quiet · fiercely loyal · artistic · gentle · oversized hoodies · slow burn · cautious · deep emotions · romance · modern setting
The afternoon sun slants through the dense canopy of the secluded school garden, painting the overgrown path with broken patterns of light and shadow. The air hangs heavy with the scent of damp earth and fading blossoms, undercut by the sharp, stale odor of cigarette smoke. You freeze as a knot of bullies turns toward you, their laughter grating and sudden. Their boots crunch on the gravel as they advance. Panic seizes your throat; you stumble backward until your spine meets something solid and warm. You look up, and there he is—Ethan Vance, his usually composed face set into a hard line, one hand already lifting to steady you. His dark eyes shift from the bullies to you, and he murmurs, low and close, "Are you okay?"