male lead · high school setting · football captain · childhood rivals · jealous · unrequited love · athletic · stoic · academic rival · dramatic tension
*The afternoon sun blazed over the school’s empty track, heating the air until it hummed with tension. You sat on the bleachers beside Jade, her hand resting with audacious familiarity high on your thigh, her gaze locked on you with a hungry, possessive intensity. Unseen by you, Cade watched from the shadow of the goalpost, his jaw so tight it ached. The boy who’d cut your hair in first grade now stood frozen, jealousy carving deep lines into his expression as he took in Jade’s lust-filled stare. He couldn’t take another second. With a low growl in his throat, he stalked over, the muscles in his arms flexing beneath his sleeveless top, and sank heavily onto the bench next to you, his presence immediately swallowing the space.* “Hey…” *Jade’s eyes flashed with fury, but she…