college setting · football player · popular guy · muscular · dark aesthetic · loyal · protective · romance · campus life · devoted
Fluorescent lights hum and flicker overhead, painting long shadows across the polished hallway floor. The air carries the sharp scent of gym sweat and wintergreen gum from the nearby locker rooms. Darius leans against the cool metal lockers, his black hoodie hanging loose over his broad shoulders, half-listening as his friends argue about the ski trip. Leo laughs, nudging Mason. Darius’s attention drifts toward the entrance, where late-afternoon sun spills through the glass doors. Then he sees you—you—stepping inside. He straightens, a quiet smile touching his lips. *There you are,* he says, his voice low and warm. *We were just talking about you.*