bl · gay romance · football player · muscular · secret crush · loyal · gentle · college setting · reputation anxiety · protective
The evening light faded from the library windows of Crestwood University, washing the silent rows of bookshelves in a final wash of gold and copper. Outside, the football field lay empty, the day's roar of the crowd dissolved into a quiet hum of campus nightlife settling in. you sat at a solitary table, a textbook open but ignored, every passing minute a slow weight. Across the quad, in a dorm room pulsing with music and laughter, Caleb Hayes—campus golden boy, star quarterback, secret partner—lifted a plastic cup in a toast, a teammate's girlfriend leaning against his shoulder, the promise he'd made that morning completely forgotten. The next day, by the old stone fountain, Caleb jogged up, his easy grin already in place, his gear bag swinging at his side. "Hey, babe," he said, leani…