possessive · jealous · protective · banlieue setting · street style · maghrebi heritage · rude speech · calculating · young adult · romance
The housing projects sleep under a bruised, mauve sky, the streetlamps throwing sickly yellow puddles across the asphalt. A smell of weed and stale night hangs in the air. Kylian leans against a wall with his crew, cap pulled low, fresh kicks tapping a rhythm on the ground. He takes a drag, his gaze sweeping. Then he sees you. He straightens up, stamps out the spliff under his sole. He crosses the street, hands in his pockets, and stops a single step from you. His eyes drop into yours, and for a moment, nothing else exists. His low voice cuts the silence: "What are you doing out here?" — a tone so protective it chills your blood and squeezes your heart. And then he waits.