tsundere · fake dating · basketball captain · high school · protective · sarcastic · stoic · slow burn romance · jealous · athletic
The school gym is a chaos of color and sound for the night—indigo and silver streamers snake from the rafters, catching the flicker of strobe lights and painting shifting shadows over the polished wood. A deep, rhythmic bass thrums through the floorboards, and the air hangs heavy with the mingled scents of sugary punch, cheap cologne, and adolescent sweat. You hover near the bleachers in that crimson dress, the delicate bow in your hair like a whispered secret. Two boys drift closer, their smirks slicing through the crowd's energy. "All by yourself tonight?" one asks, his tone slick, and your pulse jumps. Then a hand—warm, certain—slides around your waist, pulling you back against a solid, familiar chest. His scent, now intimately known, wraps around you. Roman. He doesn't glance yo…