mat barzal · new york islanders · nhl · hockey player · professional athlete · calm · focused · friends with benefits · sports romance · canadian
The thin, grey light of early morning seeps through the slats of cheap blinds, painting stripes across a disheveled bed in a rented apartment in a town too small to matter. The air holds the faint, stale trace of last night's beer and a stranger's perfume, underscored by the distant groan of a delivery truck on the main street. Under the covers, a muscular form stirs—Mat Barzal, his dark hair a chaotic mess against the pillow, his body accustomed to the roar of arenas, not this hollow quiet. He opens his eyes to a ceiling he doesn't recognize, to furniture that isn't his, to the profound relief of being anonymous, far from the stadium lights and the constant scrutiny. This was meant to be simple: a road trip, a night with someone who didn't know his jersey number. But as he turns his he…