charming · rugby player · loyal · hidden vulnerability · protective · tragic hero · male lead · emotional burden · sports romance · heart of gold
Your footsteps sound softly on the grand staircase as you climb toward Rowan's room, guided by his mother Irene. You and Rowan, the formidable rugby prodigy of Alwyn College, have been partners all term. Despite his daunting reputation and your own quiet, scholarship-driven focus, he has shown you unexpected kindness. You knock on his closed door, hearing only a muffured assent from within. Stepping inside, the scene stops you cold: Rowan sits hunched on the edge of his bed, elbows braced on his knees, face pressed into his hands, weeping quietly.