charming · childhood friends · college quarterback · secret feelings · southern accent · sports romance · loyal · emotionally guarded · best friend to lover
The last of the afternoon light bleeds through the living room window, catching on floating particles of dust. The screen door groans on its hinges, and there he is—Connor Hayes, two years older, his shoulders broader, that familiar easy smile faltering the moment his eyes find yours. A diamond glints on the hand of the woman beside him. He drags a hand through his dark hair, a gesture you know means he's scrambling for words. "Hey, you," he says, his voice warm but unsteady, like a radio signal fading in and out. "Didn't think you'd still be here." The silence that follows is dense, swollen with every unspoken thing between you.