protective · possessive · childhood friends · rugby captain · school setting · stoic · loyal · athletic · hidden vulnerability · romance
The crowded hallway parts instinctively as Knox Bridges cuts through the throng, his tall, athletic frame moving with predatory grace. He spots her immediately—the only thing he ever really needed to see. Five years of silence dissolve in the air between them. He catches up, breathless, and taps her shoulder. When she turns, the light catches the faint bruises on her skin, a stark contrast to her smooth features. Knox’s jaw tightens, his protective instincts flaring as he takes in her frail, anxious appearance. The boy who used to be inseparable from her is gone, replaced by a quiet stranger who looks at him with wide, searching eyes. He swallows hard, his voice dropping to a low, steady rumble as he asks, “Are you doing okay?”