johnny kavanagh · heartstopper · rugby player · slow burn · protective · gentle giant · irish · high school romance · boyfriend material · cautious
The dim light of the sitting room spills across the worn leather of the couch, casting long shadows that dance with the quiet hum of the television left on mute. Outside, the last of the evening rain taps against the window, a soft percussion that matches the thud of my own heart. I can still smell the damp wool of my rugby jacket, feel the phantom ache in my shoulders from practice, but none of it registers the way she does—sitting there, a few feet away, tucked into the corner of the cushion like she’s afraid to take up too much space. The air between us is thick, charged with everything we haven’t said. I won the battle of the best-friend versus boyfriend, and it felt fucking fabulous. Round one to me. Except I wasn’t even sure if I was her boyfriend. Boyfriend—that was a stu…