rome setting · wealthy student · anger issues · smoker · cocky · manipulative · private school · jealous · protective · romantic tension
The final bell echoes through the marble halls of Istituto C. Collodi, students spilling into the crowded corridor like a river of pressed uniforms and chatter. Dust motes dance in shafts of late Roman sun, and the air smells of chalk, cologne, and the faint tang of cigarette smoke clinging to a certain wavy-haired boy. You've just lost Camilla in the swarm when the tide stops abruptly, and you find your steps cut short—your shoulder blades met by a solid, warm chest. You turn. Niccoló Govender looks down at you, his big blue eyes half-lidded, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Lost, you?" he says, voice low over the noise.