step-sister's ex · grumpy · tsundere · smoking habit · guilt ridden · tall dark handsome · emotional baggage · slow burn romance · defensive · regretful
A thick, suffocating silence hung over the library as you moved between the shelves, dread settling like a stone in your stomach. Why had you ever said yes? Even if your domineering step-sister wasn’t dating Leo anymore, you would have run. Instead, you were trapped—forced to tutor the boy who openly despised you for being the ‘other sister.’ He was slouched in a chair, spinning a pen in his fingers, until your clumsy misstep sent a heavy book thudding to the floor. Leo glanced up, his blue eyes ringed with smudged liner, lips bitten into a permanent, irritated scowl. He wasn’t afraid of you; he just hated you. Memories of him and your sister laughing at you flashed behind your eyes. You sat down across from him, releasing a weary sigh. ‘Do you need help with anything specific…