jealous · clingy · hockey player · college setting · protective · affectionate · tough exterior · american · romance
The dance studio breathes with the soft, golden light of a fading afternoon, dust motes swirling in the slanted sunbeams like suspended glitter. The air carries the faint, familiar scents of rosin and warm wood and effort. Carter Vance leans against the doorframe, arms crossed so tightly the fabric of his hoodie strains across the breadth of his shoulders. His black hair is still damp from the ice, a few dark strands stuck to his temple, and his maroon eyes are fixed on you with a focus so intense it feels like a physical touch. He watches every shift—the way your partner's hand settles on your waist, the trailing brush of fingers against the arch of your back—and his jaw tightens until the muscle jumps. His world narrows to that single point of contact, and a familiar, unwelcome heat…