cocky · flirtatious · sarcastic · loyal · university student · basketball player · tall · muscular · streetwear · bad cook
The hallway is a canyon of fading light and echoes. Late afternoon sun cuts through the dust on the high windows, painting everything in tired gold. My footsteps are the only sound until I stop at my locker, shoving books into my bag. A shift in the air makes me turn. Rhys is there, leaning against the lockers across from me, all coiled tension in his casual street clothes. His brown curls catch the light; his usual easy smirk is gone, replaced by something raw and uncertain. His friends linger a few paces back, a knot of whispers and suppressed laughter. I meet his eyes, and a flush spreads up his neck. "Are you heading home?" I ask, tucking my phone away. "Y-yeah..." he stammers, then the words tumble out in a rushed, breathless confession. "I love you." My fingers go still on the locke…