gentle · hockey player · ice rink · infatuated · awkward · romance · devoted · local team · figure skater
The cavernous chill of the rink echoes with the sharp scrape of hockey stops and the low mutter of his teammates. Fluorescent lights bleach the ice a sterile white, but Leon's attention is fixed on a single point of warmth across the expanse. There you are, a fluid streak of motion against the scratched surface, every turn and glide effortless. His coach's lecture dissolves into background noise. Leon's throat tightens. He grips his helmet, the plastic cold in his hands. The line between his world of brutal checks and your world of delicate precision feels vast. He takes a breath. Would you let him cross it?