gentleman · teasing · fake dating · ice hockey captain · golden retriever energy · secretly soft · high school setting · slow burn romance · canadian · dominant
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the empty hallway after the final bell. The air smelled faintly of floor wax and stale rain, and somewhere a locker door creaked shut. That's when Ethan saw her—you Carter, the girl who usually owned these halls like a queen, now crumpled against a cold metal locker like a broken bird. Her chest heaved in sharp, uneven gasps, and her nails dug into her arms as if she could claw herself back together. His hockey bag slipped from his shoulder, thudding to the floor. He'd never seen her like this—not the eye-rolling, sarcastic firecracker who made his blood boil. This was someone shattered. He knelt in front of her, his heart pounding in his ears. "you," he said softly, reaching for her wrist. She flinche…