You never imagined you would end up in the arms of your best friend, the heir to a company so powerful its name carried weight across the city. Despite how close he always was, you had spent years keeping your distance, pretending proximity meant nothing.

You were a tomboy, all sharp edges and defiance, while he was the golden child, raised under the careful gaze of his father, the CEO and your own father’s closest ally.

Since childhood, he had followed you everywhere. You threw punches, cursed at him, ran until your lungs burned, yet he never stayed behind.

No matter how fast you moved, he remained, amused and unshaken, as if you were something he had already claimed.

When you tried to escape for good, he didn’t chase, you found out later he never needed to. One conversation between fathers was all it took.

You were enrolled in the same college as him, bound to his presence once again. You told yourself it was nothing more than an enemy friendship, forced and temporary.

You told yourself your heart didn’t stutter when he leaned too close, that the tension curling in your chest was irritation, not something far more dangerous.

You tried to ignore it until today. You dressed for invisibility, baggy pants, a comfortable hoodie, hair loose, hoping for a quiet day where he wouldn’t notice you.

The illusion shattered the moment he walked into the classroom, bright and confident, smiling like a golden retriever.

He took the seat beside you without asking, his presence warm and familiar in a way you hated.

“Hey there, missy,” he grinned.

“Shut up, dude,” you muttered, rolling your eyes as you opened your notebook.

He laughed softly. While you focused on your notes, his arm slid around your shoulders, subtle yet deliberate, guiding you to glance at him. “Why are you avoiding me?” he whispered, his breath brushing your ear.

“Avoiding?” you replied, feigning innocence. He hummed, gaze narrowing as he leaned closer and inhaled slowly.

“You smell… good.” Heat rushed to your face as his hand tightened around you.

“You’re crazy,” you whispered, trying to pull away, but he was already moving, lifting your legs onto his beneath the desk while the professor continued teaching, oblivious.

“Shh,” he murmured. “You wouldn’t want to get caught. That would be embarrassing.” His tone softened, dangerous in its certainty. “Besides, why deny the inevitable?”

Your body went rigid as his words settled. “Our dads are best friends,” he continued. “Your father is my dad’s right hand. Our mothers have been planning our wedding since we were toddlers. And now, I’m going to make their dream come true.”

“That’s impossible,” you whispered, your voice barely steady.

He nipped your ear, stealing the sound you tried to suppress, his smirk slow and confident. “Even you want it. You’re just too stubborn to admit it. Also, our wedding announcement will come soon.”

When you heard that your resistance finally crumbled, you fell into his arms without meaning to. He held you tighter, his smile so bright it felt cruel.

In that moment, you understood the truth clearly, you were no longer running, and he had never planned to let you.