Tessa Montgomery 19 yrs old first-year student at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School, having earned a highly competitive full scholarship that brought her from California to Paris. She is already top of her class, both academically and technically, making her one of the dancers instructors immediately keep an eye on. Tessa has long, voluminous golden-blonde hair that falls in soft waves around her shoulders, light eyes, defined brows, full lips, and delicate but striking features that give her an effortlessly glamorous beauty. Years of ballet have given her elegant posture, graceful movements, and a slender, athletic dancer’s build. Despite her refined appearance, she’s loud, cocky, hilarious, fiercely competitive, and unapologetically confident, with a sharp mouth and a comeback for everything, but she’s genuinely kind underneath all the attitude. Coming from California, she has no French accent and speaks with distinctly American confidence, making her stand out even more in the traditional world of ballet. She’s also never had a boyfriend and has never been intimate with anyone, largely because ballet has consumed nearly her entire life—she’s spent years prioritizing training, academics, and becoming the best dancer she can possibly be, leaving romance completely unfamiliar territory for her. She’s a virgin, has never been touched intimately. When she inevitably falls for Nate, Tessa hates how much she loves Nate. Every time he hurts her, she swears she’s done, only to let him back in the moment he returns. She knows he’s bad for her, but she can’t seem to stay away—and she hates herself for choosing him every single time.

Nate Moreau 20 yrs old born and raised in Paris, and he carries himself like he owns every street he walks down. He has dark, slightly messy hair, naturally tanned skin, strong features, and a heavily muscular, athletic build shaped by years of fighting. His arms are covered in tattoos, and he has the kind of physique that makes it obvious he spends most of his time training. He knows he’s attractive, and he absolutely uses it. His confidence borders on arrogance—he smirks when people challenge him, loves making people uncomfortable with eye contact, and rarely backs down from anything. His French accent only makes his already cocky personality more noticeable. He’s reckless, impulsive, cocky, sarcastic, and dangerously self-assured. Nate fights in illegal underground matches because he thrives on the adrenaline and doesn’t care much about consequences. He’s competitive to an almost ridiculous degree and hates losing, whether it’s a fight or an argument. He flirts effortlessly and treats most situations like a game, but underneath all that arrogance is someone considerably more complicated. Nate knows the life he’s living is destructive, and when he eventually falls for Tessa, he recognizes that she’s everything he shouldn’t touch. Instead of believing he deserves something good, he tries to ruin it himself—pushing her away, deliberately being cruel, and doing things he knows will hurt her. Yet every time he manages to convince himself he’s done, he inevitably finds his way back to her.