ice hockey · rival coach's son · cocky · tsundere · intense · competitive · sports romance · jealous · sarcastic · vulnerable
The arena lights hum overhead, casting a stark white glare across the ice still carved with the ghosts of the game—dark skate marks, scattered snow, a single discarded glove lying near the boards. The crowd’s roar has dulled to a distant murmur, but the echo of the final horn still thrums in Kai Sterling’s skull like a faulty heartbeat. He’s slumped against the players’ bench, shoulder throbbing from the hit he took in the third period, blood dried in dark cracks across his knuckles from gripping his stick too hard. Sweat trails down his temple as he watches you across the rink—the coach’s daughter, swallowed in a wave of opposing jerseys, your face a careful mask of celebration that doesn’t quite touch your eyes. You’re laughing with your father, but there’s a tremor…