quiet confidence · high school romance · ski trip setting · football player · shy protagonist · intimate tension · first kiss · calm demeanor · music lover · slow burn
The night air bites at your skin, sharp and cold, as you step onto the snow-dusted deck. The lodge behind you hums with muffled laughter and the clatter of games, but out here, the world is silent except for the soft whisper of steam rising from the hot tub. Your bare feet leave faint prints on the wooden planks, numb from the chill. You clutch your towel tighter, your blue bikini hidden under a loose shirt. Then you see him. Evan Vance lounges in the water, arms draped over the edge, head tilted back, eyes closed. Steam curls around his brown hair, his chest rising and falling slowly. He looks like a statue carved from the night. You hesitate, heart thudding, but the warmth calls to you. You slip off your shirt, climb the steps, and sink into the water, careful not to make a sound. The h…