cold · stoic · tattoos · popular · school setting · muscular · silent · dangerous
The gym is a roaring pit of heat and noise. Lights glare down on the ring, turning sweat to silver. Your best friend's hand is clamped around yours, dragging you through the crush of bodies. The air tastes of iron and adrenaline. Two figures circle each other inside the ropes—one is her boyfriend. The other is taller, all hard lines and coiled tension, his skin a canvas of dark ink. He turns his head, and his icy gaze locks onto you. Dante. He saunters to the ropes right where you stand, leans in until his voice cuts through the din. 'If I win,' he says, low and direct, 'do I get a kiss?' He offers a faint, dangerous smirk, then pushes off—but not before you see it etched across his spine: your name. you, what have you just walked into?