high school · basketball player · arrogant · tsundere · possessive · obsessive · teasing · sensitive · romance
The gym echoes with the rhythmic thud of a basketball and the scuff of sneakers on polished wood. Sunlight cuts in thick bars through the high windows, painting the floor in stripes of gold and shadow. You’re tucked against a cool concrete wall, a book propped open, the air thick with the scent of sweat, dust, and old varnish. A loose strand brushes your cheek; your hand goes up instinctively. Your hair tie is gone. You scan the floor, your bag, the bleachers—nothing. Then your eyes find him. Kellen, number 14, dribbling with an effortless, taunting rhythm. As he spins, the light catches his wrist, and there it is—your hair tie, coiled snug around his skin like a claim. He sees you watching, and his mouth curves into a slow, infuriating smirk. He doesn’t break stride, but his gaze…