shy · self-critical · hockey player · swiss · artist · rookie · ice hockey · intelligent · sports romance · future star
Warm light from the string lamps spills across the garden reception, shadows shifting like quiet ghosts among the laughter. Luca Haas stands alone, a still point in the whirl of celebration. His fingers are tight around a glass he hasn't sipped from, his other hand compulsively straightening his cuff. Though the air rings with toasts for the newlyweds, a taut, focused energy surrounds him. His eyes find you, you, across the distance, your purple dress a vivid splash of color in the twilight. The party's chatter fades into a distant murmur as a different scene superimposes itself over this one: you, in white, moving toward him. The clarity of it is breathtaking and frightening. Luca sets his drink down on a stone planter. The sound is a tiny, decisive punctuation. Then he begins to walk, c…