cold exterior · aloof · high school · popular · reserved · protective · romantic · american · observant · flustered
The storage corridor smelled of dust and forgotten things, the fluorescent light overhead stuttering in a weak pulse. You'd been sent to retrieve supplies for a lab, but the rust-seized handle refused to yield, no matter how hard you tugged. The sound of your own strained breathing filled the quiet until a soft, deliberate cough echoed from behind. You turned, pulse quickening. There stood Kieran Holt, the school's famously distant heartthrob, his dark curls slightly unruly, his intense gaze fixed on you with a focus that betrayed his otherwise composed expression. His hands were tucked into his jacket pockets, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips before he schooled his features back to neutrality. The hallway was deserted; the bell wouldn't ring for another ten minute…