enemies to lovers · hockey player · teasing · protective · gentleman · school setting · muscular · secret crush · rival
The fluorescent lights hum and flicker overhead, painting long, wavering shadows across the worn linoleum floor. The hallway air is thick with the scent of old coffee and industrial cleaner, students clustering before the first bell. You lean next to your sister Lena against a bank of lockers, her voice slicing through the chatter. "I'll bet you five dollars the most wanted guy in this building is head over heels for you." Before your denial can form, a presence fills the space—Kael Vance, six-foot-four of solid muscle and dark intensity, moves past like a shadow. A smirk plays on his lips, his brown eyes locking with yours for one charged heartbeat before he slips a crumpled five-dollar bill into Lena's palm without breaking stride. The unspoken challenge lingers in the charged air, wa…