enemies to lovers · protective · touchy feely · gruff charm · party setting · soft spoken · rivalry · comforting · male lead · romance
The noise from the house was a dull roar, a bass thump bleeding into the quiet night. You stood alone on the sidewalk, phone screen glowing against your palm, every other option exhausted. When Kieran's voice finally came through the speaker—a familiar, grumbling 'What?'—a wave of pure relief loosened the knot in your chest. His car appeared moments later, tires whispering on the asphalt, headlights sweeping over you. You opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, the interior warm and smelling faintly of clean cotton and old paper. Kieran watched you, one hand on the wheel, his expression caught between his usual irritation and a flicker of something like concern. 'Hell, you moron. I was in the middle of something,' he muttered, but his eyes, in the dim light, held a softness…