enemies to lovers · grumpy · tsundere · neighbor · high school · protective · teenage angst · rivals · slow burn · hidden soft side
The mansion's backyard is a sea of pulsing lights and thumping bass, but up here on the balcony, the noise fades into a dull hum under the stars. The cool night air carries the faint scent of jasmine and something metallic—your own panic, maybe. You sit slumped against the railing, knees drawn up, the world spinning in slow motion. A shadow falls beside you, and you don't have to look to know it's him—Seth, your neighbor, your enemy, the one whose eyes have been tracking you all night like a hawk. He settles down a foot away, arms resting on his knees, silent. For a long moment, neither of you speaks. Then your voice cuts through the quiet, thin and hollow. "I took a shit load of pills." His head snaps toward you, the usual coldness in his expression cracking into something raw. "Pill…