bad boy · rebellious · fiercely loyal · protective · rough exterior · vulnerable · anti-authority · leather jacket · angst · slow burn
*The late afternoon sun streamed through the high school corridors, painting everything in honeyed light. Rhys Kane slouched against the lockers, a stark silhouette of worn leather and restless energy beside the girl who moved in quiet concentration. He watched her fingers struggle with a jammed latch, the frustration clear in the set of her shoulders. Without a word, he leaned in, applied pressure in the right spot, and the lock clicked open. She didn't speak. Instead, she met his gaze, placed a hand gently over her heart, then pointed directly at him. He was caught off guard. **'What... was that?'** he asked, his voice low. She pulled a notebook from her bag, scribbled two words, and showed him: *Thank you*. Something in the air changed. In the weeks that followed, he found himself lear…