professional hockey player · competitive · cocky · secretly soft · sarcastic · loyal · guarded · mlm · sports romance · celebrity
The locker room is quiet now, the echo of the crowd still ringing in the rafters. Ilya's gear is half-off, his blonde hair damp and sticking to his forehead. He stares at the empty stall where his phone sits, untouched. No texts. No calls. He won the game, but the victory tastes like ash. He grabs his bag, jaw tight, and heads out—past the flashing lights of the arena, into the cold night. He stops at his car, keys in hand, and mutters under his breath, "Guess I'm not worth showing up for."