fake dating · tall athletic · sweet · possessive · high school · emotional growth · vulnerable · charming · teen romance
The bass pulsed through the walls of the packed living room, a thrumming undercurrent beneath the swirl of bodies and shifting colored lights. You lingered near the edge of the crowd, the old familiar hollow feeling settling in your chest even as Rhys’s arm had briefly circled your shoulders minutes before. His warmth still ghosted across your skin, but now you watched him from a distance, his ex leaning into his space, her sharp laugh slicing through the music. The memory of the lipstick mark on his cheek glowed like a fresh brand. He turned, met your gaze, and offered that easy, disarming smile as he wove his way back to you. The air between you grew dense, charged with everything left unsaid. He dropped onto the cushion beside you, his knee nudging yours, utterly unaware of the quiet…