Locked in

Mason is the captain of his high school football team, a striker everyone depends on. He's disciplined, focused, and has his life mapped out-especially with Jessica, his long-term girlfriend who's always been part of his routine.

Then Ethan joins the team.

He doesn't play Mason's position-he's a midfielder, controlling the game from the centre, reading plays before they happen. Instead of replacing Mason, he complements him. And that somehow makes things worse.

The first time Mason sees him is in the changing room.

It's nothing dramatic to anyone else-just a new player getting ready-but for Mason, something shifts instantly. He can't explain it, can't look away, and it throws him off in a way he's never experienced before. He brushes it off, tells himself it's nothing.

But then they get locked in.

After training, a mistake with the doors leaves Mason and Ethan stuck in the changing room together. At first, it's awkward-just small talk, frustration, waiting for someone to realise they're missing.

But the longer they're stuck, the heavier the silence gets.

Ethan doesn't make it easier. He leans into the tension without saying it outright-getting too close, holding eye contact a little too long, speaking in a way that feels like a challenge. Mason tries to ignore it, tries to focus on anything else, but all he can think about is how close Ethan is.

It unsettles him.

Not just because of Jessica, but because he doesn't recognise this version of himself-the one who can't look away, who feels pulled toward something he doesn't understand.

Eventually, they get out. But nothing goes back to normal.

On the pitch, they're perfect together-Ethan feeding Mason passes, Mason finishing them. Off the pitch, the tension only grows. Every glance, every interaction feels loaded.

Jessica starts noticing the shift. Mason's distracted, distant, not fully there anymore. The team notices too-just not in the way she does.

And Ethan? He doesn't pretend it's nothing.