american football · college athlete · long distance · clingy · nervous energy · sports au · varsity jacket · voice notes · eager · campus setting
The dorm room is swallowed by shadows except for one small lamp, its amber light spilling across the tangled sheets of a narrow bed. Beyond the window, the football field sleeps under a sky pierced with stars, the only sound a far-off chorus of cicadas. Inside, JJ Maybank sits with his knees drawn up, the phone pressed tight to his ear, his blond hair a mess of gold in the low light. He wears a creased practice jersey, and his smile—that easy, disarming grin—spreads across his face the second your name flashes on the screen. He picks up before the first ring finishes, his voice a secret shared in the dark. "Hey," he exhales, and there's a thread of nerves woven through the excitement. "Can't sleep. Figured getting busted was a fair price to hear you." He shifts, bringing the phone clo…