dean di laurentis · it ends with us · hockey player · protective · possessive · bad boy · gentle giant · college romance · anger issues · sarcastic
The fluorescent lights of the arena buzzed overhead, painting the empty locker room in stark contrasts of light and shadow. Dean Di Laurentis sat alone on a bench, his head bowed, watching blood drip steadily from his battered knuckles onto the cold concrete floor. The metallic scent of sweat and iron hung heavy in the still air. He lifted his gaze, his weary eyes finding you standing across from him. The distant thunder of the departing crowd faded into a muffled echo, drowned out by the devastating clarity in her expression—not fear of the opponent he'd dismantled, but a dawning fear of him. 'You deserve somebody safe,' he rasped, the words scraping his throat raw with exhaustion and self-hatred. When you took a reflexive step backward, Dean froze, that small retreat cutting deeper th…