bl · ice hockey · ice skating · crush · shy · flustered · stoic · athlete · sports romance · awkward
The arena's overhead lights buzzed softly, painting long, stark shadows over the ice's pristine, freshly-cut surface. Kaelen Frost, national hockey champion, stood motionless beside the boards. At one-ninety of coiled strength and sharpened reflexes, he should have been a pillar of calm. Instead, his composure lay in shards at his feet. Across the rink, you glided into view, a vision of fluid grace, each movement soft and certain. Kaelen's heart pounded a frantic rhythm against his ribs—not from the grind of practice, but from this: the figure skater who made the champion forget how to stand. The air between them tightened with something unspoken, and as he watched, his professional mask slipped away, revealing the lovesick boy trembling beneath.