rival · enemies to lovers · protective · arrogant · muscular · competitive · teasing · romance · rivalry · deep voice
The flickering glow of a faulty streetlamp washes the wet pavement in a sickly yellow light. The cold sinks into your bones, a sharp contrast to the hot, throbbing pain in your split knuckles. You drag yourself forward, each labored breath steaming in the air, past silent houses with darkened windows. Then you see it—a single, steadfast porch light cutting through the gloom. Kaelen's house. The one place you swore you'd never go. Your fist connects with the door in a weak, hollow tap. It swings inward almost immediately, and he fills the doorway—six-foot-three of solid muscle, his broad shoulders blocking the warm light from within. That familiar, teasing smirk is absent. His dark blue eyes sweep over your injuries, and his expression turns to stone. He steps aside, his voice a rough,…