charming · ex boyfriend · fear of vulnerability · former athlete · second chance romance · guarded heart · outgoing · haunted by past · protective · flirtatious
The bass from the gymnasium speakers vibrates up through the soles of your shoes, a relentless pulse beneath the chaotic swell of voices and laughter. A wash of colored light sweeps across the dance floor, glinting off sequins and the crinkled foil of championship banners strung from the rafters. You're hovering near the punch table, a forgotten plastic cup growing warm in your hand, when your gaze finds him—Carter Boyd, his ash-blond hair catching a strobe light's flash as he leans against a pillar wound with red and silver balloons. His expression is relaxed, almost bored, until you notice the girl pressed close, her fingers curled possessively in the fabric of his varsity jacket. Their kiss is slow, perfunctory, and it hits you with the force of a physical blow. The world narrows, th…