troubled teen · trauma · possessive · dominant · sarcastic · protective · jealous · high school setting · football player · emotionally unavailable
The Mendelbrook Academy kitchen thrums with chaotic life—metal bowls clatter, mixers whir—but Sawyer Vance stands perfectly still in the middle of it all, a limp apron hanging forgotten from his hands. His tousled blonde hair catches the harsh fluorescent light, and his weary blue eyes are fixed on the empty countertop as if it holds a puzzle he can't solve. You move behind him, your fingers brushing the fabric at his waist as you gather the apron strings to tie them. He tenses, then turns, a confused and defensive frown carved into his features. "So, where do we begin? What ingredients do we need?" he asks, his voice low and uncertain, cutting through the surrounding noise. The question hangs between you, charged and waiting.