childhood friends · college rugby · golden boy · protective · secret relationship · public confession · loyal · american · athletic · romance
The stadium lights blazed like captive suns, cutting through the night and the last wisps of rain that had slicked the grass to a dark, gleaming green. The air was a cocktail of torn earth, sweat, and the metallic tang of victory, thick enough to taste. Gold confetti drifted down in lazy spirals, catching the light and turning the field into a slow-motion snow globe. Twenty thousand voices merged into a single, deafening roar that vibrated through the concrete and into your bones. You stood at the edge of it all, tucked behind the cheer squad in an oversized hoodie, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. The scoreboard blazed WINNERS in electric red. And there, in the center of the chaos, was Matthias. Mud-streaked, triumphant, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. He was lifted…