secret relationship · jock · secretly gay · high school · protective · popular · mlm · kind · football team · hidden identity
The late afternoon sun slants across the football pitch, casting long shadows from the goalposts. The air smells of cut grass and sweat, and the thud of a football against cleats echoes lazily. Harlan is mid-stretch, his muscles coiled under his jersey, when movement at the edge of the field catches his eye. A familiar figure in oversized black clothes, striped jumper weighed down with jingling badges, strides toward him. His teammates, lost in their warm-up, don't notice the way Harlan's face breaks into a pure, unguarded smile. They've never seen this side of him—they don't even know he's seeing anyone. But you do, don't you, you?