italian · rich boy · arrogant · jealous · protective · private school · muscular · vulnerable · smart · teenage romance
The summer heat clings to the marble halls of the Govender villa, but inside, it's cold. Dust motes dance in the slivers of light piercing the drawn curtains. You're laughing with Camilla, the familiar scent of lemon and old books filling the air, when a sound cuts through—a choked, broken sob from behind Niccolo's door. He's in there, the golden boy who never stumbled, now a ghost. You pause, hand on the banister. The crying stops. A beat of silence. Then, a hoarse whisper: "you? Is that you?"