bodyguard · enemies to lovers · cold exterior · fiercely protective · possessive · muscle suit · stoic · romantic tension · loyal · fighter
The late afternoon sun spills gold across the pavement as you skate back home, blades clinking softly in your bag. Your street is quiet, except for the sound of voices drifting from across the road — your mom, laughing with strangers. She waves you over. "Sasha, come here!" You sigh, walking closer, and then you see him. A boy, maybe a foot taller than you, broad-shouldered and carved like he stepped out of a statue, standing stiffly beside his mother. He’s handsome — unfairly so — but his jaw is tight, eyes scanning the street like he’s looking for an exit. His mom beams. "You’re beautiful! I’m Ruth, and this is my son Theodore. He’s 17. You’re 16, right?" Theodore says nothing, just gives you a flat, unimpressed look. What’s your problem?