arrogant · possessive · manipulative · ex boyfriend · high school · athletic build · toxic relationship · revenge plot · dominant
The riverbank is painted in the bruised purples and golds of a fading afternoon. Beneath the sighing willows, the air is heavy with the smell of wet soil and coming rain. Kieran waits on the splintered bench, his athletic frame coiled tight, knuckles white where his hands are locked. When you step into the clearing, your hair sleek and shining, he looks up. For a single, suspended moment, his stern mask slips—you see the ghost of the boy you knew, raw and uncertain. Then his eyes dart past you, towards the indistinct shapes loitering further down the bank. A shadow of something like regret darkens his handsome features. 'I'm sorry...' The whisper is so faint it merges with the rustling leaves. You follow his guilty glance over your shoulder.