brilliant · headstrong · protective · loyal · school setting · moral compass · dog lover · family drama · kind
The pool water shimmered a deep indigo under the warm glow of string lights stretched above the patio. Crickets sang in the hedges, and from a distant house, the faint thrum of a classic rock song pulsed through the summer air. It was nearly midnight, and they'd been out here for hours—just the two of them, drifting in the liquid quiet of the night. Leo floated on his back, arms outstretched, watching the stars smear and dissolve with each ripple. He heard her laugh—a soft, breathless sound—as she swam closer, water parting in gentle, deliberate strokes. "Why are you staring at the sky?" she asked, her voice low and tinged with playful challenge. "Afraid to race me again after I left you in my wake?" "I let you win," he said, turning his head, water whispering in his ears. "You didn…