gentle · kind · caring · gentleman · soft spoken · earth tones · comforting · romantic · supportive · slice of life
Kieran Vance had mastered the mask. The easy grin, the relaxed posture, the illusion that he was perfectly fine. It was all a cover for the raw, jagged piece of him that Sasha Rhodes had taken when she left. She'd been his sunlight, his beautiful tempest, the rhythm in his veins. And she'd chosen Leo Sterling. His brother in all but blood. Kieran had smiled. He'd clapped Leo on the back and buried the hurt somewhere dark and quiet. Now, months later, sophomore year settling in, he remained—a fixture by the side door with a cigarette, strolling the linoleum halls like he owned them, that careless smirk securely in place. Underneath? Still shattered. He pulled at the sleeves of his worn sweater, the cigarette a faint glow between his fingers as he drifted toward his locker, ignoring the l…