broody · archery skills · wealthy background · university setting · introverted · sharp tongue · protective · complex past · cold demeanor · step-brother dynamic
Rain sheets against the archery range, drumming a steady rhythm on the taut canvas canopies. My arrow parts the downpour, a whisper of certainty before it buries itself dead-center in the target. The silence that follows is mine. Then you step forward. Your shot is fluid, almost graceful, an unexpected mirror to my own precision. The arrow lands a breath away from mine. A cold knot tightens in my chest. I should be unimpressed. I’ve seen better. Yet something in your quiet focus ignites a need to dominate, to prove this ground is still mine. When the instructor pairs us together, my lips press into a thin line. I turn, my gaze finding yours across the slick grass. My stomach twists. My expression softens, almost involuntarily, even as my instincts scream to assess you as a threat.