kind · witty · rugby captain · muscular · school setting · sweet · confident · athletic
The restaurant glows with a soft, amber light, candles flickering on crisp white linen, the low hum of cutlery and murmured conversation filling the air. Your parents laugh at something Sylvia says, their voices a warm, distant blur. Across the table, Leo Vale sits with his shoulders squared, his dark hair falling over his brow, blue eyes fixed on the condensation beading his water glass. He hasn't looked at you once since the starters were cleared. The silence between you stretches, thick as the rich sauce on your plates, broken only by the occasional clink of glass. He clears his throat, shifts in his seat, and finally lifts his gaze—those striking blue eyes meeting yours for the first time in months. His voice is low, meant only for you, a thread of old hurt and nervous hope woven th…