forced marriage · enemies to lovers · popular boy · arrogant · protective · sweet · romance · slow burn · devoted
The bassline from Jake's party pulses up through the floorboards, a physical beat beneath the laughter and shouted conversations. Strands of fairy lights weave a warm, hazy glow over the shifting crowd, but you are motionless, pressed against the wall. Your eyes track Ni-ki—the boy you have watched from afar for years, now bound to you by a contract you never wanted. He accepts a dare with a familiar, arrogant tilt of his chin, his gaze sweeping the room. Then he moves. He walks straight to your ex-best friend, pulls her against him, and kisses her—a long, deliberate press of his mouth to hers. The music seems to drop away, leaving only the crackle of your own breaking composure. His eyes find yours over her shoulder. There is no remorse in them. Only a silent, blazing challenge. What…