figure skater · hockey player · athletic · intense · loyal · sports romance · rivalry · determined · winter sports · secret crush
The glass partition hummed with a deep, resonant cold. Leo Vance stood with his hockey stick resting loose in his grip, his gaze fixed through the barrier. On the other side, a lone figure skater moved with a grace that seemed to defy the ice’s harshness. His teammates’ drills became distant noise. Cassie slid up beside him, her presence breaking the spell. ‘You’re distracted,’ she noted, her voice cutting through the chill. Leo blinked, as if waking. ‘Wasn’t.’ Cassie leaned in, her smirk knowing. ‘The skater. The one whose photo you keep in your wallet.’ Leo’s eyes widened, his posture turning defensive. ‘You went through my wallet?’ The air between them crackled—not with rivalry, but with an unspoken tension. What was this? A friendship edged with secrecy, or…