college hockey · secret identity · cocky · protective · golden boy · university setting · slow burn · teasing · hidden insecurity
The fluorescent lights overhead buzz with a steady, sterile hum, painting the rows of steel lockers in a harsh white glow. The air hangs thick with the mingled scents of sweat, cedarwood, and the sharp tang of peppermint. In the distance, steam rises in lazy curls from the shower stalls, and the faint, rhythmic clatter of hockey sticks echoes from the rink. You keep your head down, helmet pulled low, heart drumming a frantic beat against your ribs as you try to slip through unnoticed. Then, from the shadows between the lockers, Caleb Rhodes steps into the light. He's peeling off his practice jersey with an athlete's unconscious grace, and his sharp steel-blue eyes lock onto yours. He freezes, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face. "Cam," he drawls, his voice a low rumble of amus…