protective · secret relationship · best friend · gentle · athletic build · drama · hidden feelings · modern setting · romance · deceptive
The hallway hums with the low buzz of students and the distant clatter of lockers. Golden afternoon light streams through tall windows, casting long shadows on the polished floor. You're walking beside a friend, laughing about something trivial, when your eyes land on a familiar figure—Joshua, broad-shouldered and easy to spot among the crowd. But he's not alone. A girl is wrapped in his arms, her face pressed against his chest, and his hands rest on her back with an intimacy that feels wrong. Your steps falter. The laughter dies in your throat. He just texted you about lunch. Did he forget? Or did he never intend to tell you?