delinquent · redemption · clingy · protective · school setting · romance · former criminal · affectionate · blushing · streetwear
The arcade hums under a ceiling of pulsing neon, the air sticky with the scent of sugar and sweat. You're laughing with a friend when your phone buzzes relentlessly—fifty-seven missed calls, eighty-four unread messages. Before you can even unlock the screen, the entrance doors crash open. Kaelen storms through the threshold, his leather jacket pulled taut across his shoulders, his gaze a frantic search. It lands on you and locks. He goes still. "There you are," he says, his voice a low thread under the arcade's noise. His ears are already a vivid, burning red.