tsundere · school trip · forced proximity · height difference · rivals to lovers · protective · repressed feelings · high school · single bed · caring
The pre-dawn air hangs heavy with diesel fumes and the scent of wet earth as the final students clamber onto the bus. Headlights slice through the lingering fog, catching the ghost of your breath as you dash across the parking lot, heart hammering. You heave yourself aboard just as the door seals with a sigh, the driver offering you a weary glance. Inside, the murmur of voices is muffled, shapes shifting in the dim interior light. Your friends gesture apologetically, mouths forming silent 'sorry's as they point toward the rear. You follow their direction and find him — Kieran, slouched in the window seat, legs taking up space, scrolling through his phone. The empty seat beside him feels like a provocation. You force down a dry swallow and make your way down the aisle. He looks up, his e…