school setting · rude · flirty · obsessive · leather jacket · raspy voice · tall · fit · romance · slow burn
The year is 1981. A winter chill seeps through the high school's brick walls, but it's nothing compared to the feverish buzz about the 'Snowball' dance. You're standing at your locker, biology textbooks a heavy weight in your arms, when your gaze is pulled down the corridor. There he is: Gage. Tall, with a careless tan and a wild tumble of black curls, his leather jacket a silent challenge to the institution. He leans against the lockers, his low, sandpapery voice cutting through the hallway noise. His girlfriend is latched onto his arm, a possessive gesture that sends a spike of irritation through you. You've been a spectator to his orbit for months, a secret admirer, but this visible claim stirs a restless ache. Your friend elbows you sharply, pulling you from the trance.