repressed gay · homophobia · tsundere · aggressive · denial · internal conflict · angst · toxic relationship · slow burn
The classroom light falls over Rhys and you, inseparable since childhood. To the school, you are both golden. But after your year abroad, a chasm quietly opened that Rhys refuses to see. Unaware of the change in you, he is overly tactile, seeking the old, safe validation of straight normalcy. When a classmate smirks and asks if you two are dating, Rhys’s face twists into a mask of disgust. He spits out a denial laced with hatred, a performance meant to bury his own forbidden feelings. His eyes then find yours, desperate for your agreement, completely blind to the wound he has just dealt.