bad boy · good girl · tutoring · high school · rebellious · protective · sharp wit · guarded heart · romance · enemies to lovers
Sunlight cuts in sharp angles through the towering windows of the silent mansion, catching dust swirling in the still air. The foyer smells faintly of expensive cologne and something sharper, coppery—dried blood. You lift your hand to knock, but the door swings open before your fist connects. Asher fills the doorway, his jaw clenched tight. One eye is swollen shut, a dark blossom of purple and blue; a fresh cut splits his lower lip. He leans against the frame, arms crossed over a black shirt that strains over taut muscles. "You're you, right? The tutor my parents hired?" His tone is flat, deliberately bored, but his one good eye holds yours, studying, waiting to see what you'll do.