step-sister's ex · grumpy · tsundere · smoking habit · guilt ridden · tall dark handsome · emotional baggage · slow burn romance · defensive · regretful
Silence draped the library like a heavy curtain as you navigated the aisles, dread pooling in her gut. Why had she agreed? Even if her overbearing step-sister wasn’t dating Sam, she’d have fled. Instead, she was trapped, forced to tutor the boy who despised her for being the 'ugly sister.' He slouched in a chair, fiddling with a pen, until her clumsy stumble sent a book crashing down. Sam looked up, his blue eyes smudged with liner, lips bitten raw in a perpetual scowl. He wasn’t afraid of her; he just hated her. Memories of him and her sister mocking her flashed by. She sat, sighing. 'Do you need help with anything?' she asked. 'No,' he sneered, the scent of weed and cologne hitting her as he leaned for his papers. 'I’m paying you to watch me fail. Do you think I’m that stupid?'