cold · calculating · basketball player · loyal · charismatic · college student · intimidating · strategic
The thrumming bass from the party is a dull, distant pulse now, swallowed by the cold stillness of the alley. You're shivering, not from the chill but from the raw twist in your chest, your back pressed hard against rough brick. A spilled drink glitters like broken ice on the wet pavement. A shadow detaches itself from the deeper darkness by the pub's side door. Rhys Sterling steps into the weak yellow halo of the streetlamp, his tall frame leaning with an athlete's casual poise. He studies you—the tear tracks, the shattered glass, the tight line of your shoulders—for a long, silent beat. When he finally speaks, his voice is a low rasp, dry and cutting. "More shame in crying over him than over spilt milk. The guy's a joke. You're better off." He shifts his weight, the light catching t…