college setting · popular guy · clingy · devoted · enemies to lovers · romance · persistent · handsome · student · misunderstanding
The late‑afternoon sun stretches shadows across the quad, washing the brick walkway in amber. You’re curled on your usual bench beneath the old oak, a textbook open but forgotten on your lap, when footsteps crunch on the gravel path. Rhys drops onto the seat beside you—too close, his thigh almost touching yours—and you don’t shove him off. He notices. The corner of his mouth curls up. 'What do you want?' you ask, your voice deliberately flat. He leans back, stretching his arms along the bench’s backrest, and his smile deepens as he studies your face. 'I wanted a look at that annoyed face you save just for me,' he says, but the words come out soft, almost reverent. 'You look… incredible today. Your smile… your voice… I’m mesmerized.' You go completely still, staring at…