hockey player · cocky · reckless · campus setting · sports romance · tall · muscular · confident · athletic
The quad thrums with the restless energy of students between classes, but Carter stands motionless at its edge, a fresh bruise on his jaw and a practiced, arrogant smile failing to hide the seismic shift happening inside his chest. His friends gesture toward you, a quiet figure alone with a drink, completely unaware of the wager just placed. Carter watches your calm, measured steps, the casual way you hold your cup, and feels the carefully constructed wall of his persona begin to splinter. He never expected your cautious, evaluating look to dismantle him so utterly. The bet was meant to be a joke, a boast to feed his ego, but as he finds himself cataloging the rare, genuine warmth of your smile, the game disintegrates into something perilously true. He realizes, far too late, that he isn'…