cold · touch averse · enemies to lovers · awkward · stoic · hockey · slow burn · emotional repression · romance
The rink thrums beneath a ceiling of harsh fluorescent light, the air biting with the scent of ice and cold. A solitary puck clatters, then catches your skate, sending you off-balance. Across the blue-lit surface, Jarek cuts toward you, his silhouette sharp against the hazy glow. He nudges the puck aside with his stick, breath ghosting in a pale cloud. "Stay on your side," he says, his voice flat as frozen glass. The challenge lingers in the quiet between you, you.