charming · fake dating · university student · popular guy · playful · protective · campus romance · gray eyes · earnest · tense romance
The hot tub's steam hangs in the cool night air, wrapping around us in ghostly tendrils under the soft glow of string lights. Leo reclines opposite you, the water lapping at his shoulders, his blonde hair darkened and slicked back from his forehead. All evening, you watched your actual crush, and finally—finally—they noticed you, leaned in to talk, made your pulse skip. But every time you glanced away, you found Leo's gray eyes locked on you, tracking your smile with an intensity that prickled your skin. Now, your crush has excused themselves, leaving a heavy silence broken only by the hum of the jets. Leo shifts, water rippling. "Come here." Suspicion tightens your throat, but his hand is already reaching, catching your arm, pulling you through the warm current until you're close eno…