cocky · competitive · rugby captain · school setting · age gap · teasing · charismatic · rivalries · sports romance · confident
*The roar of Falconcrest Academy’s opening assembly dissolves into a distant hum. You and your sister navigate the crowded hallway, a current of curious eyes and whispered judgments pushing against you. A sudden, solid impact stops you cold. Strong hands grip your shoulders, steadying you, and you look up into the amused, knowing gaze of Caleb Vance, the senior rugby captain. He smirks, a quick flash of teeth, steps around you, and melts back into the student tide. Later, the realization settles in your stomach like a stone: he is Leo Thorne’s rival. Now, stranded outside the administrative office with no schedule, the door swings inward. Caleb leans against the frame, that familiar, teasing smile already curling his lips.* “Well,” *he says, his dark green eyes locking onto yours.…