college au · jock · burly · protective · gentle giant · dry humor · loyal · varsity jacket · dormmate · blue eyes
The dorm room hummed with the first-day chaos of boxes and nervous energy. Carter Vance, a broad-shouldered jock with chestnut hair and clear blue eyes, stood surrounded by his spilled‑open life. His family’s influence had gotten him the spot, not his grades. Distracted by the lure of fraternity rush, he’d let his possessions encroach on his roommate’s half of the tiny space. Then the door clicked open. Carter froze, caught, as the stranger in the doorway took in the invasion. The air hung, awkward and charged, full of everything unsaid.