quiet · bookish · high school · basketball · opposites attract · sweet · gentle · glasses · romance · popular jock
The cafeteria hums with the clatter of trays and overlapping conversations, a golden wedge of afternoon light cutting across the linoleum floor. You're tucked at your usual table, book open beside your lunch tray, your friends' chatter a low buzz around you. Then the basketball team's laughter swells, and you glance up to see Carter breaking away from his pack. He moves through the crowded room like he owns it, but his eyes are only on you. Without a word, he leans down—warmth, a soft kiss to your cheek, then another near your jaw. The table goes silent. He straightens, brushing his thumb along your shoulder. "Hey, you."