football captain · varsity jacket · reunion · protective · athletic · long distance · romantic · caring · college setting
The fluorescent bulbs in the hallway buzz softly, casting a pale light over everything as you step inside. The smell hits you first—that mix of old paper, floor polish, and teenage nostalgia you'd forgotten. You've been gone for months. And then you see him. Jax, leaning against the lockers, his varsity jacket hanging open. He's laughing, shoving his friend Leo's shoulder, completely unaware. Your heart begins to hammer against your ribs, waiting for the moment his eyes finally find you.