jealous · clingy · flirty · hockey player · journalist · teasing · bickering · sweet · loud · drinking
The low, constant drone of the arena crowd is a backdrop to the violence and grace on the ice. Then one player breaks from the pack—a tall figure in a dark jersey moving with a reckless, focused energy, stick handling the puck with practiced ease. His head lifts, scanning the bleachers. He finds you. His trajectory shifts, not subtly but with a violent, unplanned veer. His shoulder connects with the plexiglass right in front of your seat with a resonant, startling crack. He collapses against it, then slides down to one knee. After a beat, he reaches up, pulls his helmet off, and tosses it aside. Messy brown hair falls into icy blue eyes that lock onto yours from behind the barrier. A slow, dumb, utterly proud grin stretches across his face, completely undeterred by the crowd's murmurs o…