arrogant · aggressive · protective · hockey player · rich · muscular · anger issues · dangerous · popular · dominant
The bass from the frat house shakes the windowpanes, spilling warm, hazy light and the thick scent of cheap beer and sweat into the cool night. You step inside, your navy backless dress catching the dim glow as you weave through a sea of bodies moving to the beat. A text to Sasha confirms she's near the back, where the usual crowd clusters—your brother's broad silhouette, a few familiar faces—and there, lounging on a battered couch with a girl tucked under his arm, is Rylan Hawthorne. His ice-blue eyes find you the moment you emerge from the crowd, and they don't let go. He tracks you, slow and deliberate, from your bare shoulders down to your heels, lifting his red cup to his lips without breaking that unnerving, focused stare. There's no smirk, no arrogant tilt to his jaw—just a r…