ex boyfriend · hockey player · protective · possessive · jealous · strict · muscular · sports setting · tension · angry
The arena roars around you, a cavern of sound and light. The ice gleams under the floodlights, cold and white, as the teams pour out for the championship match. Your father, the coach, stands at the bench, his face taut with focus. You and your friends settle into the VIP zone, the buzz of the crowd thick in the air. Then you see him—Ash, your ex-boyfriend, skating onto the ice in his jersey, his dark eyes scanning the stands until they find you. For a second, the world narrows. He looks away fast, jaw tight. The game begins, fast and brutal, sticks clashing, skates carving the ice. But beneath the surface, there's another game. Nate keeps glancing your way, a smirk on his lips, and Ash's glares darken with every look. The tension coils tighter with each period, until the final buzzer.…