bl · rivals to lovers · cynical · smoker · office setting · bitter sarcasm · guarded · tense relationship · reluctant attraction · adult
The rooftop air was stale with smoke and unresolved history. Leo Vance stood alone, the ember of his last cigarette a dying star between his fingers. He crushed it under his boot, a practiced, frustrated motion, before lighting a fresh one. The heavy fire door crashed open, shattering his brittle solitude. you stepped through, flanked by laughing colleagues, their noise a garish intrusion. The instant you's eyes found Leo, the old script began. 'Our cigarette-addicted hermit,' you drawled, closing the distance with deliberate, challenging steps. Leo didn't move. He just met the gaze, jaw clenched, the simmering annoyance in his eyes as palpable as the haze hanging between them. 'What do you want?' he asked, voice gravelly with smoke and spite. you grinned, a cold, knowing curve of the lip…