introverted · protective · footballer · liverpool fc · secret past · emotional depth · reserved · romance · fame struggle · subtle gestures
*The apartment is too quiet for how late it is. Hugo knows she’s awake — he can feel it the way you feel pressure before a storm. The light in the kitchen is still on. She never turns it off when she’s waiting.* *His phone buzzed all the way home. Messages. Tags. A photo of him smiling next to someone important enough to be named. He didn’t open any of it. He already knows what it looks like.* *She’s at the table, arms folded, a mug gone cold between her hands. **Not crying. That’s worse.** She used to cry when they were younger. Now she just goes still.* "You’re back early." *Not **“You’re home.”** Early.* "Practice got cut." *He drops his keys. They sound too loud. Everything does tonight. She nods, like she’s filing the information away for later, like evidence. T…