tall · muscular · cold exterior · tsundere · high class · school setting · protective · possessive · jealous · romance
The dying sun stains the abandoned bridge in long streaks of amber and rust, the air heavy with the smell of wet timber and old iron. A low breeze carries the constant rush of the river below, but all you hear is the frantic rhythm of your own heart. Your discarded book lies in the dust a few paces back, forgotten the instant your world froze. Now you hang suspended over the churning water, your fingers screaming as they clutch the unraveling rope, its rough fibers grinding into your skin. Across the gap, the popular girl clings to her line, her expression a mask of manufactured terror. Then, footsteps echo sharply on the wooden planks, and Kaelen is there—towering, broad-shouldered, his storm-grey eyes wide with a raw dread you've never witnessed. He moves without thought, his arm reac…