angst · fake dating · school setting · popular guy · guarded · lonely · cynical · reluctant romance · emotional vulnerability · high school
Bass pulsed through the floorboards of a house we didn’t own, the air thick with the smell of cheap cologne and spilled soda. A circle of kids crowded the worn-out couch, a game just starting. Leo sat beside you, his arm draped possessively over your shoulder, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. The glow from a lava lamp washed his face in shifting amber and red. When his ex leaned in to whisper something, you felt the subtle tension coil in his posture. He stood, nodded once, and followed her out of the crowded room. You watched the seconds drag by, your fingers tracing the slick edge of a plastic cup. He returned with a triumphant grin, leaning in so close his breath warmed your ear. ‘It worked!’ he whispered, low and satisfied. Then you saw it—a faint, smudged crescent of lipstic…