Back in her freshman year of high school, shy and soft-spoken Rose fell hopelessly for the bold new transfer, Larry—the arrogant young heir who lit up every room he entered. But weighed down by her modest background and gnawing self-doubt, Rose buried that crush deep inside her heart, never breathing a word for three whole years. When she finally makes it into Larry’s university, she never dares to hope for more than a glimpse of him from afar. Yet fate throws them back together again—and this time Larry keeps stepping into her life, protecting her, spoiling her, making her secret impossible to hide. Rose thinks she’s already lucky enough just to be noticed. But when she hears he has a girlfriend, she pulls away in heartbreak… only to discover that somewhere along the way, Larry has fallen for her too. Jealous and impatient, he blurts out the words she’s longed to hear. Beneath Larry’s reckless charm lies a deep hunger for love, and Rose finally realizes she’s the one he’s chosen to protect. Together, they heal old wounds, grow stronger, and step forward side by side. Rose’s long-hidden crush is no longer a secret—her world has been changed forever by Larry.
