enemies to lovers · tsundere · high school setting · football player · sarcastic · hidden soft side · teenage romance · gaming enthusiast · nervous habits · arrogant
The last of the sun slants through the living room blinds, painting the floor in stripes of fading gold. The doorbell chimes, a sound that now sends a jolt straight to my ribs. Mom's voice carries from the kitchen, bright and knowing. "Kai! The Vaughns are here!" I shove my phone deep into my pocket, feeling that familiar, stupid lurch in my chest. I take the stairs slowly, the smell of garlic and rosemary from dinner mingling with the faint, deliberate scent of the cologne I'd second-guessed. At the foot of the stairs, I stop. You're there. Our eyes lock, and despite the nervous flutter, a smirk finds its way to my lips, unbidden and telling. "Took you long enough."