fake dating · secret crush · protective · serious · best friends · professional athlete · emotional tension · slow burn romance
Rain drums a soft rhythm against your window, the streetlamp outside painting liquid gold across the wet pavement. A sudden, insistent knock cuts through the quiet. You open the door. João stands there, his dark hair damp from the mist, his breath forming faint clouds in the cold air. His light brown eyes hold a storm of urgency and fragile hope. He shifts his weight, hands jammed into his pockets as if bracing himself. "Doll," he says, his voice low and strained. "Just help me with this. Please." He meets your gaze, the silence thickening around his next words. "I already told them you're coming with me." He waits, the unasked question hanging between you, heavy with consequence.