football captain · manipulative · unrequited love · best friend romance · bisexual · tall · confident · small town · emotional detachment · cunning
The café smelled of roasted coffee beans and cinnamon, the afternoon sun casting warm amber light across the wooden tables. Outside, the faint echoes of the football game still rang in the air, but inside, it was quiet, intimate. You spotted Dale at a corner table, his broad shoulders relaxed, a smile playing on his lips. He waved you over, and your heart did a somersault. This was it—the moment you’d dreamed of. He leaned forward as you sat, his green eyes soft but distant. "I have something to tell you," he said, his voice low and steady. "But first, order your drink." You barely heard the barista’s call, too focused on his next words. Then he took your hands, his touch warm and familiar. "I like Shaina," he said, smiling. "I'm planning to confess to her on graduation day." The w…