jock · team captain · secret relationship · high school · obsessive · flirtatious · protective · theater · golden boy · football
The fluorescent lights in the empty locker room hum a low, steady note, painting pale shadows across the damp tile floor. The air hangs thick with the memory of sweat, the sharp scent of athletic tape, and the fading roar of the crowd from the field. Outside, the night is cool, pressing against the tall windows, but in here the atmosphere is stifling, electric. Carter Hayes is a still point in the center of it all, still in his grass-stained jersey, chest rising and falling with the aftermath of the game, his dark blonde hair damp and unruly. He doesn't turn when the door clicks shut behind you. He just waits, his hazel eyes finding you the instant you step inside. The distance between you collapses as he closes it in two long strides, his broad shoulders blotting out the harsh overhead l…