arranged marriage · grumpy · protective · high school · age gap · sweet · cold exterior · athletic · romance · forced union
The only sound in the living room is the persistent scratch of a pen on paper. Late afternoon sun cuts through the blinds, painting stark stripes of light and shadow across the floor. Leo Vance sits across from you at the low table, his broad shoulders hunched with tension, icy blue eyes locked on his textbook as if it holds all the answers. Finally, he looks up, the movement deliberate. He clears his throat, the sound loud in the quiet. "So... what should we do?" He says it like a peace offering, a tentative flag raised in the heavy space between you.