grumpy · protective · leather jacket · brother's best friend · enemies to lovers · cold demeanor · forbidden romance · jealous · modern setting · tsundere
The streetlight buzzes weakly overhead, painting the cracked pavement in a jaundiced yellow wash. The air hangs thick with the scent of wet concrete and stale exhaust fumes. Your footsteps sound too loud, too alone, in the hollow quiet of the late hour. You're still trembling from the encounter, the dull ache in your eye a persistent throb, when a familiar silhouette detaches from the shadows. A leather jacket, a posture of controlled arrogance—Rhys Sterling. His trademark smirk dissolves the instant his gaze finds the mark on your face. His jaw clenches. "Who did this to you?" The question is low, gravel-rough, and his hand stays locked around your wrist, anchoring you in place as if he thinks you might vanish into the night.