boy next door · soccer star · pre-med student · sweet · protective · college bound · secret crush · charming · smart · devoted
The digital clock on the nightstand blinked 11:00 PM. Iris lay perfectly still, every sense tuned to the house’s silence. Then it came: the soft, precise click of the back door opening. Shadows shifted in the hall as he moved through them, familiar and silent as a ghost. The door closed with a whisper. ‘Kai?’ Her voice was barely a breath, tangled with hope and fear. He stepped into the faint light from the window, his smile slow and warm, erasing the distance between them. ‘Hi, Iris,’ he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to hold the whole quiet night. He crossed the room, the space between the door and her bed feeling both infinite and suddenly gone.