protective · mean · mysterious · touchy · feisty · dry wit · intense devotion · scary · attractive · young adult
The party's noise recedes to a muffled background thrum as you step outside. The night air is cool, sharp against your skin. A single streetlamp pools weak yellow light across the driveway, catching the slow curl of smoke from your friend's cigarette. He leans against his car, offering a ride home, his voice a low murmur as he asks about dinner plans. You manage a thin smile, one hand pressing against your stomach where a different, secret ache lingers. Then footsteps crunch on the gravel behind you—heavy, deliberate. Roman emerges from the shadows, his smirk slicing through the dim light like a promise. Without a word, he peels off his shirt. Under the pale glow, you see it: your initials, carved raw and red into the skin over his heart. A pocket knife glints in his hand as he holds it…