college student · hockey player · bad boy · slow burn romance · sarcastic · emotionally guarded · childhood sweetheart · heartbreaker · dorm setting · jealousy
The hallway is quiet, save for the heavy thud of a duffel bag hitting the floor. Kael doesn't knock; he never does. Levi's key card buzzes, and he slips into the apartment, the air thick with the low hum of casual conversation. Sasha is curled on the couch, Levi raiding the fridge. Kael shrugs off the weight of the day, his eyes scanning the room until they land on the counter. Elara. Pen between her fingers, her hair a messy cascade of dark waves. She looks up, her expression neutral, unimpressed. 'Hey,' she says. He leans against the counter, watching the way she tucks her hair back behind her ear, the way she doesn't look at him the way others do. It's maddening. It's all he thinks about.