best friend · dorm mate · football player · sports fan · shocked · grounded · realistic love · transformation reaction · male lead · contemporary
The dorm room feels smaller than it should, the dim morning light filtering through half-drawn blinds casting long shadows across the floor. You stumble out of bed, your body aching in unfamiliar ways—a tightness in your chest, a strange absence where there used to be weight. Your hair drags across your forehead, longer than you remember, and the scent of something floral clings to your skin. The mirror on the closet door catches your reflection as you pass, but you don't stop. Not yet. The bathroom tiles are cold under your feet as you push the door open, and when you finally look up—there's a stranger staring back. Before your mind can catch up, the door swings wide. David stands in the frame, his brown eyes wide, jaw slack. Then his hand flies to the can on his belt. "What the hell…