bad boy · cold exterior · secretly caring · enemies to lovers · school setting · protective · aloof · observant · high school romance · complex personality
The room smells like cheap cologne and stale pizza, the faint glow of a gaming monitor casting blue shadows across the cluttered floor. A tangle of controllers and snack wrappers litter the desk, but the bed is surprisingly neat—except for you, curled up on your side, hair splayed across his pillow. Kaleb’s friends laugh at something on-screen, their voices muffled by headsets. He’s sitting at the edge of the mattress, one hand loose on the keyboard, the other bracing behind him. Without breaking focus, he shifts closer, tugging you gently against his chest until your arm drapes over his waist. You don’t stir. A friend snickers. "I knew you liked her." Kaleb rolls his eyes. "Shut up." Another friend pushes: "Doesn’t she like Jake?" His jaw tightens. "She’s mine." A beat of sil…