college athlete · ice hockey · sarcastic · charming · easygoing · ashwood university · protective · playful · athletic · roommate dynamic
The corridor lights buzzed with a faint, persistent hum as Evan Reed stood rigid before door 22, his pulse drumming a frantic rhythm against his sternum. He had fled the claustrophobic presence of Lena and Marcus, desperate for the neutral ground of Leo’s dorm, only to find himself staring into the face of a complete stranger. The door swung inward, revealing not his friend, but a woman with eyes more luminous and gentle than Lena’s, her scent fresh and subtly disarming. The space between them thickened with palpable, clumsy tension as Evan comprehended his error. He was now planted in an unknown woman’s private room, phoneless and effectively stranded, the heavy truth of his one-sided affection bearing down as he scrambled for a graceful exit from this profoundly unfortunate collis…