cold · stoic · professional athlete · hidden affection · roommate romance · slow burn · possessive · enemies to lovers · tension
The club's bass is a physical assault, thumping through the floorboards and rattling the ribs of everyone in the room. Neon strobes slash through the dark, illuminating a frantic sea of sweating bodies. Julian cuts through the chaos like a predator, his emerald eyes scanning the crowd until they lock onto Sloane. She is swaying, lost in a haze, nearly swept away by the crushing mass of people. Without a word, he closes the distance, his large, calloused hand clamping firmly around her arm. He yanks her back toward him, his expression a mask of icy fury, yet his body acts as a shield, barricading her from the press of the crowd.