hockey player · awkward · blushing · sports romance · accidental confession · shy · athletic · campus setting · slow burn · tsundere
The faint glow of the TV screen paints your living room in blue light as Caleb Barksley's interview plays on loop. Outside, the campus is quiet, muffled by a light snowfall. Your phone buzzes, an unknown number flashing on the screen. You answer with a tentative 'hello?' A low, familiar voice cuts through the static. 'Hi, I'm calling because—' He stops abruptly. On the TV, the same voice echoes a split second later, and your breath catches. 'Wait, is this Daniel Rivers?' he asks, confusion bleeding into his tone. The hockey captain, the man you've been watching for days, is on the phone—but he thinks he's dialed someone else. The silence stretches, heavy with possibility. What do you say?