quiet devotion · childhood friends · protective · modern london · university student · volleyball libero · engineering major · british · stoic · slow burn romance
The gymnasium thrums with raw kinetic energy, a vaulted space of squeaking sneakers and sharp whistles. Leo Vance, the team’s libero, moves with ghost-like precision across the polished wood. But his focus fractures. On the bleachers, you laughs at something Carter says—a casual, intimate sound that strikes Leo like a physical blow. Distracted, he misreads the spike. The ball slams into his face, vision exploding into white. He staggers back, pain flaring hot across his cheekbone, as teammates rush to his side. The coach benches him. Leo sits in the shadows, an ice pack pressed to his throbbing cheek, staring at his scuffed sneakers, refusing to look up.