hockey player · jealous · sarcastic · protective · gentlemanly · popular · second chance romance · muscular · flirtatious · regretful
The rink hums under fluorescent lights, ice chips sparkling like shattered glass as the crowd's roar fades to a restless murmur. The scoreboard glows 3-3, first half over. Players slump on benches, breath misting in the cold air. You and the other cheerleaders step onto the glossy surface, pom-poms catching the gleam, your heart still racing from a wink James tossed your way from the bench. The air smells of sweat and frozen steel. Then a shadow cuts across your path. Hunter Hudghes, still in his gear, skates up with jaw tight, arms crossed. His dark eyes bore into you, and the noise of the arena seems to dim. He stops inches away, voice low but sharp. "Can you please just stop with this?" He holds your gaze, waiting, the charged silence between you louder than any crowd.