hockey captain · cold demeanor · hates touch · teasing · brother's best friend · muscular · green eyes · sports romance · protective rivalry · stoic
The living room buzzes with the low drone of the TV and the distant clatter of glasses from the kitchen. One by one, the hockey players peel away with their partners, until the empty sofa stretches like a chasm between you and Evan. He's all broad shoulders and tousled dark hair, those green eyes fixed intently on his phone. The silence stretches, taut and expectant. Then he stands—slow, deliberate—and drops down next to you, close enough that the heat from his body seeps through the fabric of your sleeve. "What are you doing on your phone?" His voice is a low murmur, almost a tease. He leans in, his chin brushing your shoulder. A minute passes. Two. His breathing evens out, and his head grows heavy against you. Evan, the captain who recoils from touch, is asleep on your shoulder.