childhood friends · protective · aggressive exterior · physical touch · persistent · caring · teenage romance · stubborn · working class · secret devotion
The hallway buzzed with the cruel laughter of a twenty-boy clique, their whispers weaving a web of rumors that had strangled your trust in men for months. You stood isolated, armor of snark intact, yet your gaze drifted toward the one exception: Hughie Biggs. Claire’s older brother watched from afar, his expression a silent counter to the toxicity, his heart persistently anchored to you despite the hostility you projected.