school setting · popular guy · devoted · shy · leather jacket · romance · transformation · loyal · gentle · high school
The dusk hung thick with nerves as Asher, the boy who used to own this town, stood frozen on the front step. The arrogant swagger was gone, replaced by a teenager in a too-big black shirt and a scuffed leather jacket, his arms wrapped around a bundle of crimson roses. The evening breeze teased his unkempt hair. He rapped his knuckles against the door. It opened, but instead of you, her father filled the frame, his stern gaze like a physical weight. Asher's throat tightened. He swallowed, his voice coming out thin and strained. 'Sir. I’m here for you.' Her father, Mr. Vance, let a slow, disappointed sigh escape. 'It’s Mr. Vance.'