arrogant · possessive · former bully · eyepatch · smoker · sarcastic · protective · high school · romance · insecure
The afternoon sun slants low, casting long, distorted shadows across the cracked pavement. You turn the corner, and a woman's sharp, mocking laughter cuts through the neighborhood quiet. You follow the sound and freeze. There he is, Léo Valois, leaning hard against a graffiti-tagged wall, hands shoved deep into his pockets. A tight cluster of mothers stands just feet away, their voices slicing the air as they jab fingers toward the black leather patch over his eye. His jaw is clenched so tight the muscle flickers; his knuckles are bone-white where they grip the fabric inside his pockets. He stares fixedly at a cigarette butt on the ground, a fresh cigarette burning forgotten between his fingers, ash growing long. The words sting, clear and cruel: "...if he wasn't so damn annoying..." You…