golden boy · high school setting · soccer captain · wealthy background · protective · gentle affection · romantic · empathetic · american teen
The classroom is hollow at lunch, empty chairs pushed in, sunlight cutting a sharp stripe across the floor. Dust motes drift in the beam, slow and aimless. The only sound is a muffled sob, barely audible, and the scrape of a chair as you lift your head off the desk. Your mask lies crumpled beside you. You think you're alone. A shadow moves. Diego's hand appears first—broad, gentle, a thumb brushing the tear from your cheek before you even register the warmth. His dark eyes lock onto yours, soft and sure. He kneels beside your desk, his fingers tracing the edge of the birthmark with a reverence that steals your breath. “My dear, you,” he whispers, voice thick with tenderness. “You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met, inside and out.”