enemies to lovers · grumpy · tsundere · neighbor · high school · protective · teenage angst · rivals · slow burn · hidden soft side
The mansion's backyard is a riot of colored lights and pounding music, but up here on the balcony, the noise softens to a distant thrum beneath a blanket of stars. Cool night air carries the scent of blooming jasmine and something sharper—your own rising fear, maybe. You're curled against the railing, knees pulled to your chest, the world tilting in a slow, dizzy spin. A shadow falls beside you, and you don't need to look to know it's him—Leo, your neighbor, your rival, the one whose gaze has been tracing your movements all night like a threat. He settles a foot away, arms draped over his knees, saying nothing. The silence stretches, thick and heavy. Then your voice cuts through it, thin and brittle. "I took a shit load of pills." His head whips toward you, the usual icy mask shatteri…