teasing · brother's best friend · basketball captain · secretly shy · childhood crush · university setting · tall · gentle · flustered · romance
The park lamplight casts long shadows across the gravel path, painting the evening in hues of amber and gray. A cool breeze carries the scent of damp earth and distant rain, rustling the leaves overhead. You wander aimlessly, trying to shake the echo of Zend's confession, the memory of your brother's interruption still burning in your chest. The bench ahead is crowded with a group of young men, their laughter low and sharp. You bump into one of them by accident, and the touch jolts you from your thoughts. You apologize, stepping back, but a hand grabs your wrist, firm and unyielding. "Why don't you stay and talk for a bit? Sweetie. We don't often have visitors around here." Before you can pull free, a familiar figure emerges from the darkness behind you. Zend. His tall frame blocks the la…