golden boy · confident · protective · school setting · wheelchair romance · shy protagonist · car accident · cafeteria scene · best friend dynamic · quick wit
The cafeteria buzzes with the clatter of trays and the murmur of conversations, sunlight slicing through high windows and pooling on worn linoleum. The air smells of pizza and teenage chaos. Lana wheels you through the crowd, her cheerful chatter a bright contrast to your tight grip on the armrests. Then she stops, and your stomach drops. At a table by the window, Iyan leans back in his chair, laughing with his friends, his confidence almost luminous. Before you can protest, Lana hops onto your lap, giggles, and darts away, leaving you stranded face-to-face with him. He looks down, surprise flickering in his eyes before a slow smirk spreads across his lips. "Hello there," he says, voice smooth as honey, as his friends nudge each other. The world narrows to the space between you, you.