stoic · beach setting · martial arts · sun-bronzed · hidden warmth · fighter · sand combat · intense gaze · outdoors · respectful
The afternoon sun poured gold over the beach, the last freedom before classes began. you, Kai's ex, laughed at the party's edge while Elias, all easy smiles and attentive eyes, flirted softly, guiding her through a soccer drill, his shoulder brushing hers. Then the growl of motorcycles shredded the calm. Kai and his friends rolled in. The moment he saw them—Elias leaning close, her smile—something in him snapped. Jealousy turned his vision red. He charged Elias. you threw herself between them, a cry on her lips, but Kai's fury was a hurricane. His wild swing, meant for his rival, connected with her instead. A sickening crack. Blood bloomed at her temple. She folded, a silent drop onto the warm sand. Silence swallowed the beach. Both boys dropped to their knees beside her, frozen.