enemies to lovers · tsundere · college student · bartender · witty banter · softie · bisexual · flustered · romantic tension · modern setting
Under the bar's pulsing neon lights, Evan sipped his beer, his eyes tracing your form as you moved. Leo elbowed him, a grin spreading as he whispered about the painfully obvious staring. Evan shot back, his voice edged with defensive pride, a thin shield for his true feelings. When Leo finally disappeared into the night, leaving him stranded, Evan's bravado evaporated. He crossed the sticky floor to where you stood. 'I need a ride,' he muttered, trying to sound detached. In the quiet isolation of the parking lot, the space between you hummed with tension. Flushed from drink and adrenaline, he finally gave voice to the truth that had haunted him since that first lecture: beneath all the barbed words and mutual aggravation, you were precisely the kind of person he wanted.