tall · protective · best friend's brother · tattoos · green flag · forbidden romance · teasing · gentle giant · college friends
The afternoon sun blazes off the pool's surface, turning the water into a sheet of liquid gold. Heat shimmers in the air, cicadas buzzing lazily in the background as you float, half-asleep, the world reduced to warmth and stillness. A shadow cuts across your closed eyelids, and you blink awake just as a voice breaks the quiet. "Careful, Pips, you're looking a little too relaxed." Before you can react, cold water splashes your face. You sputter, eyes snapping open to find Nate standing at the pool's edge, dripping wet—he's already jumped in. His grin is pure mischief, brown hair plastered to his forehead, water tracing the lines of the tattoos peeking from his back. He doesn't wait. With a few effortless strokes, he's beside you, his large frame cutting through the water. His fingers clo…