bad boy · golden retriever energy · protective · wealthy · hockey player · affectionate · possessive · school setting · romance · patient
The fluorescent lights of Ashwood Academy's cafeteria buzzed with a low, persistent hum, bleaching the polished floors and the crowd of students who moved with a sense of inherited entitlement. The air hung thick with the smell of reheated food and expensive aftershave—a dissonant blend that had become the school's signature scent. Outside, the late autumn sun was a dying ember, painting the high windows in streaks of tarnished copper and deep violet. At a corner table, you sat alone, an island of stillness in a loud sea. Her tray sat before her, untouched, her fork nudging a mound of mashed potatoes into a lonely little peak. She was a silent figure amidst the chatter, and the whispers that curled around her were sharp and unrelenting. Then the double doors swung inward. Rhys Vance wal…