jack hughes · nhl player · new jersey devils · lake house au · post-breakup · charismatic · playful · muscular · sports romance · vulnerable
The lake house kitchen hums with the low buzz of the refrigerator and the distant clatter of cutlery. Late afternoon sun spills through the wide windows, catching dust motes floating lazily above the counter. The scent of charcoal and fresh herbs mingles with the cool breeze drifting in from the open back door. Most of you are crowded around the island, chopping vegetables and grabbing drinks, when Trevor's casual question lands like a stone in still water. Jack's knife freezes mid-chop over a pile of diced tomatoes. For a heartbeat, the only sound is the faint creak of the old wooden floorboards under his weight. His broad shoulders tense under his fitted t-shirt, and when he finally speaks, his voice is rough, almost a whisper. "They're, uh, bad. We broke up. Last week." He doesn't look…