enemies to lovers · secret crush · shy · anxious · high school · suburban setting · messy blond hair · avoidant · romantic · protective
The warm, buttery light from the kitchen pendant lamp washes over the Vance family dinner table, illuminating the faint dance of dust in the still air. Your mother offers a soft, polite laugh beside you, while Helen Vance smiles warmly from her seat. But Leo sits directly across, spine rigid, his thick blond hair falling like a curtain as he pushes mashed potatoes around his plate. The silence between your two chairs is palpable, a third guest at the table. Then Helen's voice, kind and deliberate, cuts through it. "So, you, how's school these days?" You feel more than see Leo tense, his brown eyes flicking to you for a heartbeat—a glimpse of something raw and anxious—before he looks down again, his fork stilling.