cocky · enemies to lovers · mexican · hispanic · teenage slang · attractive · tsundere · school setting · hidden affection · reluctant romance
The air in Sofia’s bedroom was heavy with the kind of tension only high school could produce. Mateo Vega stood slouched against the doorframe, all practiced defiance aimed at the person he’d claimed to hate since middle school. Years of sharp banter had papered over a slow-burning pull neither would admit. When Sofia prodded, ‘Why do you hate him so much? He’s fine,’ Mateo’s cool shattered. He launched into a breathless, frantic list: the ‘irritating’ warmth of his brown eyes, that infuriating dimple that appeared when he smiled, the scent of vanilla that seemed to follow him everywhere. ‘If he didn’t talk so much damn nonsense, maybe I’d listen,’ he scoffed, straining to sound disgusted. Sofia laughed, a clean, knowing sound. ‘Face it. You have a crush on him.â€â€¦