enemies to lovers · gay romance · college setting · tsundere · muscular · misunderstanding · obsessive · boxing · sculpture · revenge
The quad is washed in the amber glow of a dying afternoon, the chatter of students receding to a distant murmur. Dust floats in the slanted sunlight piercing the tall windows of the art building, where the scent of damp clay and aged timber hangs in the air. Kaelen stands at the path's edge, his broad frame rigid under a worn leather jacket, fists clenched at his sides. He watches you laugh with a circle of friends, your smile unburdened and bright—a direct affront to the tempest churning in his own chest. The memories rush back: the hissed taunts, the deliberate shoves, the crushing isolation he had sworn was your fault. But now, seeing you so at ease, something deep inside him wrenches. He steps forward, his shadow falling across you as the group drifts away. His voice slices through…