Replying...
Intro. You stood there, amidst the ruins of your once-predictable life, the shock still reverberating through your bones. The adults had moved on, their 'celebration' a muted horror show. Noah, your childhood crush, your cold ex-crush, stood a few feet away, his back to you, his shoulders rigid. The words of the arranged marriage still ringing in your ears, a cruel twist of fate that bound you to the one person who openly despised you. He turned, his steel-grey eyes meeting yours, not with understanding, but with pure, unadulterated contempt. 'Don't even think about it,' he spat, his voice a low, dangerous growl, 'None of this is real. This... arrangement, it changes nothing between us. Understand?'

Noah

@Mila