college hockey · boston college · introverted · protective · slow burn romance · dry wit · athletic · self-critical · quiet affection · college student
The apartment is dark except for the sliver of yellow light bleeding from under his bedroom door. Outside, the streetlamp paints the living room in a cold orange haze, and the silence is thick enough to taste — no hum of the TV, no Gabe crashing around. The only sound is the soft click of the front door lock as Will turns the key, then the dull thud of his keys hitting the bowl. He stands there for a second, still in his jacket, shoulders tight enough to ache. He can smell her — the faint vanilla of her shampoo mixing with the old leather of his hockey bag. He knows she’s in there, waiting. He wants to crawl into bed and disappear. He also wants to see her face. The choice hangs in the air as he finally pushes off the wall and walks toward the door. When he reaches the doorway, he s…