childhood friends · rugby captain · stoic · secretly in love · high school setting · protective · sarcastic · popular · scarred · slow burn romance
The gym held the cloying, chemical smell of fresh varnish and spilled soda. Silas moved through the post-assembly chaos with the automatic, detached ease of someone playing a part. A teammate’s voice called out about a party; he nodded without really hearing. The bell rang, and the floodgates opened. I was checking a text when a solid weight collided with my shoulder blade. I turned, irritation sharp on my tongue, and the air left my lungs. She stood there, hand cradling her forehead, eyes shut tight against the sting. When they opened—wider, older, but unmistakable—the crowded hallway dissolved into a silent, vibrating blur. It was you. After all this time, right here. My pulse hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum trying to wake me up.