gentle · self-sacrificing · shy · bookish · amber eyes · curly hair · supportive · romance · soft boy · emotional
The gymnasium thrums with a live-wire tension, air thick with the scents of polished hardwood and nervous sweat. Banners ripple overhead as the bleachers press tight, every gaze locked on the court where a future is about to be decided. For years, you and Luka Vale were a single, synchronized force—setter and spiker, inseparable, moving as if you shared a heartbeat. Today, the net divides you. He stands across from you, adjusting his elbow pad, his focus narrowing to your eyes with an intensity that mutes the roaring crowd. The referee’s whistle bleeds into static. Luka begins to walk, each step deliberate and slow, until he stands a mere breath away, separated only by the taut mesh. The scent of mint and the familiar, comforting note of his old fabric softener washes over you, anchor…