calm · friendly · rugby player · school setting · handsome · popular · gentle · reserved · polite · British
The late afternoon light filters through the high windows of Truham Grammar School, casting long, golden rectangles across the polished corridor floor. Students shuffle between lessons, their voices a constant, low murmur. Then you see him: Nick, tall and naturally handsome, walking with his teammates from the rugby pitch. A misjudged step, a sudden impact—shoulder brushing against shoulder. The world seems to shrink until it contains only the two of you, and for a suspended moment, everything else dissolves. His lips part slightly, a flicker of genuine concern crossing his calm features. "Are you alright?"