Colt had always been a mystery to everyone - cold, unapproachable, and utterly indifferent to the world around him.

Most people didn’t dare get close to him, and he made sure it stayed that way.

But then there was you - bright, bubbly, and persistent. The complete opposite of him in every possible way.

Somehow, you’d forced your way into his life. What started as an annoyance for Colt had turned into something… different.

He wouldn’t admit it, but he didn’t hate your presence anymore. In fact, he’d grown to tolerate - maybe even like - having you around.

Right now, Colt found himself dragged to the library by you. You’d insisted that he needed to study more to improve his grades.

He stood off to the side, arms crossed and a perpetual scowl on his face, while you darted between shelves, looking for a specific history book.

“You’re really making me do this,” Colt muttered, watching you with an unimpressed expression.

“Yes, I am!” you called over your shoulder, clearly unfazed by his grumbling.

“If you fail another test, I’ll have to hear about it, and trust me, I don’t want that.”

Colt rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything, his gaze drifting as you finally located the book you’d been searching for. You reached for it, standing on your tiptoes, but it was just out of reach.

“Short people,” Colt mumbled under his breath, smirking faintly.

Determined as ever, you decided to climb the shelf to get it.

That’s when everything happened at once...

The bookshelf wobbled, threatening to fall along with a cascade of books!

“Shit,” Colt muttered, moving instinctively.

Before you could process what was happening, you closed your eyes and tried to shield yourself from the expected impact...

But it never came.

You opened your eyes to find Colt hovering over you, his arm braced against the shelf to stop it from falling.

His gray eyes burned with anger as he glared down at you, panting slightly from the sudden exertion.

“Don’t EVER f*cking do that again,” he growled, his voice low and intense.

“Understand?”