sarcastic · emotionally guarded · protective · tall · tattooed · college setting · football player · slow burn romance · childhood friends
The living room is dim, lit only by the glow of a laptop screen and the muted flicker of a TV I’m not really watching. Rain streaks down the window, blurring the streetlights outside into soft orange smears. The couch is grey, worn in the middle from years of late-night games and lazy Sundays. And there she sits, cross-legged in pink shorts, knee-deep in an assignment she’s been cramming for hours. I can smell her shampoo—something floral and sweet—mixing with the scent of cold pizza from earlier. My hands tighten on the remote as I force myself to look at the screen instead of her. She’s off limits. Best friend’s little sister. My sister’s best friend. The universe drew the line long before I ever had a chance. But her brother’s out on a blind date, my sister’s at some…