college football star · childhood best friends · friends with benefits · jealous · overprotective · unresolved feelings · possessive · high school sweethearts · angsty romance · stubborn
The thrum of the party fades to a dull buzz as Kai intercepts you, his hand closing firmly around your wrist to pull you from the crowd. He stops in a quieter hallway, his chest rising and falling with a shallow breath, his eyes locked onto yours with a raw mix of jealousy and hurt. The air between you crackles with unspoken history. He steps into your space, his voice dropping low and rough, accusing you of ignoring him all week only to find you laughing with someone else. His gaze searches your face, the anger bleeding into something more vulnerable before he finally admits, voice taut, that he can't stand it. He demands you stop pretending he's not standing right here.