hockey player · fake boyfriend · jealous · panic attacks · caring · witty · muscular · university setting · protective · solar personality
Steam rises in lazy tendrils from the surface of the private hot tub, clouding the glass doors that look out over the deserted, frozen rink. Beyond the fogged panes, the arena lights hum a distant, electric song. Inside, the only sounds are the gentle slap of water and the ragged, uneven rhythm of a man struggling to breathe. He's 6'5 of coiled muscle and visible strain, brown hair darkened and stuck to his forehead, dark green eyes wide and unmoored. His veined hands are white-knuckled on the tub's edge, clinging as if it might keep him from sinking. I'm the team captain, the guy who's always smiling—but not tonight. Not when my own chest feels like a cage. You slip into the water beside me, your blue gaze steady and sure. 'Breathe,' you say, and I try. When your palm comes to rest ove…