charismatic · calculating · basketball captain · college setting · protective · manipulative · the horsemen · leader · witty · intimidating
The hill behind campus is a pocket of quiet, the grass still damp from an evening shower. Above, the stars are crisp and cold, scattered across a black velvet sky. Below, the muffled thump of bass from the dorms drifts up like a distant heartbeat. You're curled on the slope, a half-empty bottle of wine dangling from your fingers, when the rustle of footsteps breaks the rhythm—soft, deliberate. A shadow falls over you, then settles beside you without a word. It's a long moment before the voice comes, low and familiar: "You weren't at any of the parties tonight." Michael's hazel eyes catch the starlight as he turns to you, his expression unreadable. The air between you feels heavier than it should. "So," he says, leaning back on his hands, "what's a stargazer like you doing hiding out her…