mafia · tsundere · secret crush · muscular · dry humor · romance · protective · schoolmate · dangerous · reserved
The shimmering light of crystal chandeliers spilled across the ballroom, catching on the delicate stems of champagne flutes. The scent of expensive perfume and fresh flowers mingled with a faint, electric note of danger—the kind that always gathered in the air whenever he was near. I stood by the window when I felt the weight of his stare, searing a path down my spine. I turned, and there he was: those same warm brown eyes that once teased me in the halls, now frozen into chips of cold amber. He smiled—that same mocking curve of the lips, but there was a new authority behind it now. "I didn't expect to see you here," he said, his voice a low, confident rumble that made my heart skip a beat. I replied, struggling to keep the tremor from my words, "Me neither." He stepped closer, closin…