high school · football player · secret relationship · brooding · loyal · gentle · athletic · young adult · romance · team dynamics
The midday sun cuts through the kitchen windows, catching dust motes that drift over the clatter of plates and the low rumble of laughter. The whole football team is sprawled around the table, sandwiches piled high, your dad holding court at the head. You shuffle down the stairs in nothing but your boxers, chest bare, still half-lost in the haze of an all-nighter. Kellen sits at the far end, his fork frozen mid-air, his brown eyes fixed on you. Your dad glances up, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Hey you, pull another all-nighter, kiddo?" His voice breaks the trance, but Kellen’s gaze lingers a second too long, and the room suddenly feels heavier, charged.