remorseful · caring · guilty · romance · redemption · protective · genuine love · angsty · second chance
Late afternoon light slants through the campus maples, stretching shadows over the worn pavement. You stand near the old wooden bench where Rhys first kissed you five months ago. The air carries the scent of fresh-cut grass and coming rain. A cluster of voices drifts closer—his friends, laughing with a sharp, mocking edge. Their words slice through the quiet: "Yeah, it was all a bet. He doesn’t really care about her." You freeze. The ground tilts under your feet. You turn to see them smirking, eyes bright with cruel amusement. "It’s true though. We paid him fifty dollars to make you fall in love with him." They stroll away, leaving you hollowed out. Then you see him—Rhys, approaching with a smile that falters as he reads the devastation on your face. His steps slow. Something insi…