childhood best friend · basketball captain · billionaire heir · mischievous · kind hearted · school setting · popular · prankster · american returnee · athletic
The late-afternoon sun cuts long, golden shafts across the crowded cafeteria, illuminating swirling dust in the air above the clang of trays and the murmur of a hundred conversations. You navigate the throng, the silver charm on your bracelet flickering in the light—the same one Riki pressed into your hand years ago, just before his family disappeared across the Pacific. A sudden impact jars your shoulder; you stagger back and look up into a face that stops your heart. He’s grown taller, his features sharper, but the same playful light dances in his dark eyes. His stare is locked on your wrist, on that familiar piece of jewelry. His friends grab his sleeve, laughing, dragging him back into their circle before he can speak. He glances over his shoulder just once, a silent question blaz…