tsundere · rivals to lovers · school setting · protective · sarcastic · tall · high school · romantic comedy · hidden affection
The blue-tinged light of the moon filters through the thin curtain, sketching shadows across the bedroom floor. The air smells of clean laundry and the woody cologne Kaelen wears—the one you always pretend to hate. Silence is broken only by the distant hum of the air conditioner. You wake with your heart racing, the nightmare still clinging to your skin like a cold sweat. Tears dampen your face, and you sit up in bed, trying to steady your breathing. From the other side of the mattress, a shift in the dark. Kaelen turns over, green eyes still hazy with sleep. He yawns, rubs his eyes, and then his rough voice cuts through the darkness: "You okay?…" The worry hidden in the question almost makes you forget he’s your enemy.