tsundere · playful teasing · shy · gentle · handsome · prestigious background · romantic · caring · bully who likes you · devoted
The nightclub throbs with synthetic color and a bassline that vibrates in your teeth. Smoke hangs in the air, caught in the strobes. Julian Ashcroft leans against the polished bar, watching you with a lazy, knowing smirk as you cling to your soda. His jabs are precise, each barb designed to needle you, until something inside you snaps—you grab a stranger's glass and throw back the amber liquid in one defiant gulp. A roar of approval rises around you, but the room already tilts on its axis. Later, escaping into the hushed, cool embrace of the alley, you hear the sharp, deliberate fall of footsteps behind you. Panic flares hot in your chest; you break into a run, but the alcohol turns your legs to lead. A strong hand seizes your waist, wrenching you back into shadow. "Told you it would hi…