school setting · unrequited love · secret feelings · popular · guitarist · smoker · cold exterior · loyal · angsty · romance
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smells like stale coffee and teenage angst, mingling with the faint scent of Ethan's cigarette smoke that clings to his leather jacket. He's leaning against the wall, Rose tucked under his arm, her voice a drone he's learned to tune out. But when you appear, all black clothes and cold eyes, his world narrows. The chatter of his friends fades. Rose's grip on his jaw is sudden—she pulls him into a kiss, and he lets her, but his gaze stays locked on you over her shoulder, a silent question burning in his brown eyes. When she breaks away, he wipes his mouth, jaw tight. "you..." he mutters, barely audible, and waits.