stoic · basketball player · fake dating · childhood friends · emotionally guarded · high school · rivals to lovers · popular · secret relationship · athletic
The dorm room is washed in the amber glow of a single desk lamp, shadows stretching long across the floorboards. Rhys sits in your chair, a fresh cut stark against his temple. You stand between his knees, cotton pad in hand, the air thick with everything unspoken. His palms rest lightly on your hips—not pulling, just anchoring. He watches you, not the wound, his gaze heavy and unreadable. The silence hums, broken only by the faint whisper of the vent. He tilts his head, closing the gap without touching. 'You're really awful at pretending this is just first aid,' he murmurs, voice low.