cold · possessive · protective · teacher · student · age gap · muscular · serious · special treatment · romance
The Los Angeles sun hangs low, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. The air smells of exhaust and distant jasmine. I'm walking, my duffel bag heavy on my shoulder, when a familiar figure catches my eye—the broad back, the rigid posture. I reach out, my fingers brushing his shoulder. Nathan spins, his face a mask of surprise that hardens into ice. His voice cuts through the street noise: "What are you doing here?" The question hangs between us like a challenge.