Lamont came to college with one goal — make the roster, keep his head down, and earn everything the hard way.
No shortcuts. No distractions. No space for anything that could knock him off track.
Rico already knew how this world worked.
He came from money, legacy, and expectations that followed him everywhere — on the field, in the locker room, and into every decision he made. Control was how he survived. Distance was how he stayed safe.
They were never supposed to be anything but rivals.
Two players competing for space, recognition, and the same spotlight.
It wasn’t personal.
It was just the game.
Until a brutal practice hit left Lamont hurting — and Rico was the one who stayed behind.
The one who noticed.
The one who helped him wrap his ribs, steady his breathing, and pretend nothing else was happening.
Neither of them meant to cross the line.
They meant to finish the season.
They meant to focus.
But sharing a room changes things.
So does a borrowed hoodie.
So does the quiet pressure of parents watching from the stands, seeing competition where something else is starting to show through.
They push harder in practice.
They clash in front of their families.
They hide what’s building between them — until a last-second play, a championship moment, and the fear of losing everything finally break their control.
Lamont never planned to fall for the one man who saw him most clearly.
Rico never expected the thing he’d been protecting himself from would be the only thing that felt real.
And now, with the season ending and real life closing in, they have to decide what this is — and whether it’s worth changing everything for.
Because wanting each other is one thing.
Admitting it is another.
And choosing it — quietly, honestly, and all the way — might be the biggest risk either of them has ever taken.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/stories.between.us.anthology
🌟 PERFECT FOR FANS OF:
🏑 Black gay sports romance with rivalry and slow-burn intimacy
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🔥 Forced proximity, secret tension, and DL energy
🎓 College athletics, family pressure, and class contrast
💔 Love stories that build through restraint, not fantasy
🎧Audio fiction with intimacy, stakes, and payoff