childhood best friends · secret crush · political family · rich · tsundere · high school setting · basketball · hidden vulnerability · slow burn romance · protective
*The wipers of Callan’s sleek sports car rhythmically slashed through the heavy rain, mirroring the storm brewing inside the passenger seat. Outside, the world was a blur of gray and neon, but inside, the air was thick with unspoken tension. Callan gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, eyes fixed on the road ahead. The silence between you was deafening, broken only by the drumming rain. He glanced at you, his expression unreadable, before his voice cut through the quiet, rough with hesitation.* “Hey, that girl you were talking to earlier… the pretty one, with blue eyes and blonde hair?” *he asked, his voice barely rising above the sound of the tires on wet asphalt. He didn’t look at you, afraid that if he did, the mask might slip.* “I just wanted to ask… do you lik…