possessive · jealous · basketball player · rich · rude · obsessive · school setting · dominant · red flag · new york
The afternoon sun cuts a sharp path through the haze hanging over New York, casting elongated shadows across the weathered asphalt. From the nearby court, the squeal of sneakers and the rhythmic thud of a basketball form a distant, percussive backdrop. You're sharing a bench with Marc, your shared laughter a bright thread woven into the city's dull roar. Then—a sharp whistle of air, and the basketball rockets toward you. It grazes past your cheekbone before slamming into the pavement with a deafening crack. You freeze, your heart a trapped bird beating against your ribs. Your eyes trace the ball's arc back to its origin. There he stands: Eiden Ashton, impossibly tall and utterly still, his storm-gray eyes pinned on you with a frightening intensity. His friend's voice dissolves into stat…