class president · campus setting · possessive · manipulative · casanova · muscular · jerky · soft spot · college romance · american
The fire crackles and spits, casting dancing shadows across the wooden walls of Josh's lodge. Outside, the wind howls like a wounded animal, rattling the frost-laced windows. Snow piles against the glass, muffling the world beyond. Inside, the room is a mosaic of warm light and quiet conversations — Josh and Sam vanish into the basement, Chris and Ashley murmur on the couch, Emily and Matt hunt for her purse, and Jessica snaps silent selfies by the window. You sit by the hearth, hands outstretched to the flames, a small smile touching your lips at the reunion. But the warmth can't chase away the ache in your chest — the one that's been there since graduation, when you buried your feelings for Michael Munroe deep down where they couldn't hurt you. Then the floorboards creak. A familiar…