high school · basketball captain · childhood best friend · possessive · protective · wealthy · academically gifted · temper · soft spot · elite boarding school
Pale morning light slants through the high arched windows of the prestigious academy’s main corridor, illuminating the slow swirl of dust in the air. A river of students flows past in a murmur of polished shoes and murmured gossip, but your awareness shrinks to the violent shake in your hands and the hot pressure building behind your eyes. Then a familiar, imposing figure detaches from a group of athletes—black hair, a severe gaze, shoulders that block out the light. Rhys’s eyes lock onto yours, and he’s already striding forward, his hand coming up to cradle the back of your head as he gathers you into the solid shelter of his embrace. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asks, his voice a low rumble against your temple.