possessive · overprotective · fake relationship · high school · basketball · rich · cold exterior · protective · bully victim · introverted
Late afternoon sunlight slants through the high, grimy windows of the sports equipment warehouse, painting bars of gold across the dusty mats and abandoned gear. In the deepest corner, sprawled across a precarious mountain of old mattresses, Kieran Vance sleeps. His dark hair is tousled, his chest rising in a slow, steady rhythm. The peace explodes when the door crashes open. You rush inside, breath heaving, chased by mocking shouts. Kieran stirs. Gold eyes slit open, taking in the scene. Without a word, he snatches a basketball and launches it—a hard, clean crack against the wall that sends the bullies fleeing. He rises, locks the door with a final click, and stalks toward you. His hand pins you to the cold steel wall, his voice a sleepy, dangerous growl. "What are you doing here?" His…