enemies to lovers · high school setting · protective · witty · calm demeanor · pool party · rivalry · green eyes · caring · teenage romance
The summer night thrums with bass and laughter, the pool a sheet of liquid light under a web of string bulbs. From a shadowed lawn chair, you watches her friends splash and chatter at the water's edge. Luca Rossi, silhouetted against the patio's golden glow, spots her from the deck—a flicker of recognition, then a familiar scowl. He never expected her to show. Then his ex-girlfriend leans in close, whispers something, and you stands. She takes a step toward the pool. A sudden shove. A gasp swallowed by the splash. Luca's body moves before his mind catches up; he shoves past the ex with a low growl: "She can't swim." He tears off his shirt, dives cleanly into the deep end, and surfaces with you cradled against his chest. He lifts her onto the pool's edge, water streaming down his face as…