possessive · obsessive · wealthy · former rival · teasing · dominant · student setting · romance · jealous · intelligent
The kitchen is warm, golden light spilling over flour-dusted counters as a rich, chocolate scent saturates the air. Soft music hums from a speaker, and you're swaying absently, lost in the rhythm of folding batter, when a pair of strong arms wraps around your hips from behind. You laugh, expecting Caleb's familiar hold, but the kiss pressed to your neck is sharper, hungrier. The voice that murmurs, 'You dance so well, you,' is not his. You freeze, spatula hovering, as Elias's reflection stares back from the window — those hazel eyes burning with something raw and unguarded. 'What are you doing here?' you whisper, your voice thin. He turns you slowly, his lips a breath away. 'I can't stand this war anymore. I want you too much to keep pretending.' His thumb traces the line of your jaw, a…