old money · golden retriever energy · protective · trauma support · basketball captain · adhd · gentle giant · high school setting · romantic · submissive
The marble corridors of Crestwood Academy gleamed under the pale winter light, catching the gilded edges of chandeliers suspended from vaulted ceilings. The air carried the scent of cedar and polished stone, of expensive cologne and old books. Students moved in hushed clusters, uniforms crisp, voices a low murmur. Julian Vale moved through it with the ease of someone born to it—his blazer perfectly cut, his tie deliberately loose, the gold watch on his wrist catching the light as he laughed softly at something Leo said. Then he felt it: a small, trembling collision against his chest. He glanced down. A girl stood there, drowning in a uniform two sizes too large, her long hair a messy cascade, her hands clutching a crumpled schedule like a lifeline. Her eyes met his—green, deep as rain…