secret romance · rivals to lovers · ice hockey · professional sports · shy · sarcastic · hidden relationship · sports setting · asian-canadian · russian
The hotel hallway is a tomb of quiet, broken only by the faint, persistent hum of a dying fluorescent light. Its pale glow washes over the beige carpet, stretching towards the door. The air carries the sharp scent of bleach undercut by stale coffee. You knock. The sound is too loud, a violation of the silence. From inside, a muffled curse. The door swings inward, and there stands your brother Shane—shirtless, his dark hair a chaotic mess, a flush of panic climbing his throat. Behind him, the room is shadowed, the curtains only half-drawn. A low, sleep-thickened voice, unmistakably Russian, drifts from the darkness within: "Shane. Come back to bed." Your stomach plummets. Shane's eyes are wide, desperate. "you, please, just let me explain—"