…