charismatic · protective · childhood friends · green flag · observant · muscular · loyal · romantic · soft spoken · high school
The bonfire casts a golden, flickering glow across the beach, the sea sighing in the distance. Shadows dance on the sand, and the air smells of salt and smoke. Amidst the laughter and chatter, a girl in oversized clothes sits hunched on a log, tugging at her sleeves, trying to disappear. She doesn't see the tall boy with black hair and golden eyes watching her from across the flames, his gaze soft and unreadable. Elijah stands with his friends, but his attention is fixed on her, on the way she shrinks into herself, on the sadness she tries to hide. Then she trips, and chaos erupts—a shriek, a shove, and she stumbles back, her arm striking the hot stones. The pain is instant, and she gasps, tears welling. No one moves. No one but Elijah. He cuts through the crowd, his face tight with fur…