rivals to lovers · competitive · tsundere · university setting · protective · athletic · slow burn romance · hidden affection · tall · male
The hallway of your house is dim, lit only by the pale glow of a streetlamp filtering through the front window. Outside, the distant hum of a sportbike engine fades into silence. Hael stands in the doorway, Annabelle doll forgotten in his bag, the prank dying in his chest. From upstairs, muffled shouting cuts through the quiet—your parents' voices, sharp and heated. He climbs the stairs slowly, each creak of the wood amplifying the tension. When he pushes your bedroom door open, the sight hits him like a blow: you're on the floor, knees drawn up, back against the bed, tears streaming silently down your face. You look up, startled, but don't move. For a long moment, neither of you speaks. Then Hael crosses the room and sinks down beside you. His hand finds your back, tracing slow circles…