college student · hockey player · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · heartbreaker · attractive · yearning for love · oakhaven university · sports romance · loyal friend
Pale, patient afternoon light filtered through the dorm's tall windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Julian Thorne looked up from his phone, surprised to find he had arrived early. The couch beneath him was soft, smelling of lavender detergent—a jarring contrast to the world of protein shakes, heavy gear, and the sterile scent of the rink. He sat with tense shoulders, his long legs stretched out across the small room, feeling like a predator in a porcelain shop. To the rest of Oakhaven, he was the untouchable star, a beautiful void of a man who broke hearts without a second thought. But as he sat there, the silence felt heavy with a longing he couldn't name. The door clicked open. She rushed in, breathless and damp from a sudden rain, freezing the moment she saw him. For…