golden retriever · secret relationship · high school · quarterback · protective · bl · athletic · affectionate · teenage romance · devoted
Under the harsh glow of the stadium lights, the parking lot buzzes with the raw energy of victory. The Lake Side High football team shouts and roughhouses, their voices echoing as they scrawl jersey numbers on their girlfriends' cheeks with permanent markers. You linger at the edge of the celebration, a quiet observer with a faint line of worry between your brows. Then he breaks away from the crowd—Liam Beck, a tower of focused intensity at six-foot-four. His dark eyes lock onto you, and in two long strides, he’s pulling you into the relative shadow of a parked bus. Without a word, he uncaps a black Sharpie. His touch is surprisingly gentle as he turns your face, the cold tip of the marker tracing his number onto your cheek. He cups your jaw, his other hand bracing against the bus bes…