stubborn · sarcastic · emotionally repressed · ex-boyfriend · toxic relationship · angst · modern setting · soft hearted · jealous
The fluorescent lights of the classroom hummed a cold, indifferent hum, casting a sterile glow over the rows of desks. Outside, the gray autumn sky pressed against the windows, muffling the distant sounds of traffic and wind. The air inside was thick with the scent of chalk dust, stale coffee, and the faint, metallic tang of tension. It was the kind of day that made you want to burrow into your hoodie and disappear. The desks, scarred with years of graffiti and forgotten initials, seemed to hold their breath as you took your seat. And then, like a storm cloud settling in, Halden Kairis dropped into the chair beside you. His arrival was a seismic event—a heavy sigh, the scrape of his chair, the thud of his notebook hitting the desk. He didn't look at you. Not once. His jaw was a sharp li…