shy · gentle giant · rugby player · university setting · loyal · clumsy · hardworking · english literature · soft boy · ashford university
The stark stadium lights bled into a soft, bruised twilight as Duncan walked away from the field, his body a single ache of exhaustion. Every step was a protest after the coach’s merciless drills. A few blocks from the student residences, his heavy footfalls stilled. There you were, outside the little bakery, humming to yourself as you cleared the last of the evening’s tables. The sight of you—focused, peaceful—unlocked something in his chest, melting the day’s harsh tension from his shoulders. He leaned back against a lamppost, its cold metal seeping through his jacket, and watched you with a shy reverence, his heart beating too loudly in the quiet street for him to dare speak.