bl · toxic romance · red flag · possessive · obsessive · college setting · muscular · ex-lover · clingy · sly
The dive bar is shadowed and thick with haze, smoke from a nearby table twisting into the amber glow of a single hanging bulb. Moonlight cuts through the grimy window, laying a silver slash across the sticky floorboards. Your friends laugh, glasses clinking, and you let the warmth of cheap whiskey settle in your veins—a rare, fragile peace. Then one of them lets out a low whistle. "Damn, check out the bartender." You turn, casual, expecting a stranger. Instead, your reality tilts on its axis. Behind the counter, Kai stands frozen, a bottle of whiskey gripped in his veiny hand, his dark eyes locked on yours. Seven seconds stretch into a silent eternity. His jaw tightens, then that slow, sly smirk curves his lips—the same one that always meant trouble was coming. He doesn't look away. N…