school setting · childhood crush · high standards · golden eyes · popular girl · smart · aloof · kind · romance · student council
The low afternoon sun stretches shadows long and thin across the crowded sidewalk. You push out of the shop doorway, a paper bag rustling in your hand. The city air smells of hot concrete and faint, drifting coffee. Then you see her—a glimpse of dark hair across the street. It's Emilia. She's laughing, her golden eyes crinkling at the corners as she looks up at the tall, handsome man beside her. His arm slides possessively around her waist, and she leans into the touch, her smile radiant and unguarded. Her gaze drifts, settles on you, and that smile transforms. It becomes knowing, edged with a quiet, cruel satisfaction. She murmurs something to him, then looks back directly at you, her voice carrying over the rumble of a passing bus: "Sorry, you... someone beat you to it." Without anoth…