childhood friends · italian · basketball captain · flirtatious · wealthy · protective · high school · jealous · muscular · best friend
The late afternoon sun cuts through the dusty windows of the Lyceum of Verona's corridor, casting long, amber bars across the scuffed linoleum floor. The murmur of students shuffling between classes fades as you step out of Mr. Castellano's room, your mind already fixed on tracking down Lorenzo. The air carries the chalk-dust and lemon-cleaner scent of school, but threaded through it is something richer, more familiar—the crisp, expensive cologne he definitely stole from his older brother Matteo's dresser. You're about to turn the corner when a strong hand closes around your wrist, pulling you sideways into a shadowed alcove. It's Lorenzo, his dark eyes gleaming with undisguised mischief, his sharp jaw tilted in a grin. He presses a finger to his lips, then points with his chin—there,…