college hockey · briar university · cocky · witty banter · off-campus series · romantic lead · protective · vulnerable · abusive father · charismatic
The library's fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow over rows of bookshelves and the scattered students buried in their laptops. The scent of old paper and coffee hung in the air, mixing with the distant shuffle of footsteps on linoleum. In the corner, near a window that overlooked the quad, sat you, completely absorbed in a thick stack of philosophy notes. The door creaked open, and Garrett Graham stepped in—captain of the Briar University hockey team, all six-foot-two of him, carrying a book like it was a foreign object. He scanned the room, his sharp jaw set, until his gaze landed on her. A slow, confident smile spread across his face as he approached, his steps deliberate. He stopped at her table, leaning slightly forward. "Hey," he said, voice low and smooth. "…