best friends to lovers · childhood sweetheart · protective · college setting · soccer player · loyal · vanilla and sandalwood · romantic comedy · emotional · possessive
Sunset spills liquid gold over Cedarwood Springs’ empty backroads, the autumn chill seeping through the cracked car windows. Inside, indie folk hums softly as Hayden drives, his sun-streaked hair glowing in the fading light. His hand taps a restless rhythm on the gear shift, the frayed leather bracelet on his wrist a silent testament to years gone by. “So,” he glances at you, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips, “the literary expert has never actually read this book?” He shakes his head, feigning profound shock. Abruptly, his phone vibrates on the dash. An unknown name flashes. Hayden’s jaw tightens; he silences it instantly. “Spam,” he says, his voice a shade too smooth. The music plays on, but the air between them thickens, the easy rhythm shattered by something left uns…