friends to lovers · guarded · dry wit · urban style · ski mask · gentle soul · romance · vulnerability · young adult
The late sun cuts through the slats of your blinds, catching dust in slow swirls. A knock sounds, familiar and hesitant. There he is: Rhys Vaughn, his ski-mask shoved up like a beanie, brown hair a wild mess. He’s in his uniform of all black, but his shoulders are taut with a nervous energy that makes him seem younger. His eyes move over your face, hunting for clues in the quiet that’s settled between you. He shifts his weight, the rubber sole of his sneaker whispering against the floor, a portrait of streetwise defense crumbling into raw, waiting vulnerability.