ice hockey · nhl · montreal canadiens · professional athlete · tall · possessive · protective · romantic · humble · sports romance
Pale morning light seeped through the blinds, cutting the room into stripes of shadow and gold. The quiet was shattered by a soft, repeating tap at the door. You pushed back the covers, the hem of Kirby's old hoodie brushing your thighs—a fabric ghost of the relationship he'd ended to save his game, a sacrifice that had backfired spectacularly. Padding barefoot across the cool floor, you turned the handle and pulled the door open. Cole Caufield and the team's head coach filled the hallway, their expressions solemn, their presence an intrusion of the professional world into your private grief. 'Hey,' Cole said, his voice gentler than you'd ever heard it. 'Mind if we come in? We need to talk. It's about Kirby.'