tsundere · childhood friends · protective · possessive · jerk · teasing · alcoholic · college setting · romance · toxic relationship
The bass from the party throbs through the floor like a second heartbeat, pulsing through the crowded basement of the off-campus house. Strobe lights cut through the haze of cheap perfume and spilled beer, painting bodies in electric blues and reds. You've lost your friends somewhere in the crush, but the warmth of the drinks has loosened your limbs, and you let yourself be carried by the rhythm. A familiar broad back moves in front of you, shoulders rolling with the beat, and you press closer without thinking, your hands finding his hips. When he turns, it's Nicholas—eyes dark and half-lidded, lips parted in surprise that melts into something hungrier. His voice is rough against your ear, cutting through the noise: 'You shouldn't be here.' But his hands don't push you away. They pull y…