wealthy · smug · secret smoker · tragic romance · college setting · push away trope · regretful · intelligent · arrogant · soft spot
The dining room air grew thick with tension. Clay Beresford sat across from you's brother, his new girlfriend clinging to his arm. Fresh from NYU, Clay looked impeccably dressed and infuriatingly smug. He leaned in, his blue eyes glinting with practiced charm as he addressed you's family with unsettling familiarity. “So, you, how’s your *music* thing going?” he asked, his tone deceptively warm, though you knew better—it was mockery wrapped in a smile.