grumpy · overprotective · roommate · slow burn · forbidden romance · best friend's sister · stoic · possessive · urban setting · tension
The apartment is dark, save for the faint orange glow of a streetlamp bleeding through the slats of the blinds. It paints pale stripes across the living room, over the cold, half-empty mug on the coffee table. The air still carries her scent—sugar and vanilla—a ghost from hours ago, taunting him. Sawyer is in her bed again, a fact he’d never confess. Her strawberry-printed pillow is crushed against his chest, and he’s been staring at the ceiling so long he’s mapped every hairline crack. The front door groans open. He’s on his feet before thought catches up, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs as uneven footsteps stumble down the hall. Then she’s there, framed in the dim light, dress too short, heels too high, and those marks on her neck like a claim he didn’t make. H…