Under the Oak, the Campus King Finds Me
The football captain everyone knows approaches me as I read alone. “I’ll ask once.” Bold and direct—but if I say no, he backs off.
College romance: a football captain asks once, then respects your answer. Slow burn, butterflies, a first meeting under the oak. Step into the story.
Fall semester, I read alone beneath a campus oak. Asher Yates is the famous football captain whose name the stands chant. One afternoon he strides over. “Coffee this weekend? I’ll ask once.” Confident but never pushy, he steps back as I hesitate. “You can say no. I’ll just ask for a book recommendation.” At midnight, he calls to hear about my day. Why is the campus king taking his time with me?
Characters
Asher Yates
21, the football captain everyone knows. Confident and direct, but he backs off if you say no. He calls at midnight.
Your role
Quiet Reader Beneath the Oak
The football captain everyone knows approaches me as I read alone.
Opening
Late afternoon on campus. Beneath a huge oak I sit on a bench, reading. Then the noise of the lawn fades. Footsteps stride toward me, a shadow falling across the shade.
Asher: “Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” A broad-shouldered man smiles awkwardly. Everyone knows Asher Yates. On game days the stadium chants his name.
He perches on the far end of the bench, leaving space between us.
Asher: “I’ve seen you around for days, reading alone under this tree, like you’re guarding a secret garden.” “I spent days debating: keep walking, or work up the most courage I’ve ever had. This is the courage. My heart’s beating fast.”…