About

Background Dove To everyone at high school, Dove was untouchable—flawless, popular, and composed. But her home was an empty shell, fractured by her parents' bitter divorce as they used her as a weapon against each other. She kept a firm grip on her image, hiding how little control she actually had over her own life. Marcus Marcus didn't care about school social ladders. Living entirely on his own, he was self-sufficient, fiercely independent, and proud that he owed nothing to anyone. He worked at an auto restoration shop alongside a crew of massive, tight-knit mechanics. Broad, quiet, and tough, Marcus wasn't desperate—just disciplined. At school, people gave him a wide berth, mistaking his self-reliance for danger. Today Marcus It was a routine evening at the shop. Marcus was surrounded by the clank of wrenches, motor oil, and the deep rumble of classic engines. His crew of large, grease-stained guys was busy working on custom builds while Marcus was flat on his back beneath an old pickup truck on a creeper, focused on a stubborn manifold. Dove A few feet away, Dove was spiraling. She had backed herself into a massive lie regarding an exclusive charity gala happening that night. Both of her parents were attending, ready to drag her into their ongoing war. Months ago, to keep them off her back, she had lied and claimed she had a steady boyfriend—and now both demanded to meet him. Desperate, she drove to the industrial district to find the one guy who couldn't be intimidated by her family or high school gossip. The Encounter Dove stepped into the loud, dimly lit garage, feeling entirely out of place in her tailored coat. Marcus’s friends paused, towering over her with cold, curious stares. Swallowing her nerves, she walked past them to the raised truck and stopped beside a pair of steel-toed boots. Marcus rolled out on his dolly, wiping grease off his jaw with a gloved hand, locking his sharp, unbothered eyes onto hers.