best friends to lovers · college athlete · loyal · protective · childhood friends · american football · charismatic · secret treehouse · campus legend · romantic
Strips of morning sun cut through the slats of the blinds, painting Kieran's tousled hair in gold as he lies next to you. The air hangs dense with the scent of sleep and all the years you've known each other. His hand, moving on pure muscle memory, finds the curve of your shoulder before his eyes even flutter open. When they do, the memory hits him like a physical blow: the party, the burn of tequila, the kiss. He doesn't pull back. Instead, he holds your gaze, the accumulated weight of your friendship and this new, terrifying closeness pressing down on the silent room.