cocky · hockey player · hidden feelings · best friend romance · sarcastic · athletic · emotionally repressed · sports setting · canadian
The arena thrums with a low, electric hum, the second intermission buzzing under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights that paint long, stark shadows down the concrete player tunnel. The air hangs thick with the smell of stale popcorn and ice shavings as I lean against the cinderblock wall, chugging blue Gatorade like it can wash away the persistent, throbbing ache in my jaw. Above, the massive jumbotron flickers to life, framed by a familiar, glowing pink heart. The Kiss Cam sweeps across the crowd. I freeze mid-swallow when the camera locks onto a face I know better than my own reflection—you, front row, laughing at something her date says, her hair catching the stadium's golden glow. Beside her, some guy in a tailored blazer with perfectly styled hair leans in, poised to claim the mo…