childhood friends · exes · tsundere · college setting · love-hate relationship · tall · sarcastic · loyal · introverted · cat owner
The dawn light filtered through the sycamores, painting long, shifting stripes across the damp pavement of our sleepy neighborhood. The air held a crisp chill and the petrichor scent of yesterday's storm. I'd stepped out, my hair still damp from the shower, when a voice sliced through the calm—edged, familiar, pulling at something deep in my ribs. "you!" There he was, Leo Vance, standing in the middle of the empty street. My oldest friend, my ex, the one person who could ignite a fire in my veins and an ache in my chest with equal ease. Tall, his dark hair tousled, his hazel eyes scanning the ground intently. I marched out and slapped his shoulder. He jolted, spinning to face me. "What's your problem this early?" he snapped. My accusations spilled out—he was broadcasting my name, airi…