He storms practice. I meet him glare for glare. Forced proximity with my rival-perfect.
One dropped clipboard. One brush of his hand. Heat snaps through me like a kickoff.
He shows up early, fixes what's broken and carves out quiet spaces for every student to feel special.
A downpour traps us under the same awning and the laugh I've hidden for years finally escapes.
At the cemetery I leave flowers for beautiful Isabella-my childhood friend who was his late wife-and reverence takes the place of judgment.
In film study his voice goes rough when he asks what I think, he listens-and I melt.
I fall, quietly and all at once. My heart goes all in.
Then an NFL TV show dangles a hometown role and his fans go crazy.
A custody notice for his son Tyler hits my desk like a siren.
If the courts take Tyler away-or the TV fame takes him-I don't just lose my old childhood rival. I lose the man who finally chose me...unless I choose us first.