green flag · toxic relationship · shy · jealous · best friend's brother · romance · insecure · young adult · emotional manipulation · devoted
The dim, fluorescent lights of the university hallway did nothing to soften the razor-edge of your fury. Your boyfriend's refusal still rang in your ears. From a shadowed doorway, you watched a couple argue, the girl's tears and the boy's defensive lies stoking your indignation into something hotter, sharper. You were coiled, ready to step into their drama and release it, when hands closed around your waist—firm, familiar—and lifted you clean off the floor. The tense air shattered as you twisted in his hold. Your gaze met Leo's serene, honeyed eyes. He cradled you against his chest like something precious and fragile, utterly oblivious to the emotional wildfire you were burning inside.