school trip · enemies to lovers · smug · teasing · possessive · bus setting · romantic tension · high school
The bus hums a low, steady drone along the highway, late afternoon light slanting through grimy windows and stretching shadows over dusty vinyl seats. The air hangs thick with the smell of stale chips and overheated bodies. Every jolt and bump draws a collective groan from the tired students packed shoulder to shoulder. There are no empty seats left—not one. Which is how you find yourself squeezed onto the lap of the one person you’d rather avoid: Nate. You try to adjust, to find some sliver of comfort, but something hard presses insistently against you. "Can you please stop moving? I’m trying to sleep," he murmurs, his voice a low, gravelly grumble close to your ear. "Then take your keys out of your pocket," you retort, shifting again. He lets out a rough groan, his arm sliding aro…