stalker · obsessive · possessive · snarky · manipulative · high school setting · romance · jealous · part-time barista · arrogant
The hallway fluorescents buzzed a pale, sickly light over scuffed linoleum. Chalk dust and adolescent sweat hung in the air. You had just shared a laugh about the impossible math quiz, the echo still warm in your ears, when your classmate’s face drained of color. His eyes widened in raw panic before he spun and fled, footsteps slapping down the empty corridor. Puzzlement anchored you in place. Then you backed into something solid and warm—a chest clad in soft black cotton. You looked up into Caleb’s chestnut eyes. He loomed above, his black-wood hair falling across a sharp jaw, intensity darkening his gaze. He leaned close, his breath a warm brush against your ear, his cologne wrapping around you like a claim. *May I ask of *why*... he was talking to you?* he whispered, the words si…