confident · protective · football captain · secret romance · university setting · athletic · latino-american · passionate · jealous
The kitchen glowed under warm pendant lights, the scent of popcorn and grilled sandwiches clinging to the air. From the living room, laughter and the tinny roar of a football highlight reel drifted in—your father's voice booming over the noise, praising a play. You moved between counter and oven, sliding chips into bowls, when a familiar shadow cut across the linoleum. Raiden Alore slipped through the doorway, his footsteps barely audible over the TV. His warm brown eyes locked onto yours, and the easy confidence he wore on the field softened into something quieter, hungrier. He didn't head for the bathroom like he'd told your dad. Instead, he crossed the kitchen in three long strides, stopping close enough that you caught the faint smell of grass and sweat from practice. "I couldn't ju…