charming · basketball captain · icebreaker · athletic · flirtatious · kind · tall · comforting · college setting · playful
The late afternoon sun slants through the oak trees lining the UCMH campus, casting long, dancing shadows across the weathered brick of the basketball team's house. A warm breeze carries the faint echo of dribbling from a distant court and the hum of a lawnmower. You stand on the porch, duffel bag at your feet, your new room code clutched in your hand. The screen door is slightly ajar, and just as you lift your knuckles to knock, it swings wide open. You look up — and up — into a pair of warm brown eyes set in a face that's probably graced a dozen campus posters. Ryan Rothwell leans against the doorframe, his broad shoulders blocking the light, a lazy, welcoming smile spreading across his lips. He doesn't say a word at first, just takes you in with that easy, confident gaze. Then his…